U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville on Monday met with two of President-elect Donald Trump’s top picks for his second administration – Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-New York, Trump’s nominee for Ambassador to the United Nations, and Pete Hegseth, Trump’s nominee to be Secretary of Defense.
Tuberville’s office released photos of the two meetings along with comments praising the picks.
“Enjoyed meeting with Rep. Elise Stefanik this afternoon to discuss how we can get back to peace through strength,” Tuberville said in a statement. “She will do a great job advocating for Americans and their tax dollars at the U.N.”
Stefanik was among the very first announced nominations after Trump won a decisive victory in November’s election. The 40-year old Republican was recently elected to her sixth term in the U.S. House of Representatives, where she rose in the ranks to become the Chair of the House Republican Conference. She gained widespread praise on the right from her December 2023 grilling of Ivy League college presidents over antisemitic activities on their campuses, a made-for-TV event that led to multiple resignations.
About Hegseth, Tuberville said he “will be a great Secretary of Defense,” according to the release.
“He is a decorated veteran and a true patriot. As I told him, we don’t need a General Officer, Admiral, or a ‘person of high command.’ We need a drill sergeant in the military. We need somebody to straighten the military out – to get the woke, DEI affiliation out. I know he is the right choice to bring change and renewed focus to the Pentagon.”
Hegseth, 44, is most well known for his appearances on Fox News starting back in 2014 that led to him co-hosting the Fox and Friends show. He’s a military veteran, having served in both Iraq and Afghanistan during his time with the Minnesota Army National Guard on active duty. After his military service, Hegseth became executive director at Concerned Veterans for America, where he advocated for various military and veteran causes from a conservative perspective.
Trump is set to take office Jan. 20, 2025, but the Senate could start the confirmation process sooner than that as the new Congress begins on Jan. 3. Both Ambassador to the UN and Secretary of Defense are appointments that require Senate confirmation.