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Tag: Vance

JD Vance weighs in on deadly airliner accident during Fox Business interview

Vice President JD Vance sets the record straight with President Donald Trump’s approach to DEI and more during an appearance on ‘Sunday Morning Futures.’

Vice President J.D. Vance spoke about what he and President Trump believe contributed to the deadly mid-air collision over Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport this week in an exclusive interview on Fox Business’ “Sunday Morning Futures,” February 2nd.

In one of his first TV interviews since becoming the 50th Vice President of the United States last month, Vance spoke to host Maria Bartiromo about Trump’s second-term agenda as well as the major crises the administration has had to tackle only days into the presidency – including the deadly plane crash that claimed 67 lives earlier this week.

“There is a very direct connection between the policies of the last administration and short-staffed air traffic controllers. That has to stop,” Vance told the Fox Business host.

CHILLING AUDIO REVEALS FINAL MOMENTS BEFORE PHILADELPHIA PLANE CRASH

Vice President J.D. Vance speaks to Fox Business’ Maria Bartiromo in an interview that appears on “Sunday Morning Futures” tomorrow. (Fox Business / FOXBusiness)

Bartiromo asked Vance about Trump mentioning progressive DEI policies in relation to the crash between an American Airlines flight and an Army Black Hawk helicopter that crossed its flight path on Wednesday night.

In a Thursday press conference concerning the crash, Trump targeted DEI standards at the Federal Aviation Administration as contributing the crash, stating, “We have to have our smartest people. It doesn’t matter what they look like, how they speak, who they are. What matters is intellect, talent. The word ‘talent.’ They have to be talented geniuses. We can’t have regular people doing that job. They won’t be able to do it.”

Bartiromo gave Vance a chance to elaborate on Trump’s statements.

“So the president’s been very clear about this. This is not saying that the person who was at the controls is a DEI hire. But let’s just say, first of all, we should investigate everything, but let’s just say the person at the controls didn’t have enough staffing around him or her because we were turning people away because of DEI reasons,” he told the host.

DC PLANE CRASH INVESTIGATORS RECOVER AMERICAN AIRLINES BLACK BOXES AFTER MIDAIR COLLISION

A screenshot from an EarthCam appears to show the moment an Army Black Hawk helicopter collided midair with an American Airlines jet at Reagan Washington National Airport. ((Credit: EarthCam) (EarthCam))

The vice president also slammed the media for grilling Trump over his suggestion. “And by the way, it’s so funny to me the media has picked up on this. Not you, of course, Maria, but others have picked up on this. The president made very clear that he wasn’t blaming anybody, but he was being very explicit about the fact that DEI policies have led our air traffic controllers to be short-staffed.”

“That is a scandal. Thankfully, it’s a scandal that the president has stopped,” Vance added.

Elsewhere in the interview, Bartiromo asked Vance what his political ambitions are after the vice presidency. “You’re one of the youngest vice presidents that we’ve ever seen in the history of our country. Are you expecting to run for president in three and a half years?”

“Maria, you’re the first person who’s asked me that,” Vance replied. Viewers can catch Vance’s full answer when it premieres on “Sunday Morning Futures” tomorrow.

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February 1, 2025
Vance preaches unity to House Republicans as tensions boil at Trump retreat

DORAL, Fla. — Vice President JD Vance urged Republicans to stick together during a closed-door meeting at the House GOP annual issues conference on Tuesday, as tensions simmer over some lawmakers’ decisions to skip the multi-day event.

House Republicans are at President Donald Trump’s golf course and resort in Doral, Florida for three days of discussions on how to execute his legislative agenda.

Vance addressed the gathering on Tuesday in a speech that acknowledged the differences of opinion across the Republican conference, while imploring them to find a way to overcome those divisions and “be good” to one another, two lawmakers in the room told Fox News Digital.

Those fractures flared up a short while later, however, when two lawmakers stood up to criticize colleagues who were not attending the multi-day event during the question and answer portion of Vance’s appearance, two other sources said.

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Vice President JD Vance addressed House Republicans in a closed-door speech on Tuesday at Trump Doral golf course and resort. (Getty Images)

It comes after Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, posted on X that he was not attending the retreat, arguing the event was a waste of time.

