Hours after Pete Hegseth cleared a major procedural hurdle in the Senate, President Trump suggested his embattled nominee may not ultimately be confirmed.

Senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski were the only two Republicans who voted against Donald Trump’s choice to head the Department of Defense, Pete Hegseth, in a procedural vote Thursday, citing concerns with his ability to lead the U.S. military.

Hegseth has tended to blame “left-wing media” for turning him into a victim of a “smear campaign” orchestrated by “anonymous sources.”

The Senate confirmed Pete Hegseth late Friday, swatting back questions about his qualifications to lead the Pentagon.

The Senate on Friday night confirmed President Donald Trump’s nomination of Pete Hegseth, a former Fox News personality, to become the country’s next defense secretary.

Several of Donald Trump’s picks for his Cabinet and key roles in his administration are facing confirmation hearings in the Senate today as the president continues to implement executive actions to transform the government.

The Senate voted 51-50 on Friday night to confirm Hegseth, with Vice President JD Vance casting the tie-breaking vote.

The Department of Education has put employees who led DEI initiatives on paid administrative leave following recent directives across the government to stamp it out of the federal workforce.

In a wide-ranging interview on Sunday, Vice President JD Vance defended a variety of plans set in motion by President Trump during the first week of his term, including the beginnings of a promised crackdown on migrants living in the United States and an effort to supercharge oil and gas production.

President Trump this week revoked a security detail for retired Gen. Mark Milley and announced an investigation into the former Joint Chiefs chair’s conduct, enacting promised retribution while also sending a chilling message to military brass.

Senator Tim Kaine, Democrat of Virginia, quickly condemned the Trump administration’s offer to roughly 2 million federal employees to resign in exchange for pay, saying in a Senate floor speech that the deal was a trick, that the president didn’t have the authority to make the offer and employees who resign may not be paid.