Long speculated as a potential GOP holdout, Sen. John Curtis said Wednesday that he supports Donald Trump's embattled defense secretary nominee, Pete Hegseth.

Conservatives erupted Tuesday on social media following an exchange between Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth and freshman Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont., regarding gender identity.

Pete Hegseth, military analyst at Twenty-First Century Fox Inc. and US secretary of defense nominee for US President-elect Donald Trump, during a Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing in Washington, DC, US, on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg via Getty Images (Kent Nishimura)

Trump's got the bullhorn now to say, ‘MAGA nation is watching,’” said outgoing Dallas County Republican Party Chair Kelley Koch.

Sen. Joni Ernst’s support is a huge boost to Hegseth’s prospects, all but assuring his confirmation as defense secretary barring twists in the GOP-led Senate.

Stonewalling questions about his sexual behavior and excessive drinking as “anonymous smears,” the Fox host charmed the Senate Armed Services Committee’s GOP majority into submission.

Defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth will publicly face senators for the first time Tuesday after weeks of privately pushing back on criticism over his qualifications and personal past. Sen. Eric Schmitt,

Critics of Trump's defense secretary nominee say the symbol has been adopted by extremist groups, including white supremacists.

Initial Republican holdout supporting Pete Hegseth as secretary of Defense, Sen. Joni Ernst, questioned the nominee about her top three issues during his hearing Tuesday morning.

Pete Hegseth could hardly be more suited to be Donald Trump’s secretary of Defense — even though he’d surely be deemed unqualified by any conventional president.

Donald Trump’s choices for the federal government roles range from conspiracy theorists to ones who are clearly unqualified. However, his most has to be Pete Hegseth. The former Fox News host is Trump’s nominee for secretary of defense.