Trump: Embattled nominee 'doing well' — despite 'little bit of concern'

President-elect Donald Trump gave his embattled nominee for Pentagon chief a thumbs up in an NBC interview on Friday evening, despite a "little bit of concern."

Trump sat down for an exclusive interview with "Meet the Press," clips of which aired Friday night on MSNBC's "The ReidOut." He was specifically asked about Pete Hegseth, a Fox News weekend co-host and Army veteran tapped to become the head of the Department of Defense.

"It looks like Pete is doing well now," said Trump. "I mean, people were a little bit concerned. He's a young guy with a tremendous track record. Actually went to Princeton, he went to Harvard. He was a good student at both."

Trump highlighted that Hegseth also "loves the military," and he thinks "people are starting to see it." The president-elect backed his nominee, replying "Yes I do" when asked if he still has the president's confidence.

"He's a very smart guy. I've known him — through Fox — but I've known him a long time. He's basically a military guy. I mean, every time I talk to him, all he wants to talk about is the military. He's a military guy."

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Trump emphasized that while he believes Hegseth will survive a tough Senate confirmation hearing next year, he has received no such assurances.

"I've had a lot of senators call me up and say, 'He's fantastic,'" said Trump.

When asked if he's concerned about Hegseth's reported drinking problem, Trump said people he's spoken to who are close to Hegseth have offered different characterizations.

"They say he does not have a drinking problem," said Trump.

Since becoming the nominee, Hegseth has faced serious allegations and accusations, including sexual assault, alcohol abuse and missing organizational money.

In 2017, a woman filed a police report accusing Hegseth of raping her in a California hotel room after taking her phone and blocking the door. He has also been accused of accumulating more than $400,000 in debt for the nonprofit group Veterans for Freedom, and several Fox News colleagues have said he has a drinking problem, including one who said, "I’ve seen him drunk so many times. I’ve seen him dragged away not a few times but multiple times. To have him at the Pentagon would be scary.”

Watch the clip below or at this link.