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Trump, Vance step up support for Hegseth as nomination faces uncertain prospects
Donald Trump and JD Vance have this morning made public expressions of support for Pete Hegseth, the defense secretary nominee whose prospects for confirmation have been rocked by allegations of excessive drinking and a sexual assault claim.
The messages may be an attempt to convince wary Senate Republicans to get over their concerns and vote for Hegseth’s confirmation. Here’s what Trump wrote, on Truth Social:
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. Pete is a WINNER, and there is nothing that can be done to change that!!!
Vance took up the call, writing on X:
Led by President Trump, we’re fighting for Pete Hegseth. And we’re doing so because Pete Hegseth wil fight for our troops.
For too long, the Pentagon has been led by people who lose wars. Pete Hegseth is a man who fought in those wars.
We’ve got his back.
In response, Hegseth wrote:
Thank you Mr. President. Like you, we will never back down.
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Trump defends Hegseth as he announces more administration roles
Good morning, US politics blog readers. Donald Trump announced a slew of new nominations for top administration officials last night, including ambassador to China, head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and a new role of “White House AI and crypto czar”. He also made clear he was sticking by his embattled nominee for defense secretary, Pete Hegseth. Writing on Truth Social this morning, Trump said Hegseth “is doing very well”, even though it remains unclear if key senators will support his nomination to lead the Pentagon. The former Fox News host has spent the past few days on Capitol Hill, trying to win over Republican lawmakers in spite of reports of his excessive drinking, financial mismanagement of two charities, and a sexual assault allegation.
Back to the nominations Trump announced last night, former Georgia senator David Perdue will serve as ambassador to China, while tech entrepreneur and Elon Musk associate David Sacks has been appointed to the new crypto czar role – the latest sign that the Trump administration will be much friendlier to the digital asset industry than Joe Biden’s ever was.
Here’s what else is happening today:
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The US job market remains robust, according to just-released government data that showed the economy added 227,000 jobs in November, and the unemployment rate held steady at 4.2%.
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Joe Biden will deliver remarks from the White House at the 6pm ET performance of “The Eyes of the World: From D-Day to VE Day”, which honors World War II veterans.
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White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre parries with reporters at 2pm.