“It is being reported I am not at the so-called Republican retreat in Florida. I am not,” Roy wrote. “I am in Texas, with my family & meeting with constituents, rather than spending $2K to hear more excuses for increasing deficits & not being in DC to deliver Trump’s border security [funding] ASAP.”

Roy told Fox News that he could not speak for fellow members of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus who were missing from the retreat, adding, “we all have things that we’ve got to deal with.”

“If you’re asking me to go spend money to go sit in a resort rather than doing our damn job…no, I’m not going to do that,” he said.

Others argued that Roy and others’ absence was actively undermining attempts to unify behind a legislative roadmap.

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT DOGE AND ITS QUEST TO SLASH GOVERNMENT WASTE, SPENDING

Rep. Chip Roy missed the GOP gathering in Florida. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

“Sadly enough, we have people sitting at home complaining about the meeting on Twitter, and they’re the ones who’d rather complain, attack, argue, than be part of the solution,” Rep. Greg Murphy, R-N.C., told Fox News Digital. “We know who they are. We just have to deal with it.”

With a razor-thin margin in the House, Republicans must vote in virtual lock-step to pass any legislation without Democratic support.

One lawmaker said Vance embraced a “team message” during his speech and “recognizes there will be differences, but we must come together once debate is over.”

Vance also told Republicans that Trump wants to raise the debt limit, something he will have to contend with this year, without support from or leverage by Democrats, Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., told reporters after the meeting.

President Donald Trump addressed the retreat on Monday. (Donald Trump 2024 campaign)

Other Republicans who spoke with Fox News Digital while leaving the event also embraced the Ohio Republican’s message and him as a messenger.

“He’s saying the things about fiscal sanity that we need to hear,” Rep. Keith Self, R-Texas, said.

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“He’s smart as hell, he’s eloquent,” Murphy said. “Trump really nailed it on that one – he was a great pick.”

Elizabeth Elkind is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital leading coverage of the House of Representatives. Previous digital bylines seen at Daily Mail and CBS News.

Follow on Twitter at @liz_elkind and send tips to elizabeth.elkind@fox.com

January 28, 2025
Vance to address House Republicans at Trump hotel amid division over budget bill

House Republicans are set to hear from Vice President JD Vance on Tuesday, the second day of their annual issues conference, as they work to chart a path forward on plans for a massive conservative policy overhaul.

GOP lawmakers have chosen sunny South Florida for their annual retreat. In a sign of President Donald Trump’s enduring influence on his party, the three-day event is being held at the commander-in-chief’s golf course and resort in Doral.

Trump headlines a Republican National Committee spring donor retreat, in Palm Beach, Florida on May 4, 2024. (Donald Trump 2024 campaign)

It’s not clear yet what Vance is expected to say, but a copy of the lawmakers’ schedule for the week obtained by Fox News Digital suggests the discussion will primarily focus on the budget reconciliation process.

JD VANCE CONDEMNS FEMA’S RESPONSE TO HELENE DEVASTATION IN 1ST TRIP AS VICE PRESIDENT

Republicans have been negotiating for weeks on how to use their razor-thin majorities in the House and Senate to pass massive conservative policy changes through the reconciliation process.

By reducing the threshold for Senate passage from 60 votes to a 51-seat simple majority, reconciliation allows a party in control of both congressional chambers to enact sweeping changes, provided they’re relevant to budgetary and fiscal policy.

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., left, and Vice President-elect Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, walk together after leaving Vance’s office on Capitol Hill, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

However, there has been some disagreement for weeks over how to package the GOP’s priorities. Senate Republicans have pushed for breaking the package up into two bills in order to score early victories on border security and energy policy, while leaving the more complex issue of tax reform for a second bill.

TOP JD VANCE POLITICAL ADVISORS TO STEER RAMASWAMY RUN FOR OHIO GOVERNOR

House Republican leaders, however, are concerned that the heavy political lift that passing a reconciliation bill entails would mean lawmakers run out of time before they can extend Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, which expire at the end of this year.

Vance has not publicly said which approach he favors.

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Trump, who previously called for one “big, beautiful bill,” was less committed to the strategy during his own remarks to House Republicans in Florida on Monday night.

