Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth was quick to point out his own imperfections in his confirmation hearing before the Senate Committee on Armed Services today—a move that drew plaudits from Trumpworld and bewildered liberals.
Committee members peppered President-elect Donald Trump’s controversial Cabinet pick with questions about his history of marital infidelity, reported instances of on-the-job drinking, and the allegation of sexual assault filed against him in 2017.
Calling these reports a “coordinated smear campaign,” Hegseth alluded to his troublesome personal life within his first few minutes on the hot seat.
“I’m not a perfect person,” he said, in a refrain that quickly gained traction online. “But redemption is real, and God forged me in ways that I know I’m prepared for.”
Right-wingers online were starstruck by Hegseth’s supposed humility.
“I’m in tears watching Pete Hegseth get Emotional describing how he was saved by the grace of God,” one pro-MAGA account wrote on X. “GOD BLESS PETE HEGSETH.”
“This is what we need! Flaws and all,” another user responded. “We are all flawed!”
Conservative media figures like Fox News reporter Chad Pergram and Daily Wire reporter Mary Margaret Olohan also latched onto Hegseth’s answer, sharing it in posts on X.
But liberal observers weren’t so quick to forgive Hegseth or believe his denials and dodges.
“‘Not a perfect person’ applies to things like being late for an appointment not assaulting a woman,” one Democratic influencer wrote on X.
“Disqualifying,” she added in a post that has racked up 23,000 likes and counting.
“we may have overcorrected the whole anti-woke thing,” another user wrote, referencing Hegseth’s answer about the sexual assault allegations.
The nominee again admitted he was “not a perfect person” when Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) pointed out Hegseth’s complex web of marital infidelity, drawing raised eyebrows from some viewers.
“You have admitted that you had sex while you were married to wife two after you just had fathered a child by wife three,” Kaine laid out.
“That’s not imperfection; that’s a whole damn circus,” one user wrote on X.
“Masterful examination of Pete Hegseth by Senator Tim Kaine,” an ex-Republican wrote in a separate post. “He hit every single point and didn’t let him off the hook.”
“YIKES,” added another.
Given his personal life, self-professed opposition to women in the military, accusations of alcohol abuse, and unusual qualifications to lead the Department of Defense, Hegseth’s nomination battle is expected to be one of the most contentious of all of President-elect Donald Trump’s cabinet picks.
Hegseth, for his part, chalked that all up to the left-wing media. In addition, that is, to his not being “perfect.”
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