President Trump told reporters Friday he was surprised that two GOP senators rejected Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth.

Lawmakers on Thursday voted to end the debate over Mr. Hegseth, inching him closer to confirmation. However, two Republicans — Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska — voted against advancing the nomination.

Ahead of his trip to survey hurricane damage in North Carolina, Mr. Trump told reporters he was surprised they voted no.

“I was very surprised that Collins and Murkowski would do that,” Mr. Trump said.

The president added that he expected Sen. Mitch McConnell, Kentucky Republican, to vote against Mr. Hegseth. The former Senate leader hasn’t endorsed the nomination and has refused to give answers on the bid, but he did vote to advance Mr. Hegseth toward a final confirmation vote.

“And I guess Mitch is no vote,” Mr. Trump said.

When asked about Mr. Hegseth’s chances of confirmation, the president shrugged while steering clear of predicting an outcome. A handful of other GOP senators have been noncommittal, giving Democrats hope they might persuade enough of them to sink the nomination.

If more GOP senators defect, it could send Mr. Hegseth’s nomination down to the wire with the possibility of Vice President J.D. Vance casting the deciding vote.

“Whatever it is, it is,” Mr. Trump said. “He’s a very good man. I don’t know what’s going to happen. Pete is a very, very good man. I hope he makes it.”

From the start, Mr. Trump’s choice of Mr. Hegseth, an Army combat hero and former Fox News host, has caused loud debate. At one point, Mr. Trump even considered dropping him amid resistance from senators in both parties. However, the president has recently doubled down on the nomination.

Mr. Hegseth has been plagued by allegations of sexual misconduct and excessive drinking. He has denied those claims, telling senators during his confirmation hearing that he’s the victim of a politically driven smear campaign.

On Tuesday, Mr. Hegseth’s former sister-in-law submitted a sworn statement to the Senate describing him as frequently intoxicated and “abusive” toward his second wife.

He denied the allegations, as did his second wife, Samantha Hegseth, who told NBC, “There was no physical abuse in my marriage.”

• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.