staunch

A 44-year-old Princeton graduate and staunch Trump supporter, Hegseth has since 2017 been a co-host of the weekend edition of morning program “Fox & Friends,” on which Trump has appeared.

He would, as attorney general, almost certainly try to fire many of the agency’s 115,000 employees—career civil servants who pride themselves on integrity and independence—so he can replace them with staunch partisans.

The GOP’s apparent 53-seat majority in the chamber will not allow even four defections, and even staunch conservatives are balking at the pick.

Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants, was once a challenger to and critic of Trump, but has become a staunch defender and campaign surrogate.

She called this election “heartbreaking,” a painful choice for a lifelong Democrat deeply connected to the party, introduced to it by her father, a staunch United Auto Workers member.