President Trump on Friday said he wasn’t expecting Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Susan Collins (Maine) to vote against his controversial nominee for secretary of Defense: Army veteran and former Fox News host Pete Hegseth.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski is opposing the nomination of Pete Hegseth to be President Donald Trump's Defense secretary.

At the White House, President Donald Trump said he was surprised that two senators have publicly said they'll vote against his nominee to lead the Defense Department.

GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski says she "cannot in good conscience" support Pete Hegseