DONALD Trump and JD Vance have vowed to fight for Pete Hegseth in a fiery statement after reports that a number of GOP senators believe his nomination for secretary of defense is doomed.
They voiced their support for Hegseth as he’s been on Capitol Hill this week, scrambling to gain the backing of Republican senators.
Hegseth needs the support of 50 senators in order to be confirmed as defense secretary.
The GOP will have a 53-47 advantage in the Senate for the 119th Congress, which means Hegseth will only be able to lose four Republican votes if all Democrats reject his nomination.
But as of Friday, there are at least eight Republican senators who could be likely to vote against Hegseth, The Hill reported.
One claimed that Hegseth’s nomination was heading in the wrong direction.
In response, Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance have come out swinging in favor of Hegseth.
“Pete Hegseth is doing very well,” Trump posted on Truth Social today.
“He was a great student – Princeton/Harvard educated – with a Military state of mind.
“He will be a fantastic, high-energy Secretary of Defense Defense, one who leads with charisma and skill.
“Pete is a WINNER, and there is nothing that can be done to change that!!!”
Vance shared Trump’s post on X and said Hegseth would fight for America’s military.
“Led by President Trump, we’re fighting for Pete Hegseth,” he said.
“And we’re doing so because Pete Hegseth will fight for our troops.
“For too long, the Pentagon has been led by people who lose wars.
“Pete Hegseth is a man who fought in those wars. We’ve got his back.”
In response to Trump’s Truth Post, Hegseth said, “Like you, we will never back down.”
Donald Trump’s Cabinet Picks
In the days following his dominant Election Day victory, President-elect Donald Trump has begun carving out his future administation.
Here’s a list of Trump’s confirmed cabinet picks:
- Susie Wiles – White House Chief of Staff
- Dr. Mehmet Oz – Administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
- Stephen Miller – Deputy Chief of Staff
- Bill McGinley – White House counsel
- Tom Homan – “Border Czar”
- Elise Stefanik – Ambassador to the United Nations
- Lee Zeldin – Environmental Protection Agency administrator
- Marco Rubio – Secretary of State
- Kristi Noem – Homeland Security Secretary
- Mike Huckabee – Ambassador to Israel
- John Ratcliffe – CIA director
- Pete Hegseth – Secretary of Defense
- Mike Waltz – National Security Advisor
- Steven Witkoff – Middle East envoy
- Elon Musk & Vivek Ramaswamy – Department of Government Efficiency
- Tim Scott – Chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee
- Tulsi Gabbard – Director of National Intelligence
- Matt Gaetz – nominated for Attorney General but later refused the position
- Pam Bondi – nominated for Attorney general just hours after Gaetz’s withdrawal
- Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Secretary of Health and Human Services
- Jay Clayton – US Attorney for the Southern District of New York
- Doug Burgum – Department of Interior
- Todd Blanche – Deputy Attorney General
- Karoline Leavitt – White House Press Secretary
- Chris Wright – Energy Secretary
- Doug Collins – Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs
- William McGinley – White House Counsel
- Steven Cheung – White House Communications Director
- William Owen Scharf – Assistant to the President and White House Staff Secretary
- Dean John Sauer – Solicitor General of the US
- Commissioner Brendan Carr – Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission.
- Linda McMahon: Education Secretary
- Matthew Whitaker – NATO ambassador
- Scott Bessent – Treasury Secretary
- Keith Kellogg – Special envoy to Russia, Ukraine
- Warren Stephens – Ambassador to the UK
Hegseth has been meeting with senators at Capitol Hill.
He has sat down with Alabama Senator Katie Britt, Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson, and Arkansas SenatorTom Cotton, the Senate Republican chair.
It comes after Hegseth’s nomination was plunged into doubt over misconduct allegations that have swirled.
He has spoken out in relation to allegations that he had a drinking problem.
And, the former Army National Guard officer reportedly told Roger Wicker, the incoming chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, he wouldn’t drink if he was confirmed.
Hegseth has previously been accused of sexual assault – allegations he strongly denies.
A whistleblower report cited by The New Yorker also accused Hegseth of demonstrating sexist behavior during his tenure as president of Concerned Veterans for America.
He has strongly denied claims that he’s mistreated women.
In an X statement, Britt said she and Hegseth had spoken about the allegations and welcomed his “candor and transparency.”
Florida Senator Rick Scott, who contested the election to be the next majority leader, believes Hegseth will take care of America’s soldiers and vowed to do everything possible to ensure Hegseth is confirmed.
Pete is a WINNER, and there is nothing that can be done to change that!
President-elect Trump
Jim Banks, a senator-elect from Iowa, thinks Hegseth will stand up for America’s interests against its adversaries.
“He won’t back down from China, Russia, or Iran,” he told reporters.
But there is skepticism within the GOP ranks.
“I think most people do not expect Hegseth to make it,” an unnamed Republican senator told The Hill.
They claimed his nomination is on the death watch.
Joni Ernst, the junior Republican senator from Iowa, is not supporting Hegseth at this time.
She told Fox News she wants to examine Hegseth’s misconduct allegations more thoroughly before making a final call on whether to support him.
Ernst is a survivor of sexual assault.
Hegseth has been defiant in saying that he will not withdraw from the nomination.
DESANTIS IN THE RUNNING?
Reports in The Wall Street Journal suggested Trump could replace Hegseth for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
Hegseth’s name has since been submitted to the FBI for a background check, according to CNN.
Trump’s transition team reached an agreement earlier this week with the DOJ over security clearances.
Hegseth has strongly denied the allegations of misconduct, and his mom, Penelope, vehemently defended her son on Fox News after The New York Times published a scathing email she wrote to her son in 2018 that she now disavows.
Speaking on Fox & Friends, she told how her son is a changed man.
GOP senators have warned how governing will be challenging – despite having a trifecta for the next Congress.
GOP CHALLENGES
The Republicans maintained control of the House, albeit by a paper-thin margin, and will hold the majority in the Senate.
Thom Tillis, a senator for North Carolina, warned Trump will have to show a lot of leadership.
“We got a lot of learning to do still, we got a lot of consensus building,” he said.
Hegseth isn’t the only Trump nominee that could be at risk of being sunk by the Senate.
It’s far from certain that Robert F. Kennedy Jr and Tulsi Gabbard will be confirmed.
Gabbard, a former Democratic presidential candidate, has been chosen as Trump’s Director of National Intelligence.
