Republican Sen. Tillis calls his vote for Hegseth the 'biggest regret of my career' in a new book

Cite

APA MLA Chicago

Jalonick, M. C. (2026, October 5). Republican Sen. Tillis calls his vote for Hegseth the 'biggest regret of my career' in a new book. Toronto Star. https://www.thestar.com/news/world/united-states/republican-sen-tillis-calls-his-vote-for-hegseth-the-biggest-regret-of-my-career-in-a-new-book/article_0353a0d4-77e2-5a50-9dd1-767a410d6ba4.html

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Toronto Star · collected 2026-10-05 · by Mary Clare Jalonick

Quick Summary

In a new book titled "How to Lose Friends and Antagonize Presidents," Republican Senator Thom Tillis expresses deep regret over his vote to confirm Pete Hegseth as Defense Secretary in January 2025. Tillis also mentions that he should have prevented Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s confirmation as Health and Human Services secretary during President Trump’s second term. Despite initially not wanting to be the sole voice against Trump's nominees, Tillis now acknowledges doubts about Hegseth’s leadership qualities and personal conduct issues, which Hegseth has denied.

Written by AI on 2026-10-05, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Republican Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina reveals in his upcoming book "How to Lose Friends and Antagonize Presidents" that his biggest career regret is voting to confirm Pete Hegseth as Defense Secretary in January 2025. The book discusses how Tillis was skeptical about allegations against Hegseth, including a turbulent management style, inappropriate treatment of women, and excessive drinking. Despite these concerns, Tillis voted for confirmation due to pressure not to be the sole Republican opposing Trump's nominees. He also expresses regret over not stopping Robert F. Kennedy Jr. from becoming Health and Human Services secretary during President Donald Trump’s second term. Tillis acknowledges spending time before Hegseth’s confirmation searching for evidence that would prompt other senators to oppose him but ultimately did not find sufficient grounds to do so.

Written for “Tillis Book Regret Over Hegseth Vote” on 2026-10-31, grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Tillis Book Regret Over Hegseth Vote

Politics · 2 article(s) covering the same event. See how they differ ↓

Compared with similar articles

This article reads leans left and hedges 0% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.

Tillis reveals ‘biggest regret of my career’ in new book on Trump 2.0 Same event

Washington Examiner

⚖️ Leans left Hedges 2 of 31 claims Outlet record 70/100

60 Minutes Transcript: Sen. Thom Tillis Different event

CBS News

⚖️ Leans left Hedges 3 of 136 claims Outlet record 66/100

“The articles discuss different aspects of Senator Tillis's career and political stance, with one focusing on an interview for 60 Minutes and the other on his reflections in a new book.”

Sen. Thom Tillis says Hegseth is "just out of his depth" Different event

CBS News

Hedges 0 of 3 claims Outlet record 66/100

“Article A describes Sen. Tillis reflecting on his past votes in a new book, while Article B discusses an interview where he talks about those reflections.”

Extended interview: Thom Tillis Different event

CBS News

Hedges 0 of 1 claims Outlet record 66/100

“While both articles mention Sen. Tillis's regret over voting to confirm Pete Hegseth as Defense Secretary, Article A describes this regret in the context of a new book release and its content, whereas Article B is an interview where Tillis discusses his regret among other topics.”

How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted

sentences that state something as happening or true

Uncertain

0 of 3 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")

Leaning

Leans left

of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate

Publisher signals

64/100

Toronto Star's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.

Outlets on this story

Politics

Same framing elsewhere

articles that frame the event the way this one does

Analyzed 2026-10-05 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability

Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Toronto Star · 10757 article(s) · 28 correction(s) detected

Running correction rate · 28 correction(s)

2026-10-31

Inmate's escape is just the latest problem for Tennessee's troubled prison system

2026-10-26

Correction

2026-10-24

Correction

2026-10-22

News Clarification for Oct. 22

2026-10-21

No. 6 Hoosiers try to for rare rebound at Michigan after turning the page on 22-game winning streak

2026-10-19

Driver’s License Suspensions for Court Debt Draw Scrutiny

2026-10-16

Amputations and cancer treatment delays: Lawmakers hear testimony on Mississippi prison healthcare

