Pete Hegseth, President Trump’s nomination for defense secretary, conducted his first meeting with a Democratic senator.

Hegseth met with Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) on Thursday.

Fetterman joked with reporters after leaving the meeting.

“We agreed that the Steelers are going to win. He doesn’t have a real opinion on Sheetz or Wawa, he doesn’t have a lot of real experience on that. But of course we know Sheetz is the right one,” Fetterman said.

“The news is that we actually had a meeting,” he continued.

“We had a conversation and that’s what happened. And that’s where we’re at,” he added.

Fetterman said meeting with Trump’s nominee is “part of the process” and he would listen to what his colleagues on the other side have to say.

When asked if he would support Hegseth, Fetterman said, “It’s a conversation.”

WATCH:

"We agreed that the Steelers are going to win. He doesn't have a real opinion on Sheetz or Wawa, he doesn't have a lot of real experience on that. But of course we know Sheetz is the right one …The news is that we had a meeting"

– Sen. John Fetterman after meeting Pete Hegseth pic.twitter.com/R6T70tTXvx

— Howard Mortman (@HowardMortman) December 12, 2024

Per CNN:

Democratic Sen. John Fetterman said he expects to bring up a series of allegations against Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Pentagon, Pete Hegseth, when the two men sit down for their first meeting later Thursday.

“I know there haven’t been any formal charges or criminal ones. But it’s all – one of the things that I’m sure perhaps might come up in that conversation today,” Fetterman told CNN, when asked about allegations including excessive drinking and sexual assault. “But I am aware there are some allegations, of course.”

Notably, Fetterman is not ruling out support for Hegseth ahead of his meeting, which will make him the first Senate Democrat to sit down with Trump’s defense pick.

Asked about his expectations for the meeting, Fetterman told CNN: “We’re just going to have a straight-up conversation.”

“Honestly, I’d never heard of him before he was nominated. So it’s an opportunity to just have a discussion on … issues. I suspect there are some things we might agree on in terms of military, whether its China or Israel, and maybe disagree, perhaps on Ukraine,” Fetterman said. “But I think it’s an opportunity to have a conversation.”

“I’m not sure why it would be controversial to anybody,” Fetterman said.

WATCH:

Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) on his upcoming meeting with @PeteHegseth: “I think it's an opportunity to have a conversation. I don't really — I'm not sure why it would be controversial to anybody [to talk him] if he's the individual who could potentially be the next secretary of… pic.twitter.com/Eb2JgMIMOi

— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) December 12, 2024

From POLITICO:

Fetterman, a populist outsider, said he wanted to hear out Trump’s pick.“I mean I’m waiting,” he said. “And I’m looking forward to having an opportunity to have a conversation.”

Hegseth’s team is voicing new optimism about his chances of confirmation after MAGA allies waged a pressure campaign against Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), who was seen as wavering until Monday when she struck a warmer tone.

As part of a weeklong blitz of Capitol Hill, Hegseth has meetings planned Wednesday with Sens. Todd Young (R-Ind.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.) — as well as Montana Republican Senator-elect Tim Sheehy.

Hegseth on Wednesday met with Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), the incoming chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and widely viewed as a swing vote, for nearly an hour and half.

Collins said she won’t make up her mind until a FBI background check is completed and he testifies at an Armed Services confirmation hearing. The two spoke about a variety of topics, Collins said, including women in the military, sexual assault, NATO, and Ukraine. She said she also pressed Hegseth on the allegations against him, although did not say how Hegseth responded.