Trump doubles down on support for Hegseth, admits he hasn’t gotten assurances from senators he’ll be confirmed
"Pete is doing well," Trump said, "I mean, people were a little bit concerned."
In his first network TV interview since being elected, Donald Trump explained why he is still standing behind his defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth, claiming he's heard how senators are coming around to Hegseth after having conversations with him.
"Pete is doing well now, I mean, people were a little bit concerned. He's a young guy with a tremendous track record. Actually went to Princeton and went to Harvard. He was a good student at both, but he loves the military, and I think people are starting to see it. So we'll be working on his nomination, along with a lot of others," Trump said in a preview of his interview on NBC's "Meet the Press."
When asked if he still has confidence in Hegseth, Trump said, "Yes, I do. I really do. He's a very smart guy."
"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."
When asked if he's gotten assurances from senators that he's going to be confirmed, Trump answered "no," but still went on to strike an optimistic tone that he'll be confirmed.
"I think he will. Yeah, I've had a lot of senators call me up saying he's fantastic."
Trump also pushed back on allegations that Hegseth has a drinking problem when asked how he feels about the accusation given Trump's family history with alcoholism.
"I've spoken to people that know him very well, and they say he does not have a drinking problem," Trump said.
There are nine Republican women serving in the Senate. Two, so far, have thrown their weight behind Hegseth.
GOP Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee posted her endorsement of Hegseth on Nov. 12. Speaking on Fox News, she called him a "perfect fit to come in and reorganize" the Department of Defense.
Alabama Republican Sen. Katie Britt posted on Dec. 5, "During our conversation, I asked direct questions about allegations that have been reported by the media, which Pete answered with candor and transparency. Based on our meeting and his answers, he has my support."
The rest have reservations or say they are holding off on offering a formal stance until they learn more about the nominee. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., said she was "undecided." Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., only said she had a "good conversation" with him this week and Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said she was "obviously" concerned about some of the allegations against him.
Hegseth is going to be having more meetings with consequential senators, including Collins and Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a key GOP swing vote.
Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, said in a post on X Friday that she will meet with the defense secretary nominee for a second time next week.
"At a minimum, we agree that he deserves the opportunity to lay out his vision for our warfighters at a fair hearing," she said.
Hegseth posted that he and Ernst had "another substantive conversation" Friday.
The posts and the phone call come after Vance told reporters he spoke to Ernst about Hegseth's nomination.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect that Sen. Marsha Blackburn endorsed Hegseth in a post on Nov. 12. Sen. Katie Britt posted her support on Thursday, Dec. 5.