Tide turns in favor of Trump DOD pick Pete Hegseth after Matt Gaetz failure

One Republican senator told Fox News Digital that they weren't aware of any GOP senators who are a "hard no" on confirming Hegseth.

This is much different than the landscape for former Rep. Matt Gaetz, Trump's previous selection to be attorney general, who faced several definitive "no" votes from senators. 

Contending with the significant lack of support espoused most candidly behind closed doors, Gaetz withdrew from the process just days after being selected.

Republicans will have a 53-47 majority in the next Senate, and there is only room for Trump nominees to lose a few GOP votes, assuming no Democrats choose to back them. 

However, as the Republican senator conveyed, Hegseth doesn't appear to have lost any Republicans in the upper chamber at this point, including more moderate lawmakers such as Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska. 

Hegseth met with both of them this week on Capitol Hill. According to Collins, "I had a good substantive discussion that lasted more than an hour."

"We covered a wide range of topics ranging from defense procurement reforms to the role of women in the military, sexual assault in the military. Ukraine, NATO, a wide range of issues. I obviously always wait until we have an FBI background check and one is underway in the case of Mr. Hegseth, and I wait to see the committee hearing before reaching a final decision."

Murkowski refused to discuss her meeting with Hegseth, a former Fox News host, when asked by reporters. 

Ernst is notably the first female combat veteran ever elected to the Senate and also sits on the Armed Services Committee. She is additionally a survivor of sexual assault herself, which Hegseth has been accused of but denied. 

The changing tide, seemingly in favor of Hegseth's confirmation, was articulated by Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., to reporters. "You can feel the difference this week versus last week," he said. 

"Kash [Patel] is not going to have an issue. Tulsi [Gabbard] is not going to have issue. People are going to ask the questions they should, but they're going to get confirmed," he added of other somewhat controversial Trump picks.