WASHINGTON — The White House is trying to send a message to reticent Senate Republicans, asking them to support all of President Donald Trump's nominees and warning those who defy him will face political consequences.

"It's pass or fail. You either support everyone or you don't," a senior White House official told NBC News. “The Senate wants advice and consent, not advice and tweaks.”

The Republican-controlled Senate surprised Trump on Friday, with Pete Hegseth squeaking through by the narrowest margin possible, losing three Republican senators and asking Vice President J.D. Vance to break A draw confirmed him as defense minister.

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This week, the committee will face more controversial nominations, including Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as secretary of Health and Human Services. Jr., and Kash Patel as FBI Director. All face a rocky road and their hearings could be decisive.

"There is a very well-funded consortium of outside groups and political actors who are savvy, smart, and tough. We've seen them provide air support and narrative support to some of the nominees," the official said, citing are allied organizations that have close ties to the White House but are not directly controlled by the White House. "They're still well-funded after the nominations close, and I believe they're going to have exact consequences for those who don't support the president's nominee and get them to the finish line."

The stark warning comes as the incoming president is maximizing his political capital and looking to use it to secure support for his top nominees, some of whom are deeply viewed with suspicion by Democrats and Republicans alike. Question their qualifications, judgment, ideology, and ethics (or in Hegseth's case, all four).

Most Republicans believe it is their duty to support Trump's choice.

"There's a strong feeling in our caucus that the president will be respected and put his team on the field. The people elected him to do this," said North Dakota Sen. John Hoeven. ” He acknowledged there were “some disagreements” within the conference over certain nominees.

“And these are the harder ones to overcome,” he added.

Still, there's some uneasiness. A Republican senator who has voted for all of Trump's nominees so far said his colleagues will be wary of national security candidates because they "sound more like Tucker Carlson than a Republican," referring to is a far-right conservative commentator who has been seen as friendly to Trump. U.S. adversaries such as Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“We’re only going to give so much,” said the senator, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the Senate’s internal thinking. "Because this is the future of the country. This is not entertainment television."

The White House's biggest concern is Gabbard, who the official said has "the biggest workload of her own."

"She needs to emphasize that she understands the importance of intelligence and that it is a matter of life and death," the official said.

The three Republicans opposing Hegseth are Susan Collins of Maine, a blue-state Republican senator facing re-election in 2026; Lisa Murkowski of Alaska ) is a moderate who has overcome challenges from the right over the years; Kentucky's Mitch McConnell, who recently stepped down as the longest-serving leader in Senate history, is widely expected to leave office in January 2027 Retires at the end of the month term.

Trump has less influence over these three senators than the other 50 senators. And the Republican Party can only afford the defections of three senators.

Another senator, Thom Tillis of North Carolina, was on the fence about Hegseth until the end, and the White House feared he might defeat the nominee. Tillis also faces re-election in 2026, but would need to clear the Republican primary first.

"Are we frustrated? Yes. Worried that there's little chance it will go down? Absolutely," a senior White House official said of Tillis's hesitation.

Trump launched the pressure campaign after Republicans quietly rejected former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz's nomination to be attorney general.

Hegseth, who faces sexual assault charges (which he denies) and has said women should not serve in the military, was initially met with some skepticism, including from Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa. of suspicion, he is a veteran and a survivor of sexual assault. Ernst, who faced re-election next year and was under intense pressure, ultimately voted for Heges.

"The White House moves at breakneck speed to get Cabinet nominees confirmed - President Trump doesn't need to signal that to MAGA, we know it - and anyone who stands in the way will get it done with Joni Ernst and Tom Tillis,” Steve Bannon, Trump’s former chief White House strategist and an influential right-wing media figure, said in a text message.

Bannon also warned that McConnell "will get special treatment next week."

Republicans allowed only one round of questioning of Hegseth at his hearing, surprising some Democrats who were already angry that the nominee had refused to meet with them. One Republican lawmaker said Democrats were ineffective and missed an opportunity.

"I don't think Democrats have ever made the argument that confirming Pete Hegseth would reset standards in the military," the congressman said.

Democrats deny they are not effectively challenging Trump's nominees. Still, they are bracing for a robust set of questions, especially about Gabbard.

"Her qualifications are questionable. Her resume is not qualified for the job. Questions will be raised about her qualifications and her policy positions are inconsistent with the mainstream of the intelligence community," a Senate Democratic aide said.

Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., said Democrats are coordinating their strategy.

“We should have two rounds of voting for every major nominee,” he said in an interview Friday. "I think it's unfortunate for us to have someone like Pete Hegseth as secretary of defense who refused to meet with many of the Democrats on the committee who really didn't have the opportunity to fully consider his record."

Some Democrats were furious after Hegseth's vote.

“Unfortunately, my Republican colleagues are really spineless,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn. "This vote is likely to haunt them."