The former and future president tells us in an interview: “I like you guys.”

President Donald Trump spent time in the weeks before his inauguration chatting with the Washington Reporter and sharing a series of op-eds and editorials published in the Reporter in support of Pete Hegseth.

“I like you guys,” the former and future president said in an interview on December 19. Days later, Trump shared on Truth Social the Reporter’s editorial endorsing Hegseth for Secretary of Defense and an op-ed from Jeremy Hunt and Garrett Exner that explained why Hegseth is the man for the job.

Trump’s mentions follow a series of interviews the Reporter has conducted with key figures in the upcoming administration, including incoming Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and incoming Counselor Alina Habba.