President-elect Donald Trump said he has not received any promises from senators that his nominee for Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, will be confirmed in an interview with NBC.
“No, no,” Trump said when Meet the Press‘s Kristen Welker asked if Senators had given him assurances. The interview is the first network interview post-election and will air fully Sunday.
Trump added that he believes Hegseth will receive enough votes to be confirmed by the Senate. “I’ve had a lot of senators call me up saying he’s fantastic.”
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With Hegseth needing the votes of all but three Republican senators, Trump allies have been issuing primary challenge threats to those who do not back his picks.
Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA), for example, has not committed to supporting the pick, but has met with Hegseth and plans to meet again next week for “constructive conversations.”
“At a minimum,” she said. “We agree that he deserves the opportunity to lay out his vision for our warfighters at a fair hearing.”
Her noncommittal drew the ire of online MAGA faithfuls, prompting a viral post about the prospect of former candidate for Arizona governor and senate Kari Lake launching a primary challenge against Ernst.
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Trump wrote in a Friday Truth Social post, “Pete Hegseth is doing very well. His support is strong and deep, much more so than the Fake News would have you believe. 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,” he added. “Pete is a WINNER, and there is nothing that can be done to change that!!!”
Trump echoed that sentiment in his interview, reiterating that he has confidence in Hegseth who he called “a very smart guy.” The former and future president said, “I’ve known him through Fox, but I’ve known him for a long time, and he’s basically a military guy. Every time I talk to him, all he wants to talk about is the military. He’s a military guy.”
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Welker also raised a concern that several of Hegseth’s former coworkers have claimed the Secretary of Defense nominee “has struggled with drinking,” to which Trump replied that he has “spoken to people that know him very well, and they say he does not have a drinking problem.” Despite this, Hegseth has promised Senators he wouldn’t drink alcohol if confirmed.
Confirmation hearings for Trump’s Cabinet nominees will commence during the 119th Congress, which begins on January 3, 2025, however there is no official date set for Hegseth’s hearing as of yet.
