‘Winning Is What Matters’: President Trump Takes The High Road After McConnell Votes Against Hegseth

Despite all the personal attacks lodged against President Donald Trump’s pick to serve as the next Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth was recently confirmed in a Senate vote.

Vice President JD Vance had to step in and cast the deciding vote after three GOP senators voted along with all 47 Democrats in opposition to Hegseth’s confirmation.

When asked whether he was “disappointed” in former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) for doing so, Trump offered a charitable message for his frequent GOP rival.

🚨 President Trump just reacted to Mitch McConnell voting NO on Pete Hegseth

“I didn’t even know that. I just heard that we won. Winning is what matters right?”

Nobody cares what McConnell has to say! pic.twitter.com/NK4LeJA72s

— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) January 25, 2025

According to Breitbart:

“I didn’t even know that,” Trump answered. “No, I don’t know that. I just heard that we won. Winning is what matters, right?”

As Breitbart News’s Kristina Wong reported, the Senate voted to confirm Hegseth as the Secretary of Defense in a 51-50 vote, with Vance breaking the tie vote after Republican Sens. Susan Collins (ME), Lisa Murkowski (AK), and McConnell joined with Democrats in voting no.

After being nominated by Trump to serve as the Secretary of Defense, Hegseth faced several smear campaigns launched again him. One smear launched against him was regarding claims that his “tattoos were linked to white supremacy” although they are “related to his Christian faith.” Another smear launched against him was centered around a “report on 2017 allegations from a woman” who had claimed that he had raped her. The police report “showed there was no evidence of rape” and surveillance footage “contradicted the woman’s account.”

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Hegseth was a widely popular pick among conservatives, both on and off Capitol Hill:

I am in tears… Pete Hegseth brought his beautiful family with him as he signs papers to officially be the Secretary of Defense ❤️

THIS IS AMAZING

pic.twitter.com/ClJoxduOCX

— MAGA Voice (@MAGAVoice) January 25, 2025

How I imagine it will happen when Pete Hegseth arrives 😎 pic.twitter.com/m5gN7TcSoh

— Wojciech Pawelczyk (@WojPawelczyk) January 25, 2025

I think he he’s a good man and he’s most definitely the right man for the job. “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first who casts stones”

— Jay B (@JayB_IA) January 26, 2025

Meanwhile, here’s what McConnell had to say about his decision, per The Hill:

McConnell, surprised colleagues by opposing Hegseth on the final confirmation vote after voting to advance his nomination Thursday.

He said he didn’t have confidence in the nominee’s ability to lead the nation’s military at a time of growing threats abroad.

“Mere desire to be a ‘change agent’ is not enough to fill these shoes. And ‘dust on boots’ fails even to distinguish this nominee from multiple predecessors of the last decade,” McConnell, the chairman of the Senate Defense Appropriations Committee, said in a statement.

He said that Hegseth had “failed, as yet, to demonstrate that he will pass” the “test” of managing a military with nearly 3 million employees and an annual budget of nearly $1 trillion.