Politics
The top 5 moments from Pete Hegseth's Senate confirmation hearing

President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Defense, Pete Hegseth, faced a Senate grilling on Tuesday as lawmakers determine whether they will vote in support of the nominee.
Hegseth faced intense questioning from Democrats in his Armed Services Committee hearing, including regarding his previous comments related to women serving in military combat roles, and was also interrupted by protesters who disturbed the hearing at some points.
Trump nominated Hegseth back in November, just days after his decisive election win over Vice President Kamala Harris, lauding him “as a Warrior for the Troops, and for the Country.”
After Hegseth wrapped up his hours-long hearing, Fox News Digital compiled the top five moments.
PETE HEGSETH DELIVERS OPENING STATEMENT AT SENATE CONFIRMATION HEARING
Hegseth’s emotional opening remarks
Hegseth became emotional during his opening remarks on Tuesday morning while thanking his wife and other family members for supporting him through the nomination process.
“Thank you to my incredible wife, Jennifer, who has changed my life and been with me throughout this entire process. I love you, sweetheart, and I thank God for you,” he said, beginning to choke up.
“And as Jenny and I pray together every morning, all glory, regardless of the outcome, belongs to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,” he said. “His grace and mercy abounds each day. May His will be done.”
HEGSETH WAS ‘INCREDIBLY TALENTED, BATTLE-PROVEN LEADER,’ MILITARY EVALUATIONS SHOW
Hegseth, a former Fox News host, married his wife Jennifer in 2013, with the couple sharing a blended family of seven children.
“Thank you to my father, Brian and Mother Penny, as well as our entire family, including our seven wonderful kids: Gunner, Jackson, Peter Boone, Kensington, Luke, Rex…Gwendolyn, their future safety and security is in all of our hands,” he said.
Sen. Hirono claims Hegseth would lead a military invasion of Greenland if confirmed
Democratic Hawaii Sen. Mazie Hirono was slammed on social media Tuesday during the hearing for asking Hegseth if he would lead a military invasion of Greenland if confirmed as the secretary of defense.
“[The] President elect has attacked our allies in recent weeks, refusing to rule out using military force to take over Greenland and the Panama Canal and threatening to take to make Canada the 51st state. Would you carry out an order from President Trump to seize Greenland, a territory of our NATO ally Denmark, by force? Or would you comply with an order to take over the Panama Canal?” Hirono asked on Tuesday.
WASHINGTON DC, UNITED STATES – JUNE 4:Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI) participates in a news conference following weekly policy luncheons in Washington, DC on June 4, 2024. (Photo by Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images) (Nathan Posner)
Trump has said in recent weeks that he hopes to purchase Greenland from Denmark, referred to Canada as the U.S.’s “51st state” and outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as Canada’s “governor,” and has also vowed to”demand that the Panama Canal be returned to the United States of America in full, quickly and without question.”
DEM SENATOR’S ‘LIES AND STUPIDITY’ AT HEGSETH HEARING ROASTED ON SOCIAL MEDIA: ‘CLOWN SHOW’
Hegseth brushed off Hirono’s question during the hearing, saying, “Trump never strategically tips his hand.”
“I would never publicly state one way or another to direct the orders of the president,” Hegseth responded.
Viewers of the exchange erupted on social media following Hirono’s question, including labeling her the “least intelligent Member of Congress” and others calling the grilling a “clown show.”
“Hirono was playing judge, jury, and executioner based on lies and stupidity,” Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., wrote in a post on X.
Hearing erupts into protests
Hegseth’s opening remarks during the hearing were interrupted by a handful of protesters, as they shouted at the nominee about the war in Israel, and called him both a “Christian Zionist” and a “misogynist.”
“Veterans are committing suicide and are homeless, but we send money to bomb children in Gaza,” one female protester wearing fatigues shouted as she was escorted from the hearing, Fox News Digital video shows.
At least three protesters were seen being hauled out of the hearing in zipties or with their hands behind their backs.
“You are a misogynist,” one protester shouted at Hegseth.
HEGSETH INTERRUPTED BY MULTIPLE PROTESTERS DURING SENATE CONFIRMATION HEARING
“Thank you for figuratively and literally having my back,” Hegseth said after he was interrupted, returning to his opening statement. “I pledge to do the same for all of you.”

