Then, further allegations about Trump’s defence pick were made public. In a furious email, sent around the time of Mr Hegseth’s second divorce, his own mother, Penelope, called him an “abuser of women” and accused him of “lying, cheating, sleeping around and using women for his own power and ego”.

The U.S. Secretary of Defense reportedly included his former Fox producer (who is also his third wife) in a Signal chat (yes, another one) with classified information.