Commentary: Big Tent Ideas

NICOLE KIPRILOV: 5 Key Takeaways From Pete Hegseth’s Confirmation Hearing

[Screenshot/Senate hearing]

In what is expected to be the most rigorous confirmation hearing this week, Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for Defense secretary, today was questioned for over four hours by the Senate Armed Services Committee.

If confirmed, Hegseth will be in charge of over three million service members and civilians in the execution of the Defense Department’s national security priorities. Trump has made it abundantly clear that Hegseth is the ideal choice for the strong, America-First leadership that will be a stark contrast from four years of Biden-era weakness and catastrophe.

Here are five takeaways from today’s hearing:

1. Democratic Senators Clearly Had One Goal In Mind: Character Assassination 

Democrat senators showed no interest in asking Hegseth about his stances on the issues the Defense Department has been dealing with for the past four years under the Biden administration. As an example, the Pentagon has failed its last 7 audits, and there is still no accountability. The Defense Department has spent over 5 million man hours on “counter extremism” and diversity training, during just the first year of Biden’s administration. That number has since skyrocketed. The United States is trailing behind China in terms of ship-building capabilities.

The world has recognized our weakness, and yet, Democrat senators avoided asking Hegseth substantive questions about his views on needed changes in the Pentagon. Instead, Democrat Sens. like Elizabeth Warren, Tim Kaine and Tammy Duckworth hammered Hegseth on contrived allegations of financial mismanagement, racism, sexism, sexual assault and alcohol abuse, all a part of the smear campaign Hegseth has had to face.

Despite the hundreds of letters of support Hegseth received from fellow soldiers, veterans and colleagues at Concerned Veterans for America and Fox News who were willing to put their names and reputations on the line, Sen. Mark Kelly used the entirety of his allotted question time to list the unsubstantiated personal allegations against Hegseth. At a time when our military is experiencing a 25% recruitment deficit, as one of many examples of the damage Biden-era officials have done to our national security, Democrat senators’ priorities are misguided.

2. Hegseth Proved He Can Take The Heat

Throughout the hearing, during which senators rudely interrupted Hegseth and angry protests erupted with insults and screams several times during Hegseth’s opening remarks, Hegseth maintained his composure and kept his cool.

This is not surprising, as Hegseth has withstood far greater pressure during his time in the military, but it was important for the American people to witness Hegseth’s ability to navigate difficult questions and personal attacks with grace, while showing his passion for our military’s success.

3. America Got A Chance To See Democrats’ ‘Holier Than Thou’ Attitude In Contrast To Hegseth’s Humility

Hegseth spent the majority of his speaking time discussing the issues. His selflessness and sense of duty are not only revealed by his background and experience, but also through his prioritization of a citizens-focused vision for the Defense Department. The premise of Hegseth’s “warrior ethos” vision is putting unity over self.

Hegseth did not spend much time talking about his personal transformation. In fact, he barely talked about himself at all, despite the unrelenting pressure from Democrats to get him to break and enter defensive mode.

Hegseth’s humility stood in stark contrast to Democrat senators’ attitude of moral superiority, a hypocrisy that Senator Markwayne Mullin called out: “Senator Kaine starts bringing up the fact that, what if you showed up drunk to your job? How many senators have showed up drunk to vote at night? Have any of you guys asked them to step down and resign from their job? And don’t tell me you haven’t seen it because I know you have.”

4. Hegseth Shows He’s A Change Agent, Exactly What Trump Picked Him For

He is not a part of the defense bureaucracy, and is committed to fighting against the military-industrial complex swamp that has put self-interest over the American People.

Hegseth is an unconventional choice and that is where his greatest strength lies – he will streamline the defense bureaucracy, cut out all the woke nonsense, and remove every single officer based on meritocracy, standards, lethality, and commitment to duty. “I didn’t work at Lockhead, I don’t have a special interest,” Hegseth stated today. “I just want to know what keeps our enemies up at night.”

Hegseth understands what warfighters deal with every day, and he knows how to be on the frontlines of any battle, as Sen. Sheehy pointed out.

In contrast, Lloyd Austin’s “paper qualifications” led to utter failure in various theaters globally, the destruction of the American military’s legacy, an abandonment of our allies, a detrimental reputation on the global stage, zero answers and accountability for any failures, and one of the biggest border invasions this country has ever seen. In fact, when Austin testified before HASC about the disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal, he stated that he had “no regrets about what happened.” This would never happen under Hegseth.

5. Hegseth’s Image Is What The Pentagon Needs To Fix Its Recruiting Crisis

Not only was Hegseth well-prepared and calm, but as Mike Waltz stated today, he is an excellent communicator who understands the intricacies of the military’s issues and can very clearly and effectively articulate them to the American people.

Hegseth is an alpha male who has demonstrated what strong leadership looks like. He is patriotic, pro-American, charismatic, well-spoken, smart, relatable, energetic, and masculine.

He is an inspiration to young men with military ambitions who today watched the hearing and will hopefully strive to bring pride back to wearing the uniform. This is exactly what America needs to restore the military’s merit and glory.

Nicole is the Executive Director of The American Border Story, the President of the Coalition for Military Excellence, and a Portfolio Manager at The America Fund. She is a Fellow at Independent Women’s Forum and 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.