There had been some serious concerns in recent weeks that Pete Hegseth, President Donald Trump's pick to lead the Department of Defense, would fall short of the votes necessary to be confirmed by a majority of the U.S. Senate because of concerted personal smears against him by Democrats and the media.

Those concerns were ended Friday night when Hegseth was confirmed as the next Secretary of Defense with a 51-50 vote, in which former Ohio senator-turned-Vice President JD Vance provided the tie-breaking vote in the embattled nominee's favor, CBS News reported.

The successful confirmation vote, close though it may have been, validates Trump's decision to stick with his nominee throughout the turmoil of the process and his confident initial prediction that Hegseth would ultimately prevail over the inevitable resistance he faced from Democrats and even a few Republicans.

Hegseth confirmed

Almost as soon as Hegseth was nominated to lead the Defense Department, he was hit with an array of allegations of bad behavior, including unsupported claims of alcohol abuse and sexual assault, among other critiques that belittled his experiences as a military combat veteran and denigrated his plans to overhaul the nation's military services.

Despite the near-constant smears, bolstered in the last week by outrageous claims from Hegseth's ex-sister-in-law, his nomination was finally brought to the Senate floor for a final vote Friday evening.

That resulted in a 50-50 tie after Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and Mitch McConnell (R-KY) joined with all 47 of their Democratic colleagues to vote against the nominee.

The deadlocked vote prompted Vice President Vance to act in his ceremonial role as president of the Senate and break the tie with his own vote, after which the former senator joked on social media, "I thought I was done voting in the senate."

Trump predicts Hegseth with "make a great Secretary of Defense"

Once the confirmation vote was final, President Trump posted on Truth Social, "Congratulations to Pete Hegseth. He will make a great Secretary of Defense!"

The president, who was in California at the time of the vote after surveying the wildfire damage in and around Los Angeles, also briefly spoke to reporters about the news of the vote and reiterated his prediction that Hegseth would be a "great" leader for the Defense Department.

Asked if he was disappointed by Sen. McConnell's "No" vote on Hegseth, Trump shook his head and replied, "I didn't even know that, no," then added, "I just heard that we won. Winning is what matters, right?"

Just a short while later, Hegseth addressed his victory and wrote on his X account, "Thank you for your confidence Mr. President. Thank you for the tie-breaker Mr. Vice President. Thank you Senators for 50 votes. This is for the troops. For the warriors. For our country. America First. Every day. We will never back down."

Formally sworn in on Saturday

ABC News reported that Sec. Hegseth was formally sworn in on Saturday at the White House by VP Vance, and said with gratitude to Vance and President Trump after that brief ceremony, "We look forward to having the backs of our troops and having your back in executing peace through strength, in putting America first. And in rebuilding our military."

In a more official statement to the entire department he now leads, the new secretary said, "It is the privilege of a lifetime to lead the warriors of the Department of Defense, under the leadership of our Commander in Chief Donald J. Trump. We will put America First, and we will never back down."

Somewhat surprisingly, given the staunch opposition he faced and the Democratic efforts to interminably delay his confirmation, Hegseth has officially become the third confirmed member of Trump's Cabinet and joins Secretary of State Marco Rubio and CIA Director John Ratcliffe.