Image Credit: @MarshaBlackburn / X
The Tennessee Conservative [By Olivia Lupia] –
Pete Hegseth, President Trump’s fiery pick for Secretary of Defense and Middle Tennessee resident, endured an hours-long and, at times, extremely hostile confirmation hearing on Tuesday morning as the Trump administration comes ever closer to its January 20 inauguration.
In his opening statement, Hegseth proclaimed, “All glory, regardless of the outcome, belongs to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. His grace and mercy abounds each day. May His will be done.”
He then took questions from the Senate Armed Services Committee and presented his qualifications and visions, maintaining his composure and eloquence while receiving both praise and antagonism throughout the hearing.
Democrats missed no opportunities to repeat lies attacking Hegseth’s character that stemmed from “an orchestrated smear campaign” which have already been disproven, like false accusations of sexual assault and drunkenness at the office.
They also raised seemingly inane questions about keeping “wokeness” in the military and the role of women in the armed services, and he was even pressed to explain the historical and religious significance of his Jerusalem cross tattoo which has been previously called a racist and “extremist” symbol by Democrats.
President Trump’s transition team released a statement about the hearing recapping the highlights and praising Hegseth’s, “intellect, passion, professionalism, and love of country.”
Vice President-elect JD Vance also commented on the day, “I find this grandstanding from Senate Democrats over the Hegseth confirmation perplexing. We haven’t won a war in three decades and we have a major recruitment challenge. Hegseth is assuredly NOT more of the same, and that’s good!”
But the Trump/Vance team was not the only one offering accolades to the cabinet hopeful as both Tennessee’s Senators and a few Representatives reiterated their unwavering support of Hegseth.
Senators Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty escorted Hegseth into the committee room and offered their praises. Blackburn, amongst several other supportive posts, stated that Hegseth, “Will always look out for our servicemembers. He will restore morale and trust in America’s military, fix the recruiting crisis, and make out troops proud once again to put on the uniform.”
Hagerty posted a picture with Hegseth just before the hearing and said he, “is the right person to lead and bring reform to the Pentagon. I’m proud to support my friend and fellow Tennessean, and I know he will do a great job today making his case to the American people.”
Representative Diana Harshbarger concurred with points made by Hegseth commenting, “The status quo won’t cut it anymore. Accountability must be returned to the Department of Defense, and America must return to being a military leader on the world state. Pete is the man for the job. Confirm him.”
Rep. Tim Burchett also gave his own subtle yet direct commentary on the hearing by reposting a comment from Matt Gaetz asking how any Republican Senator can explain voting for Lloyd Austin (the current Democrat Sec. of Defense) but not Hegseth, to which Burchett simply added #compromised.
It is unlikely other confirmation hearings will be as contentious, and the Senate hearing schedule is rather full for the remainder of the week, but no voting date has yet been set for Hegseth or any of the other cabinet members, and numerous confirmation hearings dates are still undetermined.
Hegseth supposedly has the support of the necessary number of Senators for a successful vote, but nothing is certain.
To watch a video of the full hearing, click here.
Olivia Lupia is a political refugee from Colorado who now calls Tennessee home. A proud follower of Christ, she views all political happenings through a Biblical lens and aims to utilize her knowledge and experience to educate and equip others. Olivia is an outspoken conservative who has run for local office, managed campaigns, and been highly involved with state & local GOPs, state legislatures, and other grassroots organizations and movements. Olivia can be reached at olivia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
