The North Carolina senator, who recently said he did not plan to run for re-election, said the defense secretary’s decisions had been amateurish and showed he was unfit to lead a large organization.

July 9, 2025

Senator Thom Tillis, the North Carolina Republican who last month said he would not seek re-election, on Wednesday suggested that he regretted casting the deciding vote to confirm Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, calling him ill-suited to lead the Pentagon.

“With the passing of time, I think it’s clear he’s out of his depth as a manager of a large, complex organization,” Mr. Tillis told the CNN anchor Jake Tapper in a wide-ranging interview.

It was Mr. Tillis’ first extensive interview since his surprise announcement on June 29 that he would not run for a third term next year. He made the decision a day after President Trump threatened to back a primary challenger against him because Mr. Tillis had said he opposed the bill carrying Mr. Trump’s domestic agenda.

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Annie Karni is a congressional correspondent for The Times. She writes features and profiles, with a recent focus on House Republican leadership.

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