'When can he start?': Trump allies bullish on Cabinet nominees getting confirmed

As the confirmation process for Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominees kicked off with a blistering takedown of his defense secretary pick by Senate Democrats and strong support from Republicans, those around the president-elect are projecting confidence that his picks will be approved.

“Everyone seems to be optimistic,” a source close to Trump said in relaying how the president-elect and his team are feeling about getting his nominees confirmed as Inauguration Day approaches in less than a week.

Republicans left Tuesday’s hearing for Trump Defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth, among his more controversial picks, saying he improved his position.

“I think he helped himself immensely.” said Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., the chairman of the Armed Services Committee who presided over the hearing.

A combat veteran, Hegseth doesn’t have the traditional qualifications to lead the Pentagon after leaving the National Guard as a midlevel officer, and his personal life has been in the spotlight. He was accused of sexual assault, which he denies, alcohol problems and mismanagement of veteran’s groups he led.

The blowback put Hegseth’s nomination on shaky ground, with some Republican senators appearing to waver, Trump allies expressing doubts and Trump flirting with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as a backup if Hegseth failed to get confirmed.

Democrats hammered Hegseth during Tuesday’s hearing.

Moving from his lack of high-level management experience to the finances of the nonprofits he managed and his sexual history, Democratic senators picked apart Hegseth’s record and accused him of being well below the typical standards of a Pentagon leader.

“You’re not qualified Mr. Hegseth. You’re not qualified,” said Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill.

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., had one of the most intense exchanges with Hegseth during the hearing, laying out multiple allegations of his personal misconduct.  He suggested that Hegseth's oft-repeated claim that the allegations against him are anonymous are ridiculous.

“His own mother wrote a letter! I've never seen anything like it," he said. "She was on TV recently and said she wrote that letter out of love. That's what mothers do. They look their kids in the eye when their kids are doing something wrong and they give them a tough love message and that's exactly what she did."

Hegseth's mother wrote an email to him in 2018 criticizing his treatment of women but now says she regrets sending it and has defended him.

While acknowledging he’s “not a perfect person,” Hegseth pushed back repeatedly Tuesday against the allegations.

“There was a coordinated smear campaign orchestrated in the media against us,” Hegseth said.

Trump and his allies have rallied around Hegseth and other controversial nominees in recent weeks and Republicans leapt to his defense at the hearing.

Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla, called Senate Democrats hypocrites in highlighting accusations against Hegseth of drinking on the job and womanizing.

“It is so ridiculous that you guys hold yourself as this higher standard and you forget you got a big plank in your eye,” he said.

Former Trump White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said after the hearing that Democrats’ questioning “backfired.”

The reception Hegseth received from Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, was notable. Ernst is a military veteran and sexual assault survivor. She is viewed as a key vote. Hegseth has been critical of women serving in the military, but recently walked that back.

Ernst received commitments from Hegseth on Tuesday to support women serving in combat and to appoint a senior official “dedicated to sexual assault prevention and response," and on Tuesday night she told local radio host Simon Conway that she would support the nomination.

Ernst earlier had made statements viewed as hostile to Hegseth, but has changed her tone amid intense pressure from the right.

MAGA activists are pushing GOP senators to fall in line and vote for all Trump’s nominees, including other controversial choices such as Kash Patel to lead the FBI, Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for health and human services secretary.

“When President Trump nominated Pete Hegseth, the DC crowd said his nomination was ‘dead on arrival,’” Mike Davis, founder of The Article III Project, told USA TODAY.

Davis said his group led a “shock-and-awe media blitz” and enlisted 10,000 people to make 30,000 contacts with senators.

“We gave the Senate an attitude adjustment,” Davis continued. “In about 3 days, Pete Hegseth went from ‘dead on arrival’ to ‘when can he start?’”

Davis said he’s “very” confidant Hegseth will get confirmed and believes Trump’s other nominees will too. His group organized a similar pressure campaign to support Patel, who has generated concerns that he would pursue a retribution agenda on Trump’s behalf.

“These Senate offices are calling us and asking us to make it stop. We will stop when he’s sworn into office,” Davis said.

More: Sen. Tim Kaine presses Pete Hegseth on assault allegations

Asked about the allegations of sexual assault against Hegseth, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said he thinks he “addressed those allegations” in the hearing.

“He acquitted himself extremely well and made a strong argument for why he ought to be the next secretary of Defense,” he said.

Confirmation hearings are scheduled to continue on Wednesday for secretary of State nominee Marco Rubio, Attorney General nominee Pam Bondi and four others.

(This file has been updated to add new information.)

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump allies bullish Hegseth and other Cabinet picks will be confirmed