US Capitol Police officers remove a demonstrator during a Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing in Washington, DC, US, on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. Pete Hegseth, US secretary of defense nominee for US President-elect Donald Trump, is portraying his lack of high-level management experience as an asset, saying in prepared testimony for his confirmation hearing that he’d be a “change agent” with no vested interest in certain companies or specific programs or approved narratives. Photographer: Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg via Getty Images (Getty Images)
Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., asked Hegseth about the protesters during his hearing, including regarding the war in Israel that has been ongoing since 2023.
“Another protester, and I think this one was a member of Code Pink, which, by the way, is a Chinese communist front group these days, said that you support Israel’s war in Gaza. I support Israel’s existential war in Gaza. I assume, like me and President Trump, you support that war as well,” Cotton said.

US Capitol Police officers remove a demonstrator during a Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing in Washington, DC, US, on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. Pete Hegseth, US secretary of defense nominee for US President-elect Donald Trump, is portraying his lack of high-level management experience as an asset, saying in prepared testimony for his confirmation hearing that he’d be a “change agent” with no vested interest in certain companies or specific programs or approved narratives. Photographer: Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg via Getty Images (Getty Images)
“I support Israel destroying and killing every last member of Hamas,” Hegseth responded.
“And the third protester said something about 20 years of genocide. I assume that’s our wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Do you think our troops are committing genocide in Iraq and Afghanistan?” Cotton continued.

Protester escorted from Pete Hegseth’s confirmation hearing to serve as secretary of defense. (Fox Digital )
“Senator, I do not. I think … our troops, as you know, as so many in this committee know, did the best they could with what they had. … And tragically, the outcome we saw in Afghanistan under the Biden administration put a stain on that, but it doesn’t put a stain on what those men and women did in uniform, as you know full well, Senator,” Hegseth responded.
PETE HEGSETH HEADS TO CAPITOL HILL FOR FIERY HEARING ON HIS RECORD, PLANS TO SHAKE UP PENTAGON
Hegseth repeatedly grilled on support of women in combat roles
The nominee was repeatedly grilled by senators regarding his previous comments on women serving in combat roles, including by Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand and Joni Ernst.
“You say we need moms, but not in the military, especially in combat units. So specific to Senator Cotton’s question, because Senator Cotton was giving you layups to differentiate between different types of combat. Specifically as secretary, would you take any action to reinstitute the combat arms exclusion for female service members knowing full well you have hundreds of women doing that job right now,” Gillibrand asked.
Her question referred to Hegseth’s 2024 book, which states: “Dads push us to take risks. Moms put the training wheels on our bikes. We need moms. But not in the military, especially not in combat units.”

WASHINGTON – MARCH 15: Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., leaves the Senate Democrats lunch in the Mansfield Room in the Capitol on Wednesday, March 15, 2023. ( (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images))
Hegseth pushed back that his argument related to women serving in the military focuses on military standards not eroding.
“Senator, I appreciate your comments. And I would point out I’ve never disparaged women serving in the military. I respect every single female service member that has put on the uniform, past and present. My critiques, senator, recently and in the past, and from personal experience, have been instances where I’ve seen standards lowered,” he responded.
PETE HEGSETH SAYS HE HASN’T HEARD FROM WEST POINT SINCE EMPLOYEE ‘ERROR’ DENYING HIS ACCEPTANCE
Ernst, a veteran and Republican who initially did not initially publicly support Hegseth’s nomination, also questioned the nominee’s views on women in the military, saying he had a platform to make his opinions “very clear.”
“I want to know, again, let’s make it very clear for everyone here today, as secretary of defense, will you support women continuing to have the opportunity to serve in combat roles?” Ernst asked.

