In what is expected to be the most intense confirmation hearing of the week, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, was questioned for more than four hours today before the Senate Armed Services Committee. .
If confirmed, Mr. Hegseth will be responsible for more than 3 million military and civilian personnel in carrying out the Department of Defense’s national security priorities. President Trump has made it abundantly clear that Hegseth is the ideal choice for a strong, America-first leader, in stark contrast to the four years of weakness and disaster during the Biden era. (Related: Nikol Kyprilov: Democrats fear Pete Hegseth might bring a little common sense to the Pentagon)
Here are five takeaways from today’s hearing.
1. Democratic senators clearly had one goal in mind: character assassination.
Democratic senators showed no interest in asking Hegseth about his position on issues that the Pentagon has grappled with over the past four years under the Biden administration. For example, the Department of Defense Failed the last 7 auditsand still no accountability. The Department of Defense spent More than 5 million man-hours About “Counter-Extremism” Diversity training was held just in the first year of the Biden administration. Since then, that number has skyrocketed. The United States follow behind China’s shipbuilding capacity.
The world recognizes our weakness, yet Democratic senators avoided asking substantive questions about Mr. Hegseth’s views on the changes needed at the Pentagon. Instead, Democratic senators like Elizabeth Warren, Tim Kaine, and Tammy Duckworth have accused Hegseth of financial mismanagement, racism, sexism, sexual assault, alcohol abuse, and other unnatural allegations. denounced. smear campaign Hegseth had to face it.
Despite receiving hundreds of letters of support from fellow soldiers and veterans who were willing to put their name and reputation on the line, as well as from colleagues at the American Veterans Association and Fox News, Hegseth did not respond to U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly. Deputies spent all of their allotted questioning time on: Lists unsubstantiated personal allegations against Hegseth. At a time when our military is experiencing hardship, 25% under-recruitment, As one of many examples of the damage Biden-era officials have done to our national security, Democratic senators’ priorities are misplaced.
2. Hegseth proved he could handle the heat.
Hegseth remained calm and composed throughout the hearing, during which senators rudely interrupted him and angry protesters repeatedly shouted insults during his opening remarks.
This is not surprising since Hegseth endured far more pressure during his time in the military, but Hegseth’s ability to navigate difficult questions and personal attacks with grace while demonstrating his passion for military success. It was important for the American people to witness this.
3. America had a chance to see the Democratic Party’s “holier than thou” attitude in contrast to Hegseth’s humility.
Hegseth spent most of his lecture discussing this issue. His selflessness and sense of duty are evident not only in his background and experience, but also in his commitment to prioritizing a people-centered vision for the Department of Defense. The premise of Hegseth’s “warrior spirit” vision is to prioritize unity over self.
Hegseth didn’t spend much time talking about his personal changes. In fact, despite relentless pressure from Democrats to break down and go into defensive mode, he said little about himself.
Hegseth’s humility was in stark contrast to the Democratic senator’s attitude of moral superiority, which Sen. Mark Wayne Mullin criticized as hypocrisy.: “Senator Kaine started bringing up the fact that what if you show up to work drunk? How many senators have shown up drunk at night to vote? How many of you have asked them to resign? Did anyone ask you to quit your job? And don’t say you haven’t seen it, because I know you have.”
4. Hegseth shows himself to be a change agent, exactly why Trump chose him
He is not a member of the defense bureaucracy and is dedicated to fighting the morass of the military-industrial complex that prioritizes private interests over the American people.
Hegseth is an unconventional choice, and therein lies his greatest strength. He would streamline the defense bureaucracy, eliminate all woke nonsense, and fire all officers based on meritocracy, standards, lethality, and commitment to duty. “I don’t work for Lochhead. I have no particular interest in it,” Hegseth said today. “I just want to know what’s keeping my enemy up at night.”
As Senator Sheehy pointed out, Hegseth understands what combatants deal with on a daily basis and knows how to be on the front lines of any battle.
In contrast, Lloyd Austin’s “paper qualifications” meant complete failure on various battlefields around the world, destruction of the American military’s legacy, abandonment of allies, bad publicity on the world stage, and no answer to any failure. There’s zero accountability, and it’s the biggest border invasion this country has ever seen. In fact, when Austin testified before HASC about the disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal, he said: “I have no regrets about what happened.” This would never happen under Hegseth.
5. Hegseth’s image is what the Department of Defense needs to solve its recruiting crisis.
Not only was Hegseth well-prepared and calm, but as Mike Walz said today, he understood the complexity of military issues and presented it to the American people very clearly and effectively. He is an excellent communicator.
Hegseth is an alpha male who has demonstrated what strong leadership looks like. He is patriotic, pro-American, charismatic, well-spoken, smart, friendly, energetic, and masculine.
He will serve as an inspiration to the young men with military ambitions who attended the hearing today, and will strive to hopefully restore pride in wearing the military uniform. This is exactly what America needs to restore military achievement and glory.
Nicole is Executive Director of The American Border Story, Chair of the Coalition for Military Excellence, and Portfolio Manager of The America Fund. She is a Fellow of the Independent Women’s Forum and the Club for Growth Foundation. Nicole frequently appears on Newsmax, One America News, and Real America’s Voice.
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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