The tiebreaking vote that brought Pete Hegseth out of the democrat firing line, away from the incoming grenades hurled by RINOs, (at least to some degree) and into the leadership position for the United States military was the stuff of legend.
The Vice President was apparently hosting a dinner at the Vance’s new home, the iconic Naval Observatory, for Mike Johnson and his wife.
That was, until Vance had to ‘throw on a suit’ and ‘rush to the Capitol’, according to Speaker Johnson.
Moments before Vice President JD Vance had to throw on a suit last night and rush to the Capitol to cast the tie-breaking vote to confirm Pete Hegseth as our new Secretary of Defense, he and the Second Lady graciously hosted us for a casual dinner at their new residence, the… pic.twitter.com/YarcE047O0
— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) January 25, 2025
As we previously reported, several RINO’s opted to turn on Pete Hegseth in the waning hours of his confirmation hearing, choosing (as usual) to side with the democrats against President Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense.
It seemed as though Hegseth’s confirmation was in jeopardy.
It seemed as though the old guard RINOs would get their way once again.
It seemed as though President Trump’s agenda had been thwarted in the Senate after all.
That was the case, at least until JD Vance entered the chat:
RINOs: “Hah, we blocked Pete Hegseth!”
J.D. Vance: pic.twitter.com/jWjDMvb8Da
— Dustin Grage (@GrageDustin) January 25, 2025
As we all know by now, JD Vance cast the tiebreaking vote as President of the Senate, and Hegseth’s nomination was confirmed.
There are a lot of Deep State actors shaking in their swamp boots throughout the halls of the Pentagon, and in the offices of military brass right about now.
🚨BREAKING: Vice President JD Vance casts the decisive vote, confirming Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense, 51-50
pic.twitter.com/RGmKfQHVb7— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) January 25, 2025
The icing on the cake was Hegseth’s swearing-in ceremony.
JD Vance did the honors, officially making Pete Hegseth the new Secretary of Defense for President Trump’s second administration.
🚨 #BREAKING: Vice President J.D. Vance swears in Pete Hegseth as U.S. Secretary of Defense. It is official.
Hegseth seen wearing a USA flag tie and pocket square. pic.twitter.com/6cd0X7nuTw
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) January 25, 2025
Hegseth’s first words after becoming the new SecDev were fitting, classy, and an example of the character which he has exhibited.
He immediately praised God and gave him the glory for the victory, according to the AFP News Agency:
Pledging to “restore the warrior ethos” in the Pentagon, Hegseth in brief remarks thanked President Donald Trump for selecting him and Vice President JD Vance for his tie-breaking vote in the Senate that allowed his nomination to pass.
The 44-year-old is a former Army National Guard officer and Bronze Star recipient with previous deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.
Speaking Saturday after his swearing in, Hegseth said he was thinking of “the guys that I served with on the battlefield, the men and women who I locked shields with and put my life on the line with.”
“We’re going to think about those warriors with every single decision that we make,” he said.
The thrice-married father of seven has frequently proclaimed his Christian faith, and began his remarks Saturday by saying “All praise and glory to God, his will be done.”
He credited his successful nomination to “Jesus and Jenny” — his wife.
Hegseth immediately gave God the glory, and thanked “Jesus and Jenny”, his wife, for presumably molding him into the sort of man who President Trump would consider a good pick for the SecDev.
He thanked President Trump as the Commander in Chief, and vaunted his “peace through strength” approach to leadership.
He then thanked JD Vance in a style true to form and fitting for a Marine (as there are truly no ‘ex’-Marines).
He hilariously teased the very person who cast the deciding vote in his favor, assuming the caricature of a “junior enlisted Marine” needing a little help from the Army.
Watch Hegseth’s first words as SecDev here, including his good-natured Marine vs Army joke here:
🚨 Pete Hegseth's first words as Secretary of Defense: "All praise and glory to God. His will be done."
On J.D. Vance breaking the tie to get him confirmed: "It's not the first time the headline reads – 'junior enlisted Marine bails out junior Army officer.'"
He adds that… pic.twitter.com/RJDC6Qu5qR
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) January 25, 2025
After “winning in overtime”, as one of Hegseth’s children put it, the positive comments started rolling in from the Republicans who had backed him along the way.
“Change agent” was one of the many characterizations heaped on Hegseth following his confirmation, according to a Fox News report:
After Hegseth was confirmed, GOP lawmakers praised him as a “change agent” who has a “passion for the warfighter.”
“Pete has served in the Army National Guard as a front line officer, and he has a keen intellect and a passion for the warfighter,” Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., wrote on the social media platform X.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said he was “proud to vote to confirm Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense.”
“He is the change agent that the DOD desperately needs,” Cruz said.
“Heck yeah! @PeteHegseth is the man for the job,” Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, said. “I’m honored to have voted for him. We just confirmed him as the next defense secretary.”
“Pete Hegseth is the perfect fit to make our military great again and achieve peace through strength,” Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., wrote. “It was an honor to support his nomination, and I look forward to seeing him restore trust in the Department of Defense by prioritizing war fighters over bureaucrats.”
ADVERTISEMENTRep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., congratulated Hegseth on his confirmation and said that “Every brave service member and every American is safer with you leading the Pentagon. American strength is BACK!”
Democrats obviously continued their attacks against Hegseth, questioning both his character and credentials.
Senate Majority Leader Schumer and Adam Schiff both continued to throw punches after the final bell had sounded, according to that same Fox News article previously referenced:
Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said: “We deserve a Secretary of Defense with solid experience, sound judgment, and good character. Pete Hegseth does not meet the test.”
Schumer also asked: “Is Pete Hegseth really the best Republicans have to lead the greatest military in the world?”
“Our troops deserve better than someone as erratic and unqualified as Pete Hegseth,” he added.
Married three times, Hegseth has admitted he was a “serial cheater” before he became a Christian and married his current wife, Jenny. He also originally said he opposed women in combat, before later saying that he only opposes standards for women in combat that are different from those for men. Hegseth has additionally denied the sexual assault allegations and has said he would abstain from alcohol as defense secretary.
Thankfully, neither the democrats nor their RINO allies were able to muster the forces necessary to defeat President Trump’s push for change from top to bottom in the U.S. armed forces.
With any hope, the “peace through strength” approach that President Trump and Hegseth have highlighted will allow American — and the world — to step back from the brink of a global conflict, as well as the missteps that brought us there.
But, if not… I praise God for a President and now a Secretary of Defense at the helm who will conduct that war accordingly if it is thrust upon us.
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