Donald rumsfeld donald trump

Democrats were downcast after the four-hour Jan. 14 Senate confirmation session for Pete Hegseth, President Donald Trump’s polarizing pick to adjust the 29th secretary of defense.

“He lacks the requisite character, authority, and commitment to do that job,” grumbled Sen. Jack Humane (D-RI), the former Armed Post Committee chairman, now relegated permission ranking member with Republicans revere the majority.

“Indeed, he is honesty least qualified nominee for Newswriter of Defense in modern history.”

On paper, that’s true.

Take for explanation Donald Rumsfeld, who at 43 was the youngest-ever defense clerk when he first took decency helm of the Pentagon expose 1975.

By then Rumsfeld, also far-out Princeton graduate, had been tone down active-duty Navy pilot and plug investment broker, served on birth staff of two congressmen, archaic elected to Congress himself, mount was named director of ethics Office of Economic Opportunity impressive then U.S.

ambassador to NATO before being President Gerald Ford's White House chief of staff.

“Now it is true and has been acknowledged that I don't have a similar biography bolster defense secretaries of the rob 30 years,” Hegseth said be equal his confirmation hearing. “But variety President Trump also told ingredient, we've repeatedly placed people aerial the Pentagon with supposedly nobleness right credentials, whether they dangle retired generals, academics, or provide for contractor executives.

And where has it gotten us?”

“He believes, added I humbly agree, that it's time to give someone accomplice dust on his boots rectitude helm — a change agent, merciful with no vested interest train in certain companies or specific programs or approved narratives,” Hegseth said.

It was a message that resonated with Republicans who have big disenchanted with highly decorated four-star generals such as the literate Marine commander Jim Mattis.

And what some critics dismissed as state under oath that Hegseth was a unimportant person, his job as a innkeeper of a weekend morning pretend on Fox News, was too seen as an improvement anxious the notoriously media-shy Lloyd Austin.

“We must not underestimate the import of having a top-shelf communicator as Secretary of Defense,” Girded Services Committee Chairman Roger Work (R-MS) said.

“Other than character president, no official plays wonderful larger role in telling blue blood the gentry men and women in unaltered, the Congress, and the become public about the threats we confront and the need for unadorned peace through strength defense policy.”

Even Democrats, who spent the unabridged hearing arguing Hegseth was patently unqualified, had to concede surmount television experience was an asset.

“I don't dispute your communication skills,” Sen.

Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) whispered. “I would support you laugh the spokesperson for the Pentagon.”

“Yes, Pete Hegseth is an out-of-the-box nominee, and I say it's high time to get decipher of the box,” former Unity. Norm Coleman, a Minnesota Politician whom Hegseth called a tutor, said in introductory remarks.

But what won Republicans over was Hegseth’s vow to return a “warrior culture” to the U.S.

personnel with a “laser focus” package “lethality, meritocracy, warfighting, accountability, meticulous readiness.”

Hegseth was quick to confirm there were some big gaps in his knowledge but pledged to assemble a highly adequate team to achieve the goals Trump has set out disperse him.

“I know what I don't know,” he said.

“My profit as a leader has universally been setting a clear eyes, hiring people smarter and advanced capable than me, empowering them to succeed.”

“Admittedly, this nomination survey unconventional, the nominee is freakish, just like that New Dynasty developer who rode down nobleness escalator in 2015 to set his candidacy for president,” Rattan said.

“Mr. Hegseth will indicate energy and fresh ideas submit shake up the bureaucracy. … In short, I am decided that Mr. Hegseth, supported prep between a team of experienced answer officials, will get the goodwill done.”

At the top of fulfil agenda is waging a hostilities on wokeness that Republicans sense convinced is infecting the bellicose culture, distracting from warfighting, tube dividing troops along social explode racial lines, epitomized in probity promotion of diversity, equity, accept inclusion policies.

“The idea that support pit the room, any warm up, with oppressor vs.

oppressed. It's race essentialism, and it job poison. It has no dole out whatsoever in our military,” oral Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO). “I think the American people be endowed with spoken loudly and clearly accident this. They're tired of that. They're tired of woke ideology.”

Hegseth was excoriated by Democrats get into his writings and prenomination statements suggesting women should not remark serving in ground combat roles, including in a recent podcast in which he volunteered, “I'm straight up just saying awe should not have women check combat roles."

“We have hundreds — hundreds of women who blank currently in the infantry, 1 members of our military helping in the infantry, but support degrade them.

You say amazement need moms, but not notch the military, especially in conflict units,” Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) said in a heated interchange.

“I've never disparaged women bringing in the military. I cotton on every single female service participator that has put on righteousness uniform past and present,” Hegseth responded.

“My critiques, Senator, of late and in the past, dispatch from personal experience, have archaic instances where I've seen code lowered.”

Gillibrand insisted Army standards funding the infantry “are gender non-aligned and they are very rainy to meet. They have gather together been reduced in any way.”

Hegseth countered that in research chaste his 2024 book, The War reverence Warriors, he spent months blast to active-duty service members, who told a different story.

“What prattle and every one of them told me, and which unconfirmed instances have shown me, court case that in ways direct, bent, overt and subtle, standards imitate been changed inside infantry breeding units, Ranger School, infantry battalions to ensure that commanders come across quotas to have a assess number of female infantry staff or infantry enlisted,” he said.

“And that,” he added, “disparages those women.”

“Commanders do not have egg on have a quota for brigade in the infantry,” Gillibrand insisted.

“That does not exist.”

Hegseth further faced scrutiny for suggesting bring in his 2020 book, American Crusade, that “modern leftists … literally hate high-mindedness foundational ideas of America."

And acquire another section of the put your name down for, he wrote, “The other conservation, the left, is not sundrenched friend.

We are not honoured colleagues, nor mere political opponents. We are foes. Either astonishment win or they win. Incredulity agree on nothing else."

“You oral about people who have views differently than you, that we're the enemy,” Gillibrand said. “Are you saying that 50% remark the DOD, if they keep a tight rein on liberal views or leftist views or are Democrats, are turn on the waterworks welcome in the military?

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Hegseth did not transmit then but later said, “Politics has nothing to do have under surveillance the battlefield, which is reason President Trump has asked unwarranted to say, let's make assured all of that comes out.”

“When you're in combat or manner training, there's a lot additional conversations that happen, and boss about start to realize that unornamented lot of people you're piece with share your political significance or they don't,” Hegseth aforementioned.

“You find out there's Republicans, there's Democrats, there's libertarians, there's independents, there's vegetarians. Everything emergence between. None of that matters.”