Tillis says he made a mistake in voting to confirm Hegseth
Thom TillisU.S. senator for North Carolina, interviewed on NBC's Meet the Press
Asked on Meet the Press, "Do you regret that vote?", Tillis said he dedicates a whole chapter of his book to his biggest regret and that "I regret that decision." He said he made a mistake, comparing Hegseth to someone who was hired and later has to be fired.
“I made a mistake. I’ve admitted that I made a mistake.”
Interview
Where this statement fits
Was Thom Tillis wrong to vote to confirm Pete Hegseth?
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) cast the 50th vote to confirm Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense on January 24, 2025, and Vice President JD Vance broke the 50-50 tie. Tillis said at the time that he had deferred to the Armed Services Committee and done his own due diligence, and in July 2025 he said he did not regret the vote based on what he knew then. In October 2026, promoting his book How to Lose Friends and Antagonize Presidents, he called the vote the biggest regret of his career and said he made a mistake. Critics say he had reason to vote no before he voted, pointing to his call with Hegseth's former sister-in-law days before she signed an affidavit alleging alcohol abuse and mistreatment of his second wife, allegations Hegseth denied. The dispute is whether Tillis was wrong to vote yes on what he knew in January 2025.
Source and context
Interview
About this source
NBC News's transcript of the October 11, 2026 broadcast, in which moderator Kristen Welker asked Tillis about Hegseth and whether he regrets voting to confirm him.
Before the quotation
Moderator Kristen Welker asked: "Senator, let me ask though, you're being very critical of Pete Hegseth, you did vote to confirm Pete Hegseth. Do you regret that vote? Do you bear any responsibility for this moment?" Tillis answered: "Well, I don't know. I probably was a little subtle in my book. I dedicate a whole chapter to my biggest regret. So, I think it's pretty clear that I regret that decision. Look, I've got a track record of supporting presidents' cabinet picks, dating all the way back to Obama." He said a president should get as many picks as possible, then added: "But there's no question, based on his job performance. He got hired, but I'm sure that in your business and in everybody's business you've had to fire people you hired. That's the point."
After the quotation
He continued: "And now I want to try and put somebody in place that will help the president's legacy and make Americans safer. And that is not Pete Hegseth."
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Relative to his January 2025 vote, Tillis calls it a mistake and his biggest regret. That rejects the vote, so the label is condemns even though he is the senator who cast it. He grounds the judgment in Hegseth's later job performance and repeats that presidents deserve their picks; that explains his reasoning without qualifying the conclusion, so a mixed or conditional label does not fit.
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- People and groups discussed
- Pete Hegseth
More from this case
Read the full casePaige Masten says Tillis voted for Hegseth despite believing he was unfit
“That Tillis regrets voting for Hegseth is not a new revelation. But what is new — and startling — is just how convinced he was that Hegseth was unfit for the job before voting for him.”Read statement
Radley Balko calls Tillis a coward over his deciding vote for Hegseth
“Just a reminder: Tillis persuaded the woman Hegseth allegedly raped to come forward with her story, and told her that if she did, it would sink the nomination. She did. At great risk to herself. Tillis then cast the deciding vote for Hegseth. Because he’s a goddamned coward.”Read statement
Ana Navarro tells Tillis he voted for nominees his book calls unqualified
“I feel you were very inconsistent in this book because, on the one hand, you go through all of the reasons why Hegseth was unqualified. You go through all of the reasons why [Kristi] Noem was unqualified. You kept calling her like an unqualified dog killer, and yet you voted for them.”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "Tillis says he made a mistake in voting to confirm Hegseth". First published: 2026-10-13. Last updated: 2026-10-13. https://disputeindex.com/events/5639-asked-on-meet-the-press-do-you-regret