Tide turns in favor of Trump DOD pick Pete Hegseth after Matt Gaetz failure
President-elect Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Defense, Pete Hegseth, seems to be gaining GOP Senate support for confirmation despite facing allegations of sexual assault, excessive drinking, and fund mismanagement. Hegseth has denied these allegations and is on track to secure enough votes for confirmation.
One Republican senator told Fox News Digital that they were not aware of any GOP senators who are a “hard no” on confirming Hegseth. He does not seem to be under pressure to withdraw from the confirmation process. This is in stark contrast to former Rep. Matt Gaetz, Trump’s previous choice for attorney general, who faced definitive “no” votes from senators and ultimately withdrew.
With a 53-47 GOP majority in the next Senate, there is little room for Trump’s nominees to lose Republican votes. However, Hegseth has not lost any Republican support at this point, including from more moderate senators like Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, both of whom he met with this week on Capitol Hill.
Collins had a substantive discussion with Hegseth covering a wide range of topics related to defense and military issues. Murkowski did not comment on her meeting with Hegseth but has not publicly opposed his confirmation. Hegseth also met with Sen. Joni Ernst, who initially had reservations but now supports him through the confirmation process.
Sen. Markwayne Mullin noted a shift in favor of Hegseth’s confirmation, indicating that controversial Trump picks like Kash Patel and Tulsi Gabbard are also likely to be confirmed. The momentum seems to be on Hegseth’s side as he navigates the confirmation process.
Julia Johnson, a politics writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business, leads coverage of the U.S. Senate. She previously reported for the Washington Examiner. Follow Julia’s reporting on Twitter at @JuliaaJohnson_ and send tips to Julia.Johnson@fox.com.