“Whether it’s one bill, two bills, I don’t care,” he said.

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has said he wants the House to have passed a reconciliation bill by early spring.

Elizabeth Elkind is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital leading coverage of the House of Representatives. Previous digital bylines seen at Daily Mail and CBS News.

Follow on Twitter at @liz_elkind and send tips to elizabeth.elkind@fox.com

January 28, 2025
Top JD Vance political advisors to steer Ramaswamy run for Ohio governor

Vice President JD Vance’s political team, including two top advisors, are joining Vivek Ramaswamy’s soon-to-be announced 2026 Ohio gubernatorial run, a source with knowledge confirmed to Fox News.

The news follows conversations between Ramaswamy and Vance, who until he stepped down earlier this month to assume the vice presidency was a senator from Ohio, added the operative, who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely.

Ramaswamy, a multimillionaire biotech entrepreneur and former Republican presidential candidate, for weeks has been putting the pieces together to launch a gubernatorial campaign in the race to succeed GOP Gov. Mike DeWine of Ohio, who is term-limited and cannot seek re-election.

“Expect Vivek to announce his candidacy in mid-February,” the source told Fox News.

RAMASWAMY DONE AT DOGE AS HE HEADS BACK ON CAMPAIGN TRAIL

Vivek Ramaswamy and Kristi Noem applaud during President Donald Trump’s inauguration at the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 20, 2025. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters/Pool)

Ramaswamy was among the contenders who challenged President Donald Trump for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination before dropping out of the race and becoming a top Trump ally and surrogate.

The two Vance advisors are Andy Surabian and Jai Chabria, who played major roles in Vance’s 2022 Senate race and in his vice presidential campaign last summer and autumn, after Trump named the first-term senator as his running mate.

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The Ohio-based Chabria, a veteran in Buckeye State politics, is expected to serve as the Ramaswamy campaign’s general consultant.

Surabian, who is also a top advisor to Donald Trump Jr., the president’s eldest son and a top figure in the MAGA movement, will steer an outside political group allied with Ramaswamy.

Tony Fabrizio, the veteran Republican pollster who worked on Trump’s 2016 and 2024 campaigns, as well as Vance’s 2022 Senate campaign, is also on board, according to the source, as is Arthur Schwartz, another close ally to Vance and Donald Trump Jr.

Vice President JD Vance speaks prior to swearing in Pete Hegseth as Defense secretary of Defense in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House campus, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)

Vance, who has known Ramaswamy since they both studied at Yale Law School, has put his imprint on Ohio politics since winning his 2022 Senate election in the one-time key battleground state that has shifted to the right over the past decade.

Vance endorsed now-Sen. Bernie Moreno ahead of his 2024 GOP Senate primary victory, and key members of Vance’s political team steered Moreno’s campaign.

“It should not come as a surprise that JD’s top operatives are working with Vivek, given that JD and Vivek have had a longtime friendship,” a source in Vance’s political orbit told Fox News.

A longtime Ohio-based Republican operative, who asked for anonymity to speak more freely, said Vance is “sending a message” with this move.

He added that the advisors joining the Ramaswamy effort are “an all-star caliber campaign team.”

CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING ON VIVEK RAMASWAMY

Also part of that team, according to the source, are three veterans from Ramaswamy’s White House campaign – Ben Yoho, Mike Biundo and Chris Grant.

Ramaswamy, who’s now 39 years old, launched his presidential campaign in February 2023 and quickly saw his stock rise as he went from a long shot to a contender for the Republican nomination.

He campaigned on what he called an “America First 2.0” agenda and was one of Trump’s biggest supporters in the field of rivals, calling Trump the “most successful president in our century.”

Ramaswamy dropped his White House bid a year ago after a distant fourth-place finish in the Iowa caucuses and quickly endorsed Trump, becoming a top surrogate on the campaign trail.

Trump, in the days after his November presidential election victory, named Elon Musk, the world’s richest person, along with Ramaswamy, to steer the Department of Government Efficiency initiative, which is better known by its acronym DOGE.

Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy arrive at the U.S. Capitol to discuss their efforts leading DOGE, in December. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

But last Monday, as Trump was inaugurated, the new administration announced that Ramaswamy was no longer serving at DOGE. Ramaswamy’s exit appears to clear the way for Musk, Trump’s top donor and key ally, to steer DOGE without having to share the limelight.

“It was my honor to help support the creation of DOGE. I’m confident that Elon & team will succeed in streamlining government. I’ll have more to say very soon about my future plans in Ohio. Most importantly, we’re all-in to help President Trump make America great again!,” Ramaswamy wrote.

DeWine announced a week and a half ago that Lt. Gov. Jon Husted would fill the U.S. Senate seat that was held by Vance until he stepped down ahead of the Trump/Vance inauguration.

Before the Senate announcement, Husted had planned to run for governor in 2026 to succeed DeWine. Ramaswamy, for his part, had expressed interest in serving in the Senate.

Gov. Mike DeWine announces his appointment of Lt. Gov. Jon Husted, right, to fill the U.S. Senate seat formerly held by Vice President-elect JD Vance, on Jan. 17, 2025, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Julie Carr Smyth)

DeWine’s decision to choose Husted to fill the vacant Senate seat appeared to accelerate Ramaswamy’s move toward launching a run for governor.

Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, a major Trump ally in the Senate, on Monday endorsed Ramswamy’s all-but-certain gubernatorial bid.

“I’ve had the privilege of working closely with Vivek G. Ramaswamy, and he is totally focused on trying to save our country,” Scott said in a social media post.

The race for the GOP gubernatorial nomination could be competitive. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, 68, announced late last week his candidacy for governor.

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Ramaswamy’s move to run for governor also comes a couple of weeks after he and Musk sparked a firestorm among Trump’s hard core MAGA supporters over their support for H-1B temporary worker visas for highly skilled workers from foreign countries.

Ramaswamy’s comments criticizing an American culture that he said “venerated mediocrity over excellence” received plenty of pushback from some leading voices on the right as well as some in Trump’s political circle.

Ohio, which was once a top general election battleground, has shifted red over the past decade as Republicans have dominated statewide elections.

Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in New Hampshire.

January 27, 2025
Vice President JD Vance pressed on when grocery prices will come down: ‘Which one lowers prices?’

Vice President JD Vance was pressed on when grocery prices would come down during an interview on Sunday with CBS’s Margaret Brennan.

Vice President JD Vance was pressed on grocery prices during an interview on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” Sunday, arguing that several of President Donald Trump’s first moves in office would help bring down prices for Americans.

“No, Margaret, prices are going to come down, but it’s going to take a little bit of time, right? The president has been president for all of five days. I think that, in those five days, he’s accomplished more than Joe Biden did in four years,” Vance told Brennan, who pressed him on which of the several executive orders Trump signed in his first week addressed lowering grocery prices. “All of the stuff that we’ve done on energy, to explore more energy reserves, to develop more energy resources in the United States of America.”

Some Democrats have mocked Trump over grocery prices after he took office, including Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., who posted on X in early January, “I don’t care if Donald Trump wants to buy Greenland. I just want to know what he’s going to do to lower the cost of groceries.”

“Donald Trump has already taken multiple executive actions that are going to lower energy prices, and I do believe that means consumers are going to see lower prices at the pump and at the grocery store,” Vance said, “but it’s going to take a little bit of time. Rome wasn’t built in a day.”

CBS News’ Margaret Brennan pressed VP JD Vance on grocery prices. (Screenshot/CBS / Fox News)

The price of eggs is up nearly 37% from last year, according to the Consumer Price Index (CPI.)

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Former President Biden and his administration had repeatedly insisted that it would take time for Americans to feel the former president’s accomplishments when it came to the economy.

Brennan asked Vance about when voters would see differences in the products they “touch and feel” at the grocery stores, and specifically noted Vance mentioned bacon on the campaign trail.

“Well, but Margaret, how does bacon get to the grocery store? It comes on trucks that are fueled by diesel fuel. If the diesel is way too expensive, the bacon is going to become more expensive. How do we grow the bacon? Our farmers need energy to produce it. So if we lower energy prices, we are going to see lower prices for consumers, and that is what we’re trying to fight for,” Vance responded.

