Pete Hegseth’s Mother Makes Calls to Senators in Bid to Save His Defense Secretary Nomination Amid Controversy

Pete Hegseth, the embattled nominee for defense secretary, has enlisted an unexpected ally in his bid to win over skeptical Republican senators—his own mother. As reported by The Hill’s Mychael Schnell, Hegseth shared with members of the Republican Study Committee on Wednesday that “his mom has been making calls to senators on his behalf.”

This move comes amidst ongoing scrutiny of Hegseth’s past, including a 2018 email from his mother, Penelope Hegseth, which made headlines last week. In the email, Penelope accused her son of abusing women and being a man who “belittles, lies, cheats, sleeps around and uses women for his own power and ego.”

She wrote, “I have no respect for any man that belittles, lies, cheats, sleeps around and uses women for his own power and ego. You are that man (and have been for years) and as your mother, it pains me and embarrasses me to say that, but it is the sad, sad truth.”

However, Penelope has since recanted these views, offering interviews to clarify that her son is no longer the man she once condemned. Despite this, the revelation that Hegseth’s mother is actively working to save his nomination has sparked widespread ridicule among political observers. Former Republican operative Tim Miller joked, “The Real Man Administration is here y’all,” while one-time Republican pollster Sarah Longwell quipped, “Real men need their moms to call Senators for them.”

Jonathan Chait of The Atlantic suggested Hegseth should “show up to a Senate meeting with a note from his mom safety-pinned to his jacket sleeve,” while Sam Stein from The Bulwark rhetorically asked, “Is this alpha?” Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) sarcastically added, “Alpha male,” and MSNBC contributor Brian Tyler Cohen cracked, “Nothing says ‘lead the Pentagon’ like mommy making phone calls for her very good boy.”

The news was also met with playful mockery on social media, with one user posting a video from The Simpsons featuring Milhouse saying, “But my mom says I’m cool.” As Hegseth faces mounting challenges to his nomination, his mother’s intervention appears to have added a new and, perhaps unintentionally, humorous chapter to his controversial path forward.