Thom Tillis is urging President Donald Trump to replace Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth because of what he described as “inept management.” The North Carolina lawmaker’s call to oust Hegseth comes after Dan Driscoll resigned from his role as Army Secretary on Monday, amid tension that had been reportedly broiling between Driscoll and Hegseth for months. In a social media post on Wednesday, Tillis thanked Driscoll “for his leadership to our Army and service to our country,” before going on to slam Hegseth. Randy George, who was serving as the Army Chief of Staff until Hegseth requested that he retire, effective immediately, in the spring.
Tillis voted to confirm Hegseth as Defense Secretary last year, though he initially had reservations about him. Amid mounting controversy surrounding Hegseth’s nomination, three other Republicans broke from party ranks and voted against it, forcing Vice President J.D. Vance to be the tiebreaking vote.
It was the smallest margin for the confirmation of a nominee to lead the Defense Department since the Secretary role was first formed in 1947, Senate records indicate. Despite Tillis’ crucial vote in the confirmation, he has since publicly criticized the Defense Secretary. The Republican Senator told POLITICO in May that he thought that “Hegseth misinformed [the President] on the challenges” related to a war in Iran, adding that “I’m glad the president did what he did in Iran.
I’m not glad that he has Hegseth advising him on the details.” He went on to tell the news outlet: “I’d love to see Pete Hegseth fired because he’s incompetent and doing a horrible job. That’s kind of on a Christmas wish list.” And he renewed those calls on Wednesday. He accused Hegseth of being “intimidated by competence and retreats to ginning up culture wars instead of soberly attending to the vital work of our national defense and the health and well-being of our fighting force.” “I urge the President to find a new leader at the Pentagon who will retain and empower our military talent rather than diminish it,” Tillis continued.
Tillis and Trump have clashed in the past, most notably when the North Carolina Senator joined two other Republicans in the upper chamber in voting against the President’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” last year. In the aftermath, the President lashed out at Tillis, threatening to back candidates who could challenge Tillis in a Republican primary race. Soon after, Tillis announced that he would not seek reelection in the 2026 midterms, citing what he described as a shift away from bipartisanship in Washington in recent years.
He added that a choice “between spending another six years navigating the political theatre and partisan gridlock in Washington or spending that time with” his family is “not a hard choice.” Trump has remained firm in his support for Hegseth. Amid speculation that Hegseth is considering launching a 2028 presidential bid, a reporter asked the President if he would back the Defense Secretary in such an event. Hegseth has denied that he is considering running for President in 2028.
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