The vice president also said during the interview that Big Tech was still on notice, despite their donations to Trump’s inauguration.

Vice President Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) arrives for a campaign rally at Radford University on July 22, 2024 in Radford, Virginia. (Alex Wong/Getty Images / Getty Images)

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Brennan said during the interview that most of the executive orders were not focused on the economy, but Vance pushed back.

“We’ve taken over 200 executive actions — some executive orders, other executive actions. Again, this is in less than a week, and a lot of them were focused on the economy, bringing investment into our country and lowering energy prices. We’ve also focused on safety, restoring public safety, ending weaponization of the Department of Justice. We’ve done a lot, and I think the president is to be commended for actually coming in and doing something with this incredible mandate the American people gave him. He’s not sitting in the Oval Office doing nothing. He’s doing the American people’s business, and I think they’re going to see a lot of good effects from it,” he said.

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January 26, 2025
JD Vance compares Pete Hegseth’s confirmation to Ohio State’s title: ‘Doesn’t matter what the score was’

Vice President JD Vance cast the tiebreaking vote to confirm Pete Hegseth as the next U.S. Secretary of Defense late Friday and might feel a bit like Ohio State quarterback Will Howard.

Vance, an Ohio State alum, celebrated Hegseth’s confirmation with an anecdote that referenced his alma mater’s recent 34-23 national championship victory over Notre Dame.

“As I learned with the Buckeyes just a week ago, when you win the championship, it doesn’t matter what the score was. We won the championship on this one. We’ve got a great Secretary of Defense. We’re proud of him, and he’s going to do a great job,” Vance said.

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Vance has been on a roll with sports analogies lately.

After former President Joe Biden falsely insisted the Constitution had been amended to include the the Equal Rights Amendment as the 28th amendment, Vance mocked that notion with a baseball comparison.

Vance responded to Biden’s declaration in a post on X, joking that Biden should put the late disgraced MLB icon Pete Rose in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

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“Hey Joe if we’re doing fake s— on the way out can you declare Pete Rose into the Hall of Fame?” Vance wrote, in reference to an infamous baseball debate. Rose, MLB’s all-time hit leader who died in September, was banned from the sport for life for illegally betting on games.

Vance, meanwhile, got to witness the Buckeyes’ first national title since 2014 the same day he and President Donald Trump were inaugurated. Vance has been a proud, vocal Ohio State football fan throughout his political career as a former senator from the state.

Vance even joked about skipping Monday’s inauguration to watch the Buckeyes take on Notre Dame in Atlanta.

Usha Vance stood out from the crowd wearing a pink coat on Inauguration Day. (Chris Kleponis)

“Hopefully everyone is cool with me skipping the inauguration so I can go to the national title game,” Vance joked in a post on social media.

During the campaign, Vance revealed he told Trump his loyalty to the Buckeyes might affect Trump’s chances of winning the key battleground state of Michigan.

“When he first asked me to be a VP, I was like, ‘Well, you know, hopefully we don’t lose Michigan by like 900 votes, because you’re going to regret it. ‘Cause it’s probably just a thousand p—ed-off Wolverine fans who wouldn’t vote for a Buckeye,” Vance said during an appearance on OutKick’s “The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show.”

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“But I think that most Michiganders are going to be able to put sports rivalries aside and put the country first, which is what, of course, all of us believe is the most important thing.”

The Democratic National Committee attempted to exploit Vance’s connection to Ohio State with a campaign strategy in Michigan in early September. The DNC flew a plane over a Michigan football game Sept. 7 with a banner that said, “J.D. Vance [loves] Ohio State [plus] Project 2025.”

However, the Trump-Vance ticket ended up easily carrying Michigan.

Ohio State players celebrating their national title and JD Vance (Getty Images)

Hegseth, 44, a former Minnesota National Guard officer who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, secured the role to lead the Pentagon after weeks of intense political drama over his nomination and public scrutiny of his personal life.

The Senate was deadlocked at 50-50 with three Republicans — Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska; Susan Collins, R-Maine; and Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. — joining the Democrats in opposing Hegseth’s confirmation.

The stalemate forced Vance to cast the tiebreaking vote, securing his confirmation.

