Dramatic vote: Senate narrowly confirms Pete Hegseth as US defense secretary

On Friday, Pete Hegseth was confirmed as the new US Secretary of Defense with a minimal majority of votes, which represents a great victory for President Donald Trump after much opposition from Democrats, and even some Republicans, to Hegseth’s candidacy.

Fifty senators voted for Hegseth as minister, while fifty were against. Since the result of the vote was tied, the outcome had to be decided by Vice President JD Vance, who prevailed in Hegseth’s favor. Hegseth (44), former host of Fox News and decorated veteran, promises big changes in the Pentagon.

Since the announcement of his candidacy, critics have questioned his qualifications for the job, pointed to the problematic nature of his temperament as well as his former views on women in combat units. During the process of approving his candidacy, a series of accusations appeared on Hegseth’s account.

For example, his former sister-in-law said that Hegseth abused his second wife, which Hegseth denied, while his wife also previously denied any physical abuse. Hegseth is also accused of excessive alcohol consumption and poor financial management at veterans’ organizations.

He pledged to abstain from alcohol if confirmed as minister and admitted to financial management mistakes but denied any wrongdoing. All Democratic senators voted against Hegseth’s candidacy, but so did three Republican senators. Among them is Mitch McConnell, who until this month was the leader of the Republicans in the Senate.

This was only the second time in history that a candidate for a ministerial position was decided by the vote of the vice president. It happened for the first time in 2017 when Betsy DeVos became the Secretary of Education in the Trump administration.