Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for Defense secretary, appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee for his confirmation hearing on Tuesday, and responded for several hours to tough questions from lawmakers on his fitness for the position.

In his opening remarks, Hegseth said he wants to “restore the Warrior Ethos to the Pentagon,” rebuild the U.S. military and create deterrence against foreign adversaries, adding that “reputational deterrence” no longer works. He also reaffirmed his commitment to Trump’s “America First” agenda.

“Unlike the current administration, politics should play no part in military matters. We are not Republicans or Democrats — we are American warriors,” he said.

Hegseth acknowledged his experience doesn’t match that of defense secretaries of the past few decades, but he argued that “the right credentials” didn’t help the agency, and he could be the needed agent of change.

Senators, especially Democratic members, grilled Hegseth over his record, his tattoo, his views on women in the military as well as the allegations of sexual assault against him.

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Hegseth’s tattoo

Hegseth has a chest tattoo of a Latin phrase that says, “Deus Vult,” or “God wills it.” According to The Washington Post, the tattoo dates back to a Christian battle cry during the First Crusade in the Middle Ages. In 2021, Hegseth was barred from attending Joe Biden’s inauguration after he was flagged for his tattoo.

During a back-and-forth with Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., Hegseth defended the tattoo as a Christian symbol. “I was identified as an extremist by my own unit for a Christian tattoo,” he said. He has other religious tattoos, including a large Jerusalem cross.

As the Deseret News previously reported, he has a cross with a sword inside, which is a reference to Matthew 10:34: “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.”

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Women in the military

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., began her line of questioning by expressing concerns about Hegseth’s qualifications and for not meeting with her nor answering the approximately 100 questions she sent him in a letter. Warren directly quoted Hegseth from his many media appearances and his book. In one appearance on Fox News in 2013, Hegseth said women don’t measure up to men in the military, and that women shouldn’t be allowed to serve in combat roles because it forces the military to lower the bar.

Warren noted that in the past, Hegseth failed to bring up qualifications while talking about women in the military. She accused him of flip flopping on his views after being nominated for Trump’s cabinet.

“And then on Nov. 9th, 2024, just 32 days after your last public comment saying that women absolutely should not be in combat, you declared that, quote, ‘some of our greatest warriors are women’ and you support having them serve in combat. Now that is a very, very big about-face in a very, very short period of time,” Warren said.

Hegseth maintained that his main concern is the lowering of standards.

Sexual assault allegations

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., questioned Hegseth’s character, including his extramarital affair that resulted in a child. In another situation, a woman claimed Hegseth sexually assaulted her, although no criminal charges were filed. Hegseth dismissed the claims, saying they come from “anonymous” sources and are false claims.

“Don’t make this into some anonymous press thing,” Kaine responded. “We have seen records with names attached to all of these, including the name of your own mother.”

Penelope Hegseth, the nominee’s mother, sent her son a personal email when he was in the midst of a divorce, which she told Fox News she then apologized to him for. The email was obtained and published by The New York Times.

Kaine argued that the slew of allegations against Hegseth should disqualify him from the position.

Alcohol abuse allegations

Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, noted that Hegseth promised to stop drinking before asking him whether he would resign if found drinking on the job, “which is a 24/7 position.”

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Hegseth said, “I’ve made this commitment on behalf of the men and women I am serving­.” He repeated his statement two other times.

His views on Israel

While delivering his opening remarks, Hegseth faced an interruption from a protester who called him a “Christian Zionist.” Later, Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., gave Hegseth a chance to respond to the protester.

“I support Israel destroying and killing every last member of Hamas,” Hegseth said.

Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated Pete Hegseth was barred from President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration. He was barred from President Joe Biden’s inauguration.

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