Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump‘s secretary of defense nominee, attended his confirmation hearing in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee on January 14, 2025. Throughout the televised session, the former Fox & Friends weekend co-host was grilled on his past controversies, including sexual assault allegations, infidelity and more. So, the question remains: was Hegseth, 44, confirmed to lead the Pentagon for Trump’s presidency? Find out below.
Was Pete Hegseth Confirmed?
Yes, Hegseth is confirmed to be the next U.S. secretary of defense. J.D. Vance broke the 51-50 tie as three Republicans, including Mitch McConnell, voted “no” for Hegseth. The Senate advanced his nomination on January 23, 2025.
Hegseth opened his January 15 hearing by thanking the committee members for the opportunity to answer their questions.
“Should I be confirmed, I look forward to working with this committee — senators from both parties — to secure our nation,” Hegseth said in his opening statement. The former Army National Guard officer also acknowledged that he doesn’t “have a similar biography to defense secretaries of the last 30 years.”
“But, as President Trump also told me, we’ve repeatedly placed people atop the Pentagon with supposedly ‘the right credentials’ — whether they are retired generals, academics, or defense contractor executives — and where has it gotten us?” Hegseth prompted the committee, before adding, “He believes, and I humbly agree, that it’s time to give someone with dust on his boots the helm. A change agent. Someone with no vested interest in certain companies or specific programs or approved narratives.”
When Was Pete Hegseth Confirmed?
The final vote on confirmation was held on January 24. The Senate Armed Services Committee was divided over confirming him, as multiple members pressed Hegseth over his controversial remarks about women in the military.
Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Jeanne Shaheen pointed to various past comments that Hegseth made, in which he questioned a woman’s capability of joining combat. In response to this, Hegseth insisted, “I respect every single female service member that has put on the uniform past and present. My critiques, senator, recently and in the past, and from personal experience, have been instances where I’ve seen standards lowered [for women to join combat].”
Senator Tim Kaine went so far as to resurface Hegseth’s past infidelity, noting, “You have admitted that you had sex while you were married to wife two, after you just had fathered a child by wife three,” referring to Hegseth’s second wife, Samantha Deering, and his current wife, Jennifer Rauchet.
If you or anyone you know has been sexually abused, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). A trained staff member will provide confidential, judgment-free support as well as local resources to assist in healing, recovering and more.
