J.D. Vance compares Pete Hegseth's confirmation to Ohio State title: 'It doesn't matter what the score is'
Vice President J.D. Vance cast the deciding vote Friday night to confirm Pete Hegseth as the next U.S. Secretary of Defense, and he may be feeling a little like the Ohio State quarterback Will Howard.
Vance, an Ohio State alumnus, celebrated Heggs' confirmation with an anecdote that referenced his alma mater's recent 34-23 national championship game victory over Notre Dame.
“As I learned a week ago with the Buckeyes, when you win a championship, it doesn't matter what the score is. We won the championship in this one. We have a great secretary of defense. We're proud He’s going to do a great job,” Vance said.
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Vance is into sports analogies these days.
After former President Joe Biden falsely insisted that the Constitution had been changed to include the Equal Rights Amendment in the 28th Amendment, Vance mocked the idea with a baseball comparison.
Vance responded to Biden's statement in a post on X, joking that Biden should replace the late, disgraced MLB icon Pete Rose in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Ohio State's Emeka EGBUKA reflects on how Buckeyes rebounded from Michigan loss to win national title
“Hey Joe, if we fake the out, can you declare Pete Rose a Hall of Famer?” Vance wrote, referencing an infamous baseball debate. Rose, the all-time favorite in Major League Baseball (MLB), died in September after being banned from the sport for life for illegally betting on games.
Vance, meanwhile, oversaw the Buckeyes' first national championship since 2014 on the same day he and President Donald Trump were inaugurated. A former Ohio State senator, Vance has been a proud and outspoken Ohio State fan throughout his political career.
Vance even joked about skipping Monday's inauguration to watch the Buckeyes play Notre Dame in Atlanta.
On Inauguration Day, Usha Vance stood out from the crowd in a pink coat. (played by Chris Kleponis)
“Hopefully everyone is okay with me skipping the inauguration so I can go National Championship Game,” Vance joked in a social media post.
During the campaign, Vance revealed that he told Trump that his loyalty to the Buckeyes could hurt Trump's chances of winning the key battleground state of Michigan.
“When he first asked me to be vice president, I was like, ‘Well, you know, hopefully we don’t lose Michigan by 900 votes, because you’re going to regret it.’ Because it could just be one Thousands of votes. — Wolverine fans who are not going to vote for the Buckeyes,” Vance said during an appearance on OutKick. “The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show.”
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“But I think most Michiganders are going to be able to put the athletic rivalries aside and put the country first, which of course all of us agree is the most important thing.”
In early September, the Democratic National Committee attempted to leverage Vance's ties to Ohio State University to develop a campaign strategy in Michigan. On Sept. 7, the Democratic National Committee flew a plane over a Michigan football game with a banner that read: “J.D. Vance (Loves) Ohio State (Plus) 2025 Project.”
However, the Trump-Vance ticket ended up winning Michigan handily.
Ohio State players celebrate national championship with J.D. Vance (Getty Images)
Hegers, 44, a former Minnesota National Guard officer who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, secured the Pentagon leadership post after weeks of intense political drama surrounding the nomination and public scrutiny of his personal life.
The Senate is deadlocked 50-50 with three Republicans — Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska; Susan Collins, R-Maine; and Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. State Republicans. – Joined Democrats in opposing Hegseth's confirmation.
The deadlock forced Vance to cast the tie-breaking vote, ensuring his confirmation.
“This is not the first time the headline 'Junior Marine bails out junior Army officer,'” joked Hegseth, a former Fox News host, referencing Vance's previous service in the U.S. Marine Corps.
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