Some allies of President-elect Trump are lashing out at Senate Republicans as a second Cabinet nominee appears imperiled, raising questions about the extent of Trump’s mandate and how much leeway he should get to build his second administration.
Trump has so far already seen one Cabinet pick withdraw in the face of Senate GOP opposition, with former Rep. Matt Gaetz bowing out as the nominee to serve as attorney general amid questions about a House ethics report and misconduct. Now, Defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth is facing headwinds among some Republicans concerned about allegations of sexual misconduct and excessive drinking at previous jobs.
But multiple Trump allies have argued the president-elect should have wide latitude from Senate Republicans after his convincing election win last month, and they have aired frustrations about the pushback Hegseth in particular is getting.
Donald Trump Jr. and others took to social media to highlight how many Republican senators backed President Biden’s picks for Defense secretary (Lloyd Austin) and attorney general (Merrick Garland), suggesting those same lawmakers should fall in line to support Hegseth.
“What a disgrace. If you’re a GOP Senator who voted for Lloyd Austin, but criticize @PeteHegseth, then maybe you’re in the wrong political party!” Trump Jr. posted on X.
The tensions underscore how some of Trump’s picks for his Cabinet were unorthodox or did not weigh confirmability, testing just how much he can bend Senate Republicans to his will.
“He wants people who he thinks are gonna get the job done, whether it’s being a disruptor, a reformer or getting the most out of that agency or department. Next, he’s looking for people who understand the America first principles and demonstrated loyalty over the past 10 years. So that overrode anything else,” one Trump ally told The Hill of the president-elect’s nominees.
“At the same time, you’re seeing a situation where there’s a lot of Republican senators that need to grow a pair,” the ally added. “They need to understand there’s a very narrow window to get things done. The American people have given him a mandate to say no more status quo.”
Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), a staunch Trump ally, penned an op-ed in Newsweek on Thursday decrying how Senate Republicans were “scuttling” some of Trump’s nominees.
“Why do Republicans insist on snatching defeat from the jaws of victory?” Biggs wrote. “We won the election. We have a mandate. We have slim majorities in Congress, but the American people sent Washington, D.C. a signal to end business as usual.”
Republicans, after spending four years in the minority, won back the majority in the Senate in November by securing 53 seats. That was despite GOP candidates losing in Arizona, Michigan, Nevada and Wisconsin, all states Trump carried over Vice President Harris.
As a result, Trump’s nominees can only afford up to three GOP defections assuming all Democrats vote against them. That has led to some early issues for a few of his picks.
Gaetz, the former congressman who was Trump’s first pick to lead the Justice Department, struggled to win over senators from the outset amid concerns about a looming House Ethics report about his behavior and broader questions about sexual misconduct.
Trump expended little political capital to try and push Gaetz across the finish line, and the former congressman withdrew from consideration roughly a week after he was first announced.
The resistance from senators to Hegseth has drawn more pushback from Trump’s allies, however. The former Fox News host and Army veteran has seen his nomination pushed to the brink in the face of mounting allegations of sexual misconduct, excessive drinking and other controversial behavior in his previous jobs.
Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), among other GOP senators, have signaled they are not ready to back Hegseth’s nomination.
“The President deserves a presumption that the people he nominates should be the ones who serve in those positions. This is about Trump’s agenda. It’s putting America First,” Elbridge Colby, who served in the Pentagon during Trump’s first term, said Friday on CNBC.
Trump posted on Truth Social on Friday that Hegseth was doing “very well” and had strong support. But Trump has so far not worked the phones or publicly pressured senators to back Hegseth, and he has spoken to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) about leading the Pentagon in the event Hegseth withdraws.
The Hegseth nomination is unlikely to be the last one to face intense scrutiny from Republicans, however, potentially setting up further clashes between Trump’s supporters and GOP senators.
Tulsi Gabbard, who is Trump’s choice to serve as director of national intelligence, has already been met with skepticism from some lawmakers who worry about her past comments parroting Russian propaganda and her 2017 meeting with Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump’s pick to run the Department of Health and Human Services, is likely to be grilled over his anti-vaccine rhetoric and other controversial views on raw milk and fluoride.
Kash Patel, a Trump loyalist tapped to serve as FBI director, is expected to face a tough confirmation battle, and senators have already said they have questions about Trump’s choice of former Rep. Billy Long (R-Mo.) to serve as IRS commissioner.
Trump’s critics have pushed back on the idea that the incoming administration has a sweeping mandate from the public. While Trump won the seven battleground states in November, he did not crack 50 percent support nationally, and his popular vote margin was under 2 percentage points.
“To the extent that there was any mandate that has emerged from this most recent election, it is that the American people want us to work hard to lower the high cost of living and to bring down grocery prices, gas prices, the cost of childcare, and housing costs,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) told reporters Friday.