“It’s not the first time the headline reads, ‘Junior enlisted Marine bails out junior Army officer,’” Hegseth, a former Fox News host joked, referencing Vance’s previous service in the U.S. Marine Corps.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Jackson Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital. He previously worked for ESPN and Business Insider. Jackson has covered the Super Bowl and NBA Finals, and has interviewed iconic figures Usain Bolt, Rob Gronkowski, Jerry Rice, Troy Aikman, Mike Trout, David Ortiz and Roger Clemens.

January 25, 2025
McConnell voted no on Hegseth as Pentagon head, forcing Vance to cast tiebreaker

Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., was one of three Republicans to vote on Friday against Pete Hegseth, who was narrowly confirmed as defense secretary in the new Trump administration.

The other Republican “no” votes came from moderates Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Susan Collins, R-Maine, forcing Vice President JD Vance to break the 50-50 tie to confirm President Donald Trump’s choice to lead the Pentagon.

“The most consequential cabinet official in any Administration is the Secretary of Defense,” McConnell wrote, explaining his opposition to Hegseth. “In the face of the gravest threats to U.S. national security interests since World War II, this position is even more important today.”

“Major adversaries are working closer together to undermine U.S. interests around the world,” he said. “And America’s military capabilities and defense industrial capacity are increasingly insufficient to deter or prevail in major conflict with China or Russia, especially given the real risk of simultaneous challenges from other adversaries like Iran or North Korea.”

PETE HEGSETH CONFIRMED TO LEAD PENTAGON AFTER VP VANCE CASTS TIE-BREAKING VOTE

Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., takes a question from a reporter during a news conference following the weekly Senate Republican policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol on Nov. 19, 2024, in Washington, D.C. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Hegseth, a former Fox News host, had faced questions ahead of his confirmation over his infidelity, allegations of sexual assault and excessive drinking, his previous comments opposing women serving in combat roles in the military and his leadership abilities.

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.

McConnell said “dust on boots” in reference to Hegseth’s military service “fails even to distinguish this nominee from multiple predecessors of the last decade. Nor is it a precondition for success. Secretaries with distinguished combat experience and time in the trenches have failed at the job.”

“Effective management of nearly 3 million military and civilian personnel, an annual budget of nearly $1 trillion, and alliances and partnerships around the world is a daily test with staggering consequences for the security of the American people and our global interests,” the senator said. “Mr. Hegseth has failed, as yet, to demonstrate that he will pass this test. But as he assumes office, the consequences of failure are as high as they have ever been.”

MODERATE REPUBLICAN MURKOWSKI WON’T BACK TRUMP PICK HEGSETH FOR DEFENSE SECRETARY

Pete Hegseth testifies during his Senate Armed Services confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill on Jan. 14, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

McConnell stressed that Hegseth, in his testimony before the Armed Services Committee, “did not reckon with this reality” that the U.S. “faces coordinated aggression from adversaries bent on shattering the order underpinning American security and prosperity.”

“President Trump has rightly called on NATO allies to spend more on our collective defense. But the nominee who would have been responsible for leading that effort wouldn’t even commit to growing America’s defense investment beyond the low bar set by the Biden Administration’s budget requests,” McConnell said.

The senator also said Hegseth’s testimony lacked “substantial observations on how to defend Taiwan or the Philippines against a Chinese attack, or even whether he believes the United States should do so.” McConnell said Hegseth failed “to articulate in any detail a strategic vision for dealing with the gravest long-term threat emanating” from China.

Pete Hegseth at the completion of his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

McConnell additionally noted a lack of “substantive discussion” of “countering our adversaries’ alignment with deeper alliance relationships and more extensive defense industrial cooperation of our own.”

“This, of course, is due to change,” McConnell said. “As the 29th Secretary of Defense, Mr. Hegseth will be immediately tested by ongoing conflicts caused by Russian aggression in Europe and Iranian-backed terror in the Middle East. He will have to grapple with an unfinished FY25 appropriations process that – without his intervention – risks further harming the readiness of our forces.”