Pete Hegseth, military analyst at Twenty-First Century Fox Inc. and US secretary of defense nominee for US President-elect Donald Trump, during a Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing in Washington, DC, US, on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. Hegseth is portraying his lack of high-level management experience as an asset, saying in prepared testimony for his confirmation hearing that he’d be a “change agent” with no vested interest in certain companies or specific programs or approved narratives. Photographer: Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg via Getty Images (Kent Nishimura)
Hegseth again redirected the conversation back to his concerns over ensuring military standards remain high.
“Senator, first of all, thank you for your service. As we discussed extensively as well, and my answer is yes, exactly the way that you caveated it. Yes, women will have access to ground combat roles, combat roles given the standards remain high, and we’ll have a review to ensure the standards have not been eroded,” Hegseth responded.
Ernst also pressed Hegseth on what efforts he would take to combat sexual assault within the ranks, noting it is one of her top three concerns surrounding the military.
GOP SENATOR FLIPS SCRIPT ON DEMS FOR ‘HYPOCRITICAL’ GRILLING OF HEGSETH: ‘SO RIDICULOUS’
“A priority of mine has been combating sexual assault in the military and making sure that all of our service members are treated with dignity and respect. This has been so important. Senator Gillibrand and I have worked on this, and we were able to get changes made to the uniform code of military justice to make sure that we have improvements, and on how we address the tragic and life altering, issues of rape, sexual assault. It will demand time and attention from the Pentagon under your watch, if you are confirmed,” Ernst said.
“So, as secretary of Defense, will you appoint a senior level official dedicated to sexual assault prevention and response?” she asked.
Hegseth said that, as they had previously discussed, he would appoint an official to such a role.
Dem Sen. Kaine grills SecDef nominee over infidelity in front of young daughter

U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) speaks with reportersREUTERS/Leah Millis
Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., hit Hegseth with a handful of personal questions, including the timing of his extramarital affairs, while Hegseth’s seven-year-old daughter sat feet away during the hearing.
“I want to return to the incident that you referenced a minute ago that occurred in Monterey, California, in October 2017. At that time, you were still married to your second wife, correct?” Kaine asked, referring to a 2017 accusation of sexual assault against Hegseth. The nominee was investigated and cleared of wrongdoing.
“I believe so,” Hegseth responded.
“And you had just fathered a child by a woman who would later become your third wife,” Kaine pressed. Hegseth has been married three times.
“Senator, I was falsely charged, and I fully investigated and completely cleared,” Hegseth said.
Kaine shot back: “So you think you are completely cleared because you committed no crime? That’s your definition of cleared?”
“You had just fathered a child two months before by a woman that was not your wife,” he continued, before citing Hegseth’s daughter was in the crowd. “I am shocked that you would stand here and say you are completely cleared. Can you so casually cheat on a second wife and cheat on the mother of a child who had been born two months before?”
“Senator, her child’s name is Gwendolyn Hope Hegseth, and she’s a child of God,” Hegseth responded.
“She’s seven years old, and I am glad she’s here,” he added.
Fox News Digital’s Andrew Mark Miller, Aubrie Spady and Breanne Deppisch contributed to this report.

Politics
Trump Agriculture pick confirmed as president racks up Cabinet wins

President Donald Trump secured two more Cabinet confirmations on Thursday, including his pick to lead the Department of Agriculture (USDA), Brooke Rollins.
Rollins was easily confirmed by the Senate shortly after Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was confirmed as Trump’s Health secretary.
Most recently, Rollins has served as president and CEO of the America First Policy Institute (AFPI) think tank, which she co-founded after Trump’s first term.
In Trump’s first administration, she was his director of the Office of American Innovation and acting director of the Domestic Policy Council.
TULSI GABBARD SWORN IN AT WHITE HOUSE HOURS AFTER SENATE CONFIRMATION
Brooke Rollins, U.S. President Trump’s nominee to be secretary of agriculture, testifies before a Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., January 23, 2025. (Kaylee Greenlee Beal/Reuters)
The newly elected president announced his selection of Rollins for USDA chief in November, recalling she did “an incredible job” during his first term.
“Brooke’s commitment to support the American Farmer, defense of American Food Self-Sufficiency, and the restoration of Agriculture-dependent American Small Towns is second to none,” he said.
DOGE ‘PLAYBOOK’ UNVEILED BY GOP SENATOR AS MUSK-LED AGENCY SHAKES UP FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

A side-by-side image of President Trump and the United States Department of Agriculture (Getty Images)
“As our next Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke will spearhead the effort to protect American Farmers, who are truly the backbone of our Country. Congratulations Brooke!”
The USDA nominee had a hearing before the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee last month, before advancing past the key hurdle.
DEM LOOKS TO CODIFY NEW AG BONDI’S DESIRED CRACKDOWN ON ‘ZOMBIE DRUG’ XYLAZINE

