Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for Secretary of Defense, emerged from a tense confirmation hearing on Tuesday with newfound momentum, signaling an increasingly likely path to Senate approval. The four-hour hearing saw Hegseth facing sharp, often combative questioning from Democratic senators, while Republicans rallied in his defense, transforming what initially appeared to be an uncertain confirmation process.
Hegseth, a former Army officer and Fox News contributor, was scrutinized by Democrats for his controversial comments on military diversity initiatives and his strong advocacy for overhauling Pentagon bureaucracy. Despite the pointed criticism, Hegseth remained composed, firmly defending his views and policy proposals.
Before the hearing, several moderate Republican senators had expressed concerns about Hegseth’s rhetoric and unconventional perspectives on military reform. However, the confrontational approach taken by some Democrats during the proceedings seemed to galvanize GOP support, significantly boosting his chances of confirmation.
The impact of the hearing was reflected in prediction markets, where Hegseth’s odds of confirmation surged from approximately 50% earlier in December to an impressive 90% after the event. Polymarket, a popular prediction platform, reported a spike in activity as confidence in his confirmation grew.
With GOP unity solidifying, Hegseth’s confirmation now appears all but certain.
Outside the hearing, the partisan divide was evident in public reactions. Commentator Dan Turrentine took to social media, suggesting that Democratic senators had overplayed their hand. “Going into Pete Hegseth’s hearing, I thought it was 50/50 he’d be confirmed due to some Republican concerns,” Turrentine tweeted. “Some Democrats were so bad, so over-the-top, so embarrassing today, I now wonder if they made it impossible for any Republican senator to vote against him.”
On Tuesday, Pete Hegseth fired back at media outlets, accusing publications like The New York Times and The New Yorker of orchestrating a “smear campaign” against him. Hegseth claimed these outlets resorted to harassing his mother over an old, disavowed email she sent years ago and pestering Fox News employees for negative stories about his tenure on Fox & Friends.
“The media in America today, sadly, doesn’t care about the truth. All they’re out to do is destroy me,” an impassioned Hegseth said during the hearing. “Why do they want to destroy me? Because I’m a change agent and a threat to them. Donald Trump chose me to empower real reform and bring the Defense Department back to what it should be: warfighting.”
Hegseth’s pointed remarks highlighted his frustration with what he described as agenda-driven reporting, framing the attacks as attempts to derail his confirmation and his mission to enact change.
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“So I’m willing to endure these attacks,” he continued, “but what I will do is stand up for the truth and for my reputation. False attacks, anonymous attacks, repeated ad nauseam, printed ad nauseam as facts. We have provided… on-the-record statement after on-the-record statement from people who have served with me, worked with me at Fox News, Concerned Vets, Vets for Freedom, you name it. From the top of the chain to the bottom, from people who say I treat them with respect, with kindness, with dignity. That’s men, that’s women, that’s Black, that’s white, that’s every background.”
With Senate Republicans holding a narrow majority, Hegseth’s confirmation now appears to hinge on party unity. If the post-hearing dynamics hold, the full Senate could vote on his nomination as early as next week, and his confirmation may mark a significant step in the Trump administration’s plans for military reform. The Senate currently has a 53-47 Republican majority, so Hegseth can afford no more than three Republican defections if all Democrats oppose his confirmation. A simple majority is required for confirmation
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