Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth found himself in the crosshairs of establishment Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell on Tuesday during a heated exchange over President Donald J. Trump’s foreign policy shift on Ukraine.

The clash took place during a high-profile Senate Appropriations Committee hearing, where McConnell — long a champion of hawkish, interventionist policy — challenged the Trump administration’s more America First approach to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

At the center of the tension: the administration’s recent decision to halt further U.S.-led sanctions against Russia and shift away from endless foreign entanglements.

President Trump has made it clear — again — that the United States will not be the world’s police force. And while that has rattled NATO bureaucrats and Beltway elites, a strong majority of Americans are backing the president's new direction, according to CNN’s own polling.

McConnell Presses — Hegseth Holds the Line

During the session, McConnell tried to pin down Hegseth on the administration’s position. The questions came rapid-fire:

MCCONNELL: “Who’s the aggressor and who’s the victim in the conflict?”

HEGSETH: “Russia’s the aggressor.”

MCCONNELL: “Which side do you want to win?”

HEGSETH: “This president is committed to peace in that conflict. Ultimately, peace serves our national interests, and we think the interests of both parties, even if that outcome will not be preferable to many in this room and many in our country.”

MCCONNELL: “Which side is President Xi pulling for?”

HEGSETH: “...There’s no doubt that China would prefer that Vladimir Putin have a good outcome, but it would also prefer a prolonged conflict that would keep us and other countries tied down.”

Hegseth’s answers reflect the Trump Doctrine: Put American security, American prosperity, and American stability first — and avoid being drawn into costly, endless conflicts that benefit no one except globalists and defense contractors.

While D.C. insiders wring their hands over Trump's transactional diplomacy and refusal to rubber-stamp new sanctions, voters appear to be firmly in his corner.

CNN's own data analyst Harry Enten admitted Monday that Americans favor Trump’s handling of the Russia-Ukraine situation far more than the failed policies of former President Joe Biden.

“You look at Joe Biden back in 2024, he was 22 points underwater. Holy cow,” Enten said. “You look at Donald Trump. It‘s just a different planet entirely… He‘s at plus-two.”

Enten concluded, “At this particular point, Americans are saying, ‘Okay, Donald Trump is doing all right on this.’”

That’s not just a data point — that’s a mandate.

The shift in strategy — and the backlash from the Washington foreign policy class — underscores the divide between America First realists and neoconservative holdovers like McConnell.

Trump has made clear that America’s days of throwing billions into endless wars with no clear exit strategy are over. His administration is pursuing a peace-centered strategy, one grounded in strength, clarity, and national self-interest — not globalist virtue signaling.

And once again, the American people are on his side.