Tuesday as first reported by Fox News, Team Trump released a video showcasing Defense Secretary Nominee Pete Hegseth's successful meetings with Senators on the Hill, including the backing of Sens. Mullin (R-OK), Tuberville (R-AL), and Scott (R-FL), and Hegseth's strong qualifications for the position. Sen. Mullin referred to Hegseth as a "perfect" nominee, highlighting his years of military service as a decorated Army combat veteran. Sen. Tuberville praised his capabilities in getting "woke DEI" out of our nation's military while Sen. Scott says he will do a "great job." Pete Hegseth's nomination is backed by nearly 20 years of military service, including deployments to Guantanamo Bay, Iraq, and Afghanistan.
Mr. Hegseth has dedicated his entire life to troops and veterans, leading two veterans' advocacy organizations and using his media platform to champion military families. Hegseth is committed to advancing President Trump's peace through strength agenda and restoring America's military to its highest standards of excellence.
"The American people re-elected President Trump by a resounding margin, giving him a clear mandate to deliver on his campaign promises — and his Cabinet selections reflect his commitment to putting America First. Pete Hegseth is an exceptionally qualified, highly educated, and tough patriot who has not only served this country with courage, but has also devoted his life to advocating for our troops and veterans. Mr. Hegseth's extensive military experience, combined with his steadfast commitment to restoring the Pentagon and our armed forces to greatness, will advance President Trump's vision of returning meritocracy, accountability, and efficiency to the United States military. " – Trump-Vance Transition Spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt
Watch the video above or read the transcript below.
TRANSCRIPT
Pete Hegseth:
It has been a great week. It's been a great day, great day yesterday, on the Hill, meeting with senators, earning every vote.
Pete Hegseth:
Wonderful process to go through and meet with senators and talk to them, especially members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, whose passion is the Defense Department.
Sen. Markwayne Mullin:
He's perfect. He's a he's a decorative combat veteran. He's got two Bronze Stars. 20 years of service. He retired as a major and he's a civilian. He knows it's not like he has no experience inside the military.
Sen. Tommy Tuberville:
I've known Pete for a while. He's going to be a great Secretary of Defense. We need a drill sergeant in the military. We need somebody to straighten the military out, to get the woke, the DEI affiliation, out and go from there.
Sen. Rick Scott:
So I just had a great meeting with Pete, the next Secretary of Defense. I'll tell you why I support him. I admire people that are willing to put on the uniform and lead troops into battle. When he goes to Department of Defense, he'll walk in with the mentality that he's going to take care of our war fighters. He's going to make sure they have the right equipment and they're not put in harm's way when they shouldn't be put in harm's way. He's not going to support forever wars. He's not going to support going into battle when we don't even have a plan, so I think he's going to do a great job. I'm going to do whatever that can to make sure he's confirmed as the Secretary of Defense.
Pete Hegseth:
I am grateful to have the President's support, because his vision for this Department of Defense is to bring it back to its core capacity of deterring our enemies and, if necessary, defeating those enemies.
ABOUT THE NOMINEE
Pete Hegseth is a 2-Bronze Star Decorated Army combat veteran, Ivy League graduate, bestselling author, and renowned military analyst. With nearly 20 years of service, including tours in Guantanamo Bay, Iraq, and Afghanistan, he has dedicated his life to advocating for America's troops and veterans. Hegseth has led two veterans' advocacy organizations – Vets for Freedom and Concerned Veterans for America – and used his media platform as a contributor and co-host to advocate for military and veterans' issues.
