Scott, Cruz Remain Supportive of Trump's Hegseth Selection

Senators Rick Scott (R-FL) and Ted Cruz (R-TX) have recently doubled down on their support for President-elect Donald Trump’s (R) selection for the Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth. Sen. Scott appeared on Newsmax to discuss the status of Hegseth’s appointment, as some senators have shared their hesitancy to vote for his confirmation.

“He’s going to get confirmed. Let's look at his background. As people get to know Him, they want to support him. Here's a guy that's a combat veteran. He's led the troops into battle. He knows what it’s like to lead troops into battle. He knows what it's like to know somebody that lost their life, knowing somebody that's been injured. He's been an unbelievable supporter of our veterans since he got out of the service,” said Sen. Scott. “He loves, like the President said, he loves our military.”

The Florida senator continued, sharing the belief that Mr. Hegseth will prepare the U.S. military to gain the fear of foreign enemies and the respect of foreign allies.

“He's going to make sure we have a lethal military that our enemies are scared to death of and our allies respect. He's going to get rid of the woke policies because he knows when he goes to battle, he wants to have the best men and women around him,” said Scott. “And he knows the importance of not just sending men and women into battle willy-nilly, and don't send them into harm's way willy-nilly because guess what, bad things could happen. So, I think he's, he's a great nominee, I'm glad President Trump chose him and he's going to be confirmed.”

Furthermore, Sen. Cruz shared in a social media post that Mr. Hegseth is a “strong pick” for the Trump administration.

“Great meeting with Pete Hegseth. Pete is a strong pick to help President Trump carry out his vision for our Armed Forces,” said Sen. Cruz. “He has a clear vision for refocusing the Department of Defense on its core mission: to support our warfighters and to win our nation’s wars when necessary. I stand with Pete as he navigates the confirmation process to become our next Secretary of Defense.”

With the recent declaration of support from Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) who was initially on the fence about Hegseth, the prospect of his nomination could be gaining steam.