He may be the most “unconventional” candidate for Donald J. Trump’s Cabinet (in the words of Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee), but when Pete Hegseth took his seat in Chamber G50 of the Senate Dirksen Senate Building for his confirmation hearing as Secretary of Defense, he looked like a spit-polished officer in the Trump Army.
Mr. Hegseth, who entered to the kind of applause and chants of “USA, USA” normally reserved for celebrities, was not wearing the uniform of the National Guard or the dusty boots of his own military service, which he referred to more than once during his testimony (in case anyone was wondering how fluently he was in the shared costume language), but he was de facto wearing a new government uniform. One that just matches the classic Washington uniform and is clearly aligned with what Mr. Hegseth called in his testimony “the most important commitment of my life.”
To be precise, he wore the now signature Trump uniform: the bright blue suit, the pristine white spread-collar shirt and the perfectly knotted red tie, this time with subtle navy blue stripes, acting as a Pavlovian allusion to the American flag. The uniform adopted by Trump acolytes like newly elected Vice President JD Vance. The one that is a sign of loyalty not only to the country, but to Mr. Trump himself.
In case anyone didn’t understand the photo, Mr. Hegseth added an Old Glory-print pocket square — one he also loved on many of his previous visits to Capitol Hill — in matching red, white and blue. Not to mention the star-spangled socks and flag belt buckle.
His only jewelry was a wedding ring (his wife, Jennifer Rauchet, sat directly behind him), a lapel pin representing the man’s coat of arms. 187th Infantry Regimentand a Killed in Action bracelet worn in honor of a soldier, Jorge M. Oliveirawho lost his life in Afghanistan – a series of accessories that served as a form of value signaling.
His hair was combed back without a single strand of hair crooked. During the audience’s occasional interruptions, he clenched his jaw heroically.
Nearly all of his tattoos were hidden: including a large Jerusalem cross, a “Join or Die” snake and an American flag with one stripe replaced by an AR-15. Just a hint of ink, reaching from his right forearm to his wrist, peeked out from a carefully buttoned shirt sleeve. (It seemed to be the end of his “We the People” script.)
Left behind was the cowboy hat with stars and stripes. Unseen were the linings of the Uncle Sam jacket that Mr. Hegseth occasionally showed in his role as a Fox News host — though perhaps hidden beneath the neatly buttoned jacket. (Flashes of shirt sleeves suggested there might be some red underneath.)
He certainly did not look like the adulterous, adulterous, and budget-mismanaged individual that critics of his appointment had described. He looked sharp, not politically correct but patriotically correct. How could anyone doubt his love for his country or its values? He carried them on his back.
And if his suit was a little more extreme than the usual Capitol or CEO look — if it popped through the screen a little more than the navy blue suit, white shirt and red polka dot tie worn by Florida Senator Rick Scott or the navy blue suit, a light blue shirt and a patterned red tie worn by Senator Angus King of Maine, or even the navy blue dress and matching jacket worn by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York – it was close enough.
Amid all the theatrics and speeches from the many committee members and Mr. Hegseth himself, his uniform offered an argument of its own. One that had less to do with the details of running one of the government’s largest departments than with his ability to play the role, in a show designed by the country’s soon-to-be executive producer.