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“By all accounts, brave young men and women join the military with the understanding that it is a meritocracy,” he added. “This precious trust endures only as long as lawful civilian leadership upholds what must be a firewall between servicemembers and politics. The Biden Administration failed at this fundamental task. But the restoration of ‘warrior culture’ will not come from trading one set of culture warriors for another.”

January 25, 2025
Pete Hegseth confirmed as Trump defense secretary, with help from VP Vance

The Senate voted to confirm President Donald Trump’s nominee, Pete Hegseth, as defense secretary on Friday night after a high-tempered battle to sway lawmakers in his favor that was almost derailed by accusations about his behavior.

The final vote came down to the wire: three Republicans opposed, making for a 50 to 50 vote. Vice President JD Vance was needed to break the tie in the upper chamber.

The Senate’s two moderate Republican women: Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Susan Collins, R-Maine, voted no. As did Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., the former GOP leader.

North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis’ support was not a given, and he did not reveal his stance until the vote was already underway. He ultimately said he would back Trump’s pick, giving him enough support to be confirmed with Vance’s tie-breaking vote.

MODERATE REPUBLICAN MURKOWSKI WON’T BACK TRUMP PICK HEGSETH FOR DEFENSE SECRETARY

Hegseth denied all allegations of sexual, physical or alcohol abuse. (Tom Williams)

In her reasoning, Murkowski cited infidelity, “allegations of sexual assault and excessive drinking” and Hegseth’s previous comments on women serving in the military.

The behaviors he has admitted to alone, she said, show “a lack of judgment that is unbecoming of someone who would lead our armed forces.”

Concerned Veterans for America (CVA), the nonprofit advocacy group at the center of many of the accusations brought up during Hegseth’s confirmation hearing, praised his confirmation in a statement.

“The confirmation of Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense presents a real opportunity to prioritize the security and prosperity of our citizens, champion prudence and effectiveness in our defense strategy, and focus our Department of Defense on America’s most vital interests,” the statement read.

The New Yorker reported in December that Hegseth was forced out of CVA, the group he once ran, over allegations of financial mismanagement, sexual impropriety and personal misconduct.

All Democrats opposed the confirmation, a far cry from an earlier vote this week, when Secretary of State Marco Rubio was confirmed unanimously, 99-0.

Hegseth will now lead the government’s largest agency, having long promised to root out Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) measures across each branch.

Hegseth is a former Fox News weekend host. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

HEGSETH CLEARS SENATE HURDLE AND ADVANCES TO A FINAL CONFIRMATION VOTE

The Pentagon under Trump, however, has not waited for a confirmed secretary.

This week, the commander of the Air Force‘s 613th Air Operations Center in Hawaii, who had advocated for more women in roles like her own, was removed from her position. Gen. Kevin Schneider, commander of Pacific Air Forces, relieved Col. Julie Sposito-Salceies from the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, “due to loss of confidence in her ability to command the organization.”

Shortly after Trump took office, Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Linda Fagan, the first uniformed woman to lead any military branch, was removed from her position.

Trump this week also nominated former Space Force Lt. Col. Matthew Lohmeier and former Marine Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller to top Defense Department posts – both men who were deeply critical of the Biden administration’s policies at the Pentagon.

Lohmeier, who had been nominated to serve as undersecretary of the Air Force, was fired as commander of the 11th Space Warning Squadron at Buckley Air Force base, after he wrote a book and appeared on podcasts claiming Marxism had infiltrated the armed forces and criticizing diversity policies.

Trump’s administration has already taken action despite not having a secretary confirmed. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Scheller made headlines for posting videos in uniform criticizing senior military leaders over the Afghanistan withdrawal. Scheller, the new senior advisor to the Department of Defense Under Secretary for personnel and readiness, was sent to the brig and court-martialed over the clips.

Hegseth’s nomination was dealt a last-minute hurdle earlier this week when reports emerged that his ex-sister-in-law alleged he had abused his second wife.

On Tuesday, Fox News obtained an affidavit from Hegseth’s former sister-in-law, Danielle Hegseth, which alleged he had an alcohol abuse problem and at times made his ex-wife, Samantha, fear for her safety. Danielle Hegseth was previously married to Pete Hegseth’s brother and has no relation to Samantha.

