Despite his claims of independence, North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis has emerged as a reliable MAGA supporter in Congress. Tillis voted in favor of all of President Trump’s most controversial nominees, including vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services and pro-Putin National Intelligence nominee Tulsi Gabbard.
But the most telling vote involved Tillis’ decision to confirm Pete Hegseth to lead the Department of Defense. Hegseth, a former Fox News host, has an extensive list of misconduct allegations as well as a history of troubling comments reflecting his opposition to women serving in the military.
Before confirming Hegseth, Tillis lobbied Republican leaders to scrap the vote altogether. For weeks, Tillis spoke with Republicans, Democrats, and Hegseth acquaintances to build a case to tank Hegseth’s nomination.
Tillis decided to contact Democratic Senator Jack Reed, who connected Tillis with Danielle Hegseth, an ex-sister-in-law of Hegseth’s who was willing to come forward with accusations against Hegseth if she was formally asked to provide sworn testimony.
Tillis was briefed on what Danielle Hegseth had to say– a shocking account he told colleagues could doom Hegseth’s chances of confirmation. Tillis assured her that it would carry weight and potentially move enough Republican votes — including his own— to sink Hegseth’s nomination.
Tillis told fellow senators that he remained opposed to the nomination and was locked in as a “no” when the final confirmation vote would take place. He even met with Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Vice President JD Vance, sharing his commitment to vote “no” on Hegseth and encouraging them to withdraw his nomination.
Trump responded by telling a group of North Carolina lawmakers on Air Force One that he was looking to endorse one of them to serve as a primary challenger against Tillis next year.
On the day of the vote, several senior aides to Trump said they thought Tillis was too weak to hold out and would ultimately change his mind rather than cast a vote that would seemingly end his career.
The White House was correct– Tillis changed course, serving as the deciding vote to confirm the very nominee he fought to sink.
