Tillis calls Hegseth vote his ‘biggest regret’

Tillis Says Hegseth Confirmation Is His Biggest Career Regret

Provpnadvice.com – Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina says his vote to confirm Pete Hegseth as defense secretary stands as the decision he most regrets from his time in public office. The Republican senator makes that assessment in his forthcoming memoir, How to Lose Friends and Antagonize Presidents, which is scheduled for release Tuesday.

Tillis had supported Hegseth’s nomination in January 2025 after a tense confirmation process that put scrutiny on allegations involving Hegseth’s treatment of women, his management approach and claims of excessive drinking. The senator now writes that he was doubtful about the nominee but ultimately did not want to become an isolated Republican opponent of the Trump administration’s early Cabinet demands.

“I know for a fact that there are others like me, Republicans who agreed to go along with the early demands of the Trump team no matter how ridiculous they were, believing that failing to do so would mean the end of their political career, and who now see that things have gone way too far,” Tillis wrote.

A Late-Night Decision

The Senate confirmed Hegseth late on Jan. 24, 2025. Tillis spent the final hours before the vote in discussions with White House officials, people familiar with Hegseth’s work and Hegseth himself. He was unable to verify what he considered the most serious accusations, then voted with fellow Republicans to approve the former Fox News host for the Pentagon’s top job.

At the time, Tillis publicly defended his decision by saying he had pressed Hegseth with difficult questions and completed the necessary review of the nomination. He emphasized Hegseth’s military background, including service in Iraq and Afghanistan, and highlighted the nominee’s interest in changing and strengthening the armed forces.

“Pete has a unique perspective as a veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and is unquestionably passionate about modernizing our military and supporting the brave patriots like himself who serve our nation,” Tillis said in a January 2025 statement. “I will support his confirmation and look forward to working with him to rebuild our military and advance President Trump’s peace through strength agenda.”

His new comments illustrate how sharply his view has changed. Cabinet confirmations often require senators to weigh incomplete information, party pressure and a president’s authority to select senior officials. Tillis’s account suggests he believes those political calculations carried too much weight in his own vote.

From Support to Calls for Removal

Tillis has increasingly separated himself from some of President Trump’s policies and personnel choices. Although he indicated earlier that he might not make the same choice again, he said in July 2025 that he did not regret supporting Hegseth’s confirmation. His position became far more direct last month, when he said he supported an impeachment resolution involving the defense secretary.

“He needs to go, whether it’s impeachment or the most expedient route — just the president to replace him — would be great,” Tillis told reporters.

That statement placed Tillis among the Republicans openly arguing that Hegseth should no longer remain in the role. The distinction matters because a Cabinet secretary may leave through resignation, presidential dismissal or congressional action, though impeachment is a much more difficult and uncommon path.

Tillis is not seeking another Senate term and is expected to leave Congress when his current term concludes. That approaching departure has given added attention to his willingness to criticize administration decisions and fellow Republicans. In his memoir, he describes a broader concern that political self-preservation caused lawmakers to accept choices they privately questioned.

Kennedy Vote Also Draws Regret

Hegseth is not the only Cabinet official whose confirmation Tillis revisits in the book. He also expresses regret about his vote for Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., presenting that decision as another example of the consequences he associates with party loyalty and political pressure.

“I guess it’s easy to say now, but I’m the one who has to live with that vote and all the havoc Kennedy’s tenure has caused the country as a result,” Tillis wrote.

The memoir’s criticisms extend beyond individual nominees. Tillis predicts difficult midterm elections for Republicans attempting to maintain or enlarge their congressional majorities after November. He forecasts what he calls a “bloodbath” for the party, while arguing that responsibility should not be placed entirely on Trump himself.

Tillis wrote that he does not have “beef” with the president, “but the idiots he’s got working for him.”

For voters, Tillis’s reflections offer an unusually candid look at the pressures surrounding high-profile Senate confirmations. His account centers on a question with consequences well beyond one nomination: whether senators should resist a president from their own party when concerns remain unresolved, even when doing so may threaten their political standing.