KEY SENATE CHAIRMAN CRITICIZES ‘ANONYMOUS SOURCES WITH ULTERIOR MOTIVES,’ STANDS BY HEGSETH NOMINATION

But Danielle Hegseth added that she never witnessed any abuse herself, physical or sexual, by Pete against Samantha.

Samantha Hegseth has also denied any physical abuse in a statement to NBC News.

Senate Armed Services Chair Roger Wicker said in a statement Wednesday night that reports “regarding a confidential briefing on the FBI background investigation of Pete Hegseth that I received last week are starkly and factually inaccurate,” and that he stands by Hegseth’s nomination.

Wicker had remained supportive of Hegseth’s nomination. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Earlier Thursday, Sen. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., urged Republicans to join him in opposing the former Fox News host and Army national guardsman.

HEGSETH LAWYER SLAMS ‘FLAWED AND QUESTIONABLE AFFIDAVIT’ FROM EX-SISTER-IN-LAW

“Hegseth is so utterly unqualified, he ranks up there [as] … one of the very worst nominees that could be put forward,” Schumer said.

Hegseth, who has been married three times, has admitted he was a “serial cheater” before he became a Christian and married his current wife, Jenny.

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The 44-year-old Army National Guard veteran, who did tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, is relatively young and inexperienced, compared to defense secretaries in the past, retiring as a major. But Republicans say they don’t want someone who made it to the top brass who’s become entrenched in the Pentagon establishment.

January 25, 2025
March for Life attendees react to JD Vance speech: ‘It was amazing’

Vice President JD Vance received a massive welcome from pro-lifer activists at the March for Life this Friday in his first public address since the inauguration.

Vance touted President Donald Trump’s recent pardons of several pro-life activists prosecuted by the Biden Department of Justice. He also spoke strongly about the need for pro-family governmental policies, saying, “I want to see more babies in the United States of America.”

Trump also delivered remarks to the March for Life crowd via a video message.

Marchers told Fox News Digital that Vance’s presence showed that the new Trump administration stands in solidarity with the pro-life movement and gives them optimism for the future.

“It was amazing,” said Amy Lewis, a pro-lifer who came with a group from Dry Fork Christian School in Virginia. “It was amazing that he was here. We were able to see him and to see that our new administration supports life as much as we do. It just really kind of drives it home that we have an administration that’s here to support us and to support our beliefs.”

PRO-LIFE ACTIVIST PROSECUTED BY BIDEN DOJ REACTS TO TRUMP PARDON: ‘I WANT TO GIVE HIM A HUG’

Sarah Morales Wade, an activist who came with a pro-life youth group from Houston called the Catholic Organization of Life, told Fox News Digital: “It’s so inspiring to see someone so high up in office fighting with us, with the kids and, and that we have people who are supporting us and who will fight for life with us.”

Elizabeth O’Brien, another member of the Houston group, told Fox News Digital that she thought Vance’s speech was “amazing.”

“When the vice president comes out, and he’s telling us how precious life is, that’s an eye-opener,” she said. “It gives us reassurance that the Trump administration is with us.”

GOP IS UNIFIED BEHIND TRUMP’S ‘WINNING’ AGENDA, SENATE MAJORITY LEADER SAYS

Isaac Desrosiers, a student at Franciscan University, a Catholic college in Steubenville, Ohio, Vance’s home state, told Fox News Digital that for him, the vice president’s speech showed that “he’s not just a politician telling tales, trying to get votes.”

Isaac Desrosiers, a student at Franciscan University, a Catholic college in Steubenville, Ohio, Vance’s home state, told Fox News Digital that for him, the vice president’s speech showed that “he’s not just a politician telling tales, trying to get votes.”

“He’s truly Catholic, he holds Catholic values, and he brings that compassion and that sincere Catholic belief and faith to the table,” he said. “He’s genuinely concerned about what is going on in the world, what’s going on in our country. And he generally wants freedom and equality for babies so that they may have the chance to come into this world and to live an amazing life.”

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Desrosiers said that though he’s “not sure what to expect” from the Trump administration regarding the abortion issue, he is “optimistic.”

“I’m hoping it means that this country’s going to be more pro-life and he’s going to pass more pro-life laws,” he said.

Peter Pinedo is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.

January 25, 2025