As criticism of Pete Hegseth mounts, Donald Trump is reportedly looking for a replacement for his defense secretary nominee – but number two could be an even more dangerous choice to lead the Pentagon.

The president-elect is holding casual talks at Mar-a-Lago about tapping Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for the coveted Cabinet post. The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.

Unlike the majority of Trump’s “antiqualifiedIf DeSantis chooses to lead his administration, he will have at least some level of experience for the role. The 46-year-old briefly served as a Navy lawyer in Iraq and was part of a legal team that advised the Guantánamo Bay detention camp where he worked supports Torture methods such as force feeding.

DeSantis was also one of Trump’s more outspoken primary challengers, sparking a bitter – if one-sided – rivalry that cast the Florida governor as disloyal to the MAGA cause. But the pair’s shared view of “woke” politics in the military may be enough to put him in his place.

But DeSantis isn’t the only option on offer. The list of Hegseth replacements also includes former Pentagon official Elbridge Colby, a friend of Vice President-elect JD Vance, and Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst, according to sources who spoke to the magazine.

Conservatives are increasingly concerned about whether Hegseth can survive the Senate confirmation process amid sexual assault allegations against the former Fox News host. Even Hegseth’s own mother couldn’t defend it white-nationalist-connected conservative, accuse her son, “using women for his own power.” (Hegseth’s mother has since changed her mind – on Tuesday, she said Fox News that her son was a “changed man” whom she hoped “our dear senators” would get to know.)