Secretary of War Pete Hegseth is raising eyebrows across the political world.

Hegseth could be setting up a showdown.

And Pete Hegseth is plotting one 2028 move that has JD Vance on high alert.

Hegseth Sparks 2028 Speculation with Iowa Trip

Anytime a politician travels to Iowa, everyone assumes they are testing the waters for a potential Presidential campaign.

That was no different when Hegseth announced he was flying out to Iowa to campaign for Republican Congressman Zach Nunn in a move first reported by CBS’s Jennifer Jacobs.

“It is highly unusual for a current defense secretary to campaign for candidates. Previous secretaries rarely, if ever, attended events for candidates while defense secretary,” Jacobs wrote on X.

“Hegseth will appear at an event for Nunn, who currently serves as a colonel in the U.S. Air Force Reserve. Nunn served the Air Force for nearly two decades, and has been in Congress since 2023,” Jacobs also reported.

The Washington Post followed up with reporting that Hegseth was traveling to Iowa in his “personal capacity” and that “officials familiar with his thinking” believe he wants to run for President in 2028.

“Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday is traveling to Iowa in his “personal capacity,” the Pentagon said in a statement, further fueling speculation that the former Fox News personality is mulling a run for president at some point…

…Officials familiar with Hegseth’s thinking believe that he is considering a run for president or some other political office after his time in the Trump administration is over. The travel to Iowa, a presidential campaign providing ground, fits that pattern, one of those officials said Monday, speaking on the condition of anonymity to be candid,” the Post reported.

A Showdown in the Trump Admin

Journalist Mark Halperin reported that Trump is preparing to endorse Vice President J.D. Vance if Vance runs for President in 2028.

But establishment Republicans and neoconservative warmongers want a challenger to Vance.

Fox News host Mark Levin regularly attacks Vance for trying to negotiate an end to the war in Iran and for supporting America First policies to bring manufacturing back to America.

Levin wrote on X that he welcomed Hegseth and others to run for President in 2028.

“I’ve no idea if Pete will give it a shot or not, or if this story is accurate or not. But in this environment, the more the merrier. This is how it is supposed to work, especially if there are real and significant philosophical and policy issues to be debated. And there are,” Levin posted.

Levin and other Never Trumpers think 2028 is their time to take the party back.

And they want a massive field, with Hegseth splitting the MAGA vote, so their preferred establishment candidate can squeak through, winning 25-30 percent in the primaries.

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