Pete Hegseth is surrounded by his wife Jennifer Rauchet and his seven children as he is sworn in as secretary of defense by Vice President JD Vance at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 25, 2025. (Roberto Schmidt/AFP)
PETE HEGSETH CONFIRMED TO LEAD PENTAGON AFTER VP VANCE CASTS TIE-BREAKING VOTE
"And as I said in my hearing, it was Jesus and Jenny. I would not be here without you, sweetheart. Thank you so much."
"I want to thank the President of the United States, our commander-in-chief, Donald Trump. We could not have a better commander-in-chief than him. It is the honor of a lifetime, sir, to serve under you. We look forward to having the backs of our troops and having your back in executing peace through strength, in putting America first and in rebuilding our military."
Hegseth, a former Fox News host, also thanked Vice President JD Vance, who oversaw the swearing-in ceremony and whose deciding vote on Friday got his nomination over the line.
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 tie-breaking vote, securing his confirmation.
"It's not the first time the headline reads, ‘Junior enlisted marine bails out junior Army officer,'" Hegseth joked to laughter from attendees.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth testifies during his Senate Armed Services confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill on Jan. 14 in Washington, D.C. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
"We want to end them responsibly but if we need to fight them, we're going to bring overwhelming and decisive force to close with and destroy the enemy and bring our boys home. And to my other family that's here as well, who I love, it's the honor of a lifetime."
Shortly after he was sworn in, Hegseth released a statement via the defense department website addressing members of the Pentagon. The statement addressed his three principles.
"All of this will be done with a focus on lethality, meritocracy, accountability, standards and readiness," the statement reads.
"I have committed my life to warfighters and their families. Just as my fellow soldiers had my back on the battlefield, know that I will always have your back. We serve together at a dangerous time. Our enemies will neither rest nor relent. And neither will we. We will stand shoulder to shoulder to meet the urgency of this moment."
"Like each of you, I love my country and swore an oath to defend the Constitution. We will do that each and every day, as one team. Together, we will accomplish the President’s mission to deter war and, if necessary, defeat and destroy our enemies. Godspeed!"
Fox News’ Landon Mion contributed to this report.
Michael Dorgan is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business.
You can send tips to michael.dorgan@fox.com and follow him on Twitter @M_Dorgan.
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