Brooke Rollins is sworn-in for a Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee hearing on her nomination for Secretary of Agriculture, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, in Washington. (Getty Images | iStock)
The committee decision to move her nomination forward was unanimous, giving her bipartisan backing going into her confirmation vote.
Rollins is now the 16th Cabinet official confirmed to serve in Trump’s new administration. With the help of the Republican-led Senate, Trump has managed to confirm his picks at a pace far ahead of either his first administration or former President Joe Biden’s.
TRUMP LANDS KEY TULSI GABBARD CONFIRMATION FOLLOWING UPHILL SENATE BATTLE

Biden and Trump during his first term lagged behind with confirmations. (Left: Pete Marovich/Getty Images; Right: Oleg Nikishin/Getty Images)
At the same point in his first term, Trump only had 11 confirmations and Biden had seven. Neither had 16 confirmed until March during their respective administrations.
Politics
Solutions: Here's how the Trump administration can curb housing costs
One reason American voters handed the country’s reins back to President Trump was the extreme inflation in housing prices that took place under his predecessor. The federal government has less influence over this issue than, say, California mayors and legislators — but whoever is in the White House can take certain steps to push prices down. The federal government can lower construction material costs, release more land for homebuilding and ensure that federal grants are used efficiently.
Unlike American manufacturing, residential construction has missed out on productivity improvements for decades. One reason is that building code updates, which are written by an industry group, increase costs more often than they decrease them. As a result, cost-conscious states usually stick with older, cheaper building codes. But that means they miss out on productive innovations. The Trump administration could start by creating a building code innovation module, consisting only of cost-decreasing updates, which states and cities could then adopt.
U.S. building codes have fallen behind peer countries in construction techniques for mid-rise buildings, which provide important, dense housing supply using little land. The administration could help California, Tennessee and several other states already in the process of identifying safety standards for the construction of four- to six-story buildings with a single staircase. A related innovation would adopt lower-cost elevator standards for small buildings, which would enable cost-effective accessibility in more new construction.
As the new administration sets tariff rates, it should balance construction costs among its priorities. The Biden administration doubled Trump’s original tariff on Canadian lumber, adding thousands to the cost of each new house. Cutting that tariff to its 2020 rate — or better yet, eliminating it and aiming tariffs at strategic opponents instead of America’s strongest ally — would bring immediate relief to builders and buyers. Instead, in his first few weeks back in office, Trump has scheduled higher tariffs on Canadian goods, including lumber, and added a 25% global steel tariff, which will make it much more expensive to build the next Trump Tower.
In addition to material costs, another factor that has driven up home prices and limited inventory is a chronic scarcity of construction workers, and the federal government has more control over this labor supply than states and cities do. Through immigration policy, the Trump administration could either aggravate the shortage or ease it, which would either raise or lower housing costs.
In land use, as in construction productivity, the federal government plays a quietly influential role. Trump has proposed building new “freedom cities” on federally owned land across the country. That’s one of several ways that huge federal landholdings could be opened for housing and jobs relatively free of local politics and NIMBYism.
Another idea is to expand nationwide the successful Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act, which allows the sale of federal land to support suburban growth. So far it has been limited to the Las Vegas area, where it has been successful and has generated funding to conserve and improve other valuable public land.
Other regulations and agencies influence the use of privately owned land. For instance, federal rules on storm water drainage are not only strict, but also complex and scattered. A first step would be to unify those rules in a single place. Once unified, they can be analyzed and streamlined as appropriate.
Some agencies, such as the Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of Defense, quietly influence local land use. An administration-wide directive could nudge them to affirm more homebuilding where appropriate rather than reflexively blocking it.
Yet the federal government’s most immediate connection to cities is through grant-making for a range of purposes. Many federal regulations require grantees to undergo expensive planning exercises to qualify for funding. Experience shows that the plans usually have no influence on subsequent actions. The new administration must ensure that money is used well by emphasizing outcome-based reporting for federal grantees instead.
Some grants are openly ill-spent. Several states waste federal funding for removing lead paint hazards by preventing out-of-state workers from contributing to that work. And some of the richest cities skirt the rules of the Community Development Block Grant program, using funds in ways that make housing more expensive, not more attainable. Federal agencies can easily curtail these inefficiencies.
Even better, the Department of Housing and Urban Development should find funding to offer technical assistance to small cities and towns that want to allow more housing. When I advised Auburn, Maine, on its nation-leading reforms, the limiting factor was local staff time. For municipalities that share Auburn’s goals, HUD can be a valuable resource.
Regulators at the Federal Housing Finance Agency have an outsize role in determining who gets a mortgage and why. The agency should seriously investigate the possibility that its own well-intended regulations have cut off mortgage lending to working-class families. My colleague Kevin Erdmann argues that unreasonably strict credit standards have eliminated most buyers for lower-cost homes and created a new constituency for single-family rentals. They would rather buy, if anyone would give them a mortgage.
Despite these many touchpoints, Americans should remember that the fault is not in our presidents, but in ourselves, that we are underbuilding. In California, for example, obstacles to construction include strict local zoning, NIMBY resistance and laws that require builders to pay above-market wages and force landlords to collect below-market rents. Such factors have aggravated a housing shortage and contributed to outmigration, homelessness and even more deferred dreams. Federal innovation and efficiency can support local efforts but cannot replace them.
Salim Furth is a senior research fellow and director of the urbanity project at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University.
Politics
Trump supporting California sheriff to launch GOP run for governor in race to succeed Newsom: sources

A tough-on-crime Republican sheriff in southern California who was a supporter of President Trump in last year’s election will launch a campaign for Golden State governor, a source familiar confirms to Fox News.
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco is expected to announce his candidacy at a scheduled event Monday in Riverside, California, about 50 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles, in the 2026 race to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Bianco, a vocal critic of Newsom and other state Democratic leaders when it comes to the issues of crime and punishment, was one of the leaders who helped push California’s Proposition 36 ballot measure to a landslide victory in last November’s elections.
WHAT SHERIFF CHAD BIANCO TOLD FOX NEWS
Sheriff Chad Bianco of Riverside County speaks during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on May 15, 2024. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)
The measure, which took effect in December, mandates stiffer penalties and longer sentences in California for certain drug and theft crimes.
MAJOR CALIFORNIA DEMOCRAT PREEDICTS FORMER VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS WOULD CLEAR GUBERNATORIAL FIELD
Bianco, who has worked in law enforcement for more than three decades, was first elected sheriff in 2018. He’s been openly flirting with a 2026 gubernatorial run since at least last spring.

House Speaker Mike Johnson listens to Sheriff Chad Bianco speak during a news conference in the U.S. Capitol on May 15, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
When asked late last year in a Fox News interview if he knew of anyone who might be capable of producing change in Sacramento – California’s capital city – Bianco responded, “I might, I might know someone that would go there with nothing but common sense and the betterment of the citizens of California rather than some crazy ideological agenda that truly makes absolutely no sense to any of us.”
It’s been nearly two decades since a Republican won statewide office in heavily blue California. You have to go all the way back to former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 2006 re-election victory.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is term-limited and cannot seek re-election in 2026. (California Governor Gavin Newsom YouTube channel)
There has been plenty of speculation since former Vice President Kamala Harris’ election defeat last November to Trump regarding her next political move, with the two potential options likely being launching a 2026 gubernatorial run in her home state of California or seeking the presidency again in 2028.
Harris served as San Francisco district attorney and California attorney general and U.S. senator before becoming vice president.
Sources in the former vice president’s political orbit say no decisions have been made about any next steps.

Vice President Kamala Harris delivers remarks at the Democratic National Committee’s holiday reception in Washington, D.C., Dec. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
The Democrats’ field for governor in the heavily blue-leaning state is already crowded.
Among the more than half-dozen candidates already running for governor are Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, a Harris ally, and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.
Former Rep. Katie Porter, who unsuccessfully ran for the Democratic Senate nomination last year, has expressed interest in launching a campaign.
Additionally, former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, who served in Congress and as California attorney general before joining the Biden administration, is also seen as a potential contender.
Former Fox News Channel host and conservative commentator Steve Hilton is considering a Republican run for California governor.
In California, unlike most other states, the top two finishers in a primary, regardless of party affiliation, advance to the general election.
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