Mitch McConnell Faces Backlash After Opposing Pete Hegseth’s Confirmation

Mitch McConnell Faces Backlash After Opposing Pete Hegseth’s Confirmation

Pete Hegseth has officially been confirmed as the new Secretary of State, but the process wasn’t without controversy, with a few Republicans stirring up drama along the way.

At the forefront was Mitch McConnell, the former Senate Republican leader from Kentucky. McConnell initially voted ‘yes’ to advance Hegseth’s nomination out of committee and onto the Senate floor but later voted ‘no’ during the final confirmation.

Republicans on X were quick to criticize the 82-year-old senator, with many calling him out publicly. Some even circulated images of McConnell walking toward the Democratic side of the aisle immediately after casting his vote.

“WTF? Mitch McConnell immediately walked over and CELEBRATED with the Democrats after voting against Hegseth. This man HAS TO GO in 2026. The people of Kentucky voted for Trump’s mandate—not this anti-Trump BS,” said conservative commentator Nick Sortor, accompanying a video clip of the incident.

“After voting against Pete Hegseth, Mitch McConnell went to the left side of the aisle to hang out with Democrats,” Tim Young captioned a photo of the moment.

“Mitch McConnell just voted NO on President Trump’s secretary of defense nominee. This led to VP Vance having to rush down to cast a tie-breaking vote, only the 2nd such vote in U.S. history. As Republican Senators gather around to congratulate Vance, notice McConnell walk over and SHAKE HANDS with the Democrats. If you thought RFK Jr and Tulsi was going to be easy—think again. The GOP Establishment isn’t going down without a fight. Get ready,” warned another X user, forecasting challenges for President Donald Trump’s more contentious nominees.

Another critic stated, “Mitch McConnell is the Chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee. Majority Leader John Thune should remove him from that committee.”

Brigitte Gabriel, founder of ACT for America, didn’t hold back either: “Mitch McConnell should be censured, primaried, voted out of office, and ostracized from the Republican Party. There is no place for deep state RINOs in President Trump’s GOP.”

Conservative commentator Zeek Arkham added his fiery take: “Dear Kentucky, Mitch McConnell has proven to you that he’s out for himself. He couldn’t care less about you, he couldn’t care less about the direction of the country, and he couldn’t care less about draining the swamp. He’s a key part of the swamp. When his old, geriatric, wrinkled, turkey-necked, b*sack-looking a is up for re-election, you know what to do. Make the rest of us proud. We love you.”

McConnell wasn’t the only Republican under fire. Senators Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska also faced criticism for their ‘no’ votes, which resulted in a 50-50 tie and required Vice President JD Vance to cast his first tie-breaking vote.

“This is Susan Collins. Susan doesn’t represent the American people. Susan doesn’t realize that she works for us. She plans to seek reelection in 2026. She needs to be primaried,” one X user posted alongside a meme referring to Collins as an “undocumented Democrat.”

Young also chimed in, “Susan Collins voted against Pete Hegseth. Let’s all work together to primary her and get her out of office!”

Outkick.com founder Clay Travis added his perspective: “I totally understand why Susan Collins, who represents a blue state, Maine, might not be able to support every Trump agenda item in the Senate. But Lisa Murkowski needs to go in Alaska. Trump won Alaska by 13 points. Murkowski should support him on everything. Period.”

Meanwhile, President Trump expressed his confidence in Hegseth following the contentious confirmation. Speaking to reporters in California, Trump stated, “I’m honored to have Pete. I think Pete’s gonna be a great Secretary of Defense, and we’re honored to have him.”

When asked about McConnell’s ‘no’ vote, Trump claimed he hadn’t been aware of it until that moment. “Winning is what matters, right?” he remarked, as he prepared to board Air Force One after a whirlwind day of visiting storm-ravaged North Carolina and surveying wildfire damage in Los Angeles.

Subscribe to Lib Fails

Don’t miss out on the latest issues. Sign up now to get access to the library of members-only issues.
jamie@example.com
Subscribe