2026-10-16

UPDATE: Golconda Gold Releases Q3 2026 Production Update at Galaxy

2026-10-08

News Clarification for Oct. 8

2026-10-07

Correction

2026-10-05

Entertainment Correction for Oct. 5

2026-10-03

Tennessee's prisons chief is resigning after failed execution of Christa Pike

2026-09-28

Organizations call for Action to End the Deaths of Indigenous People in Custody

2026-09-27

Police memorial recognizes six officers killed in the line of duty in 2026

2026-09-27

UPDATE: WSP to host Power & Energy-focused investor event virtually only

2026-09-26

News Clarification for Sept. 27

2026-09-26

Former federal public servant seeks better pensions for injured workers

2026-09-25

News Corrections for Sept. 25

2026-09-25

She has not been charged. But the Project South allegations have branded her with a 'scarlet letter'

2026-09-24

Correction

2026-09-23

MULTIMEDIA UPDATE: Smith+Nephew launches the new EVOS™ PELVIC Plating System at the 2026 Orthopedic Trauma Association (OTA) Annual Meeting, expanding the EVOS Plating Platform for pelvic and acetabular fracture management

2026-09-22

Costa Rican man complained of lack of care for diabetes before his death in ICE custody, family says

2026-09-22

Judges' grilling of accused men leads to sex assault and dangerous driving cases being overturned

2026-09-20

Jura Energy Corporation Provides Clarification Regarding Media Reports Concerning Its Petroleum Rights in Pakistan

2026-09-19

New details emerge about Toronto's guns-for-hire and the 'crash-out mission" that sparked the Project South investigation

2026-09-17

UPDATE: Osisko Critical Minerals Corporation Announces C$100 Million Private Placement of Special Warrants

2026-09-17

Alabama set to execute man for pawn shop killings months after his nitrogen gas execution blocked

2026-09-04

Orca Corrects Q3 Quarterly Dividend Announcement

Who wrote this

Mary Clare Jalonick

5 article(s) here · 0 carrying a prediction

🔮 But this year’s midterm elections could be his most important yet, with some in the party having said he needs to step down and make way for a new generation.

2026-10-12 · assertive framing · Chuck Schumer has broad support from his caucus, but midterms could decide his future as leader

🔮 More than 70 senators are already backing the bill, which would still have to pass the House.

2026-09-18 · assertive framing · College sports bill inches ahead in the Senate even as Congress punts other issues

🔮 The Senate is set to vote Tuesday on whether to move forward with legislation to create a new regulatory framework for cryptocurrency, a pivotal election-year test for the $2.3 trillion market as many Democrats say it doesn’t go far enough to rein in President Donald Trump’s investments.

2026-09-15 · assertive framing · Senate is to vote on cryptocurrency regulation as Democrats push back on Trump investments

Also by Mary Clare Jalonick

Chuck Schumer has broad support from his caucus, but midterms could decide his future as leader

2026-10-12 · Toronto Star

College sports bill inches ahead in the Senate even as Congress punts other issues

2026-09-18 · Toronto Star

Senate is to vote on cryptocurrency regulation as Democrats push back on Trump investments

2026-09-15 · Toronto Star

McConnell returns to the Senate for the first time since his June hospitalization

2026-09-14 · Toronto Star

Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

Topics

Defense Health and Human Services North Carolina Republican WASHINGTON

Subjects

Hegseth PERSON · 2× Defense ORG · 1× Donald Trump PERSON · 1× Health and Human Services ORG · 1× North Carolina GPE · 1× Pete Hegseth PERSON · 1× Republican NORP · 1× Robert F. Kennedy Jr. PERSON · 1× Thom Tillis PERSON · 1× WASHINGTON GPE · 1×

Narrative

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Sen. Thom Tillis says in a new book that his deciding vote to confirm Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in January 2025 is the “biggest regret of my career” and that he also “should’ve stopped” Robert F. Kennedy Jr. from becoming Health and Human Services secretary in the early days of President Donald Trump’s second term.

framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-05

2026-10-05 · Toronto Star

Republican Sen. Tillis calls his vote for Hegseth the 'biggest regret of my career' in a new book · assertive framing

Claims (3 extracted, 0 hedged)

he → say → term

In “How to Lose Friends and Antagonize Presidents,” to be published Tuesday, the North Carolina senator defends his decision at the time to not be “the lone voice in the wilderness” preventing Trump’s nominees from confirmation. asserted

senator → lose → confirmation

But he makes clear he was always skeptical about allegations about Hegseth’s turbulent management style, treatment of women and excessive drinking — all of which Hegseth denied. asserted

Hegseth → make → which

💬Give feedback

🕘History 🎫Support

Terms · Privacy · beta v2.0.0

Articles to 31 Oct 2026