Hegseth has criticized some of the Senate Republicans he needs to win over during his day as a Fox News network. Since Donald Trump’s first victory in 2016, he has received a lot of criticism, most importantly from Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), according to records that Semafor reviewed.  ,
” ]McConnell ] seems unwilling to want to get to the bottom of the fact that a Democratic administration spied on a sitting president”, Hegseth said on Mark Levin’s show in 2022, referring to allegations of government surveillance of Trump’s presidency.  ,
” Until there is new authority of that Senate event, it is not going to change. The priorities are n’t going to change”, he said.
Hegseth does n’t need to win over every senator to be elected president, but Trump has already seen one of his nominees buckle under the pressure of a confirmation debate. Republicans now hold 53 seats in the Senate. There is no guarantee that McConnell and other legislators will not back Trump in the election, even though at least four of them said they would never support the appointment of former attorney general Matt Gaetz.
Hegseth has been critical of other senators who have n’t always gone along with Trump’s plans. McConnell took swings at Sens. He called the Senate GOP’s failing to reform the Affordable Care Act “foolish” in addition to taking swings at them. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Susan Collins (R-ME), both of whom voted against the overturn.
In July 2017, he said both women” call themselves Republicans and vote more often with the Democrats” . ,
He also compared the couple to Democrats, who are far more interested in raising the national debt, playing inside-the-Beltway games, and putting the country first, he said.
More recently in August, he said,” Murkowski, Susan Collins, do n’t understand what average people feel and that they want things to actually happen”.
Although Murkowski and Collins recently opposed Gaetz, both said they could not ignore Hegseth’s criticism of them in his assurance.  ,
” If I look and see a pattern that causes me to think the person would not be a good leader and does n’t have character or the impartiality, if it’s a judge, for example, that would concern me”, Collins told Semafor. ” But I’m used to criticism by people, by the computer. That would not be disqualifying”.
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” I occasionally hear from Alaskans who say they do n’t believe I voted Republican enough or that I do not. I do n’t view my vote in that]context ]”, Murkowski told the outlet, adding that she looks to “reflect Alaska’s best interests”.
” I’m operating in a world in Washington that’s so fixated on my party”, the Alaska senator said. ” That’s not my anchor and has n’t been for a long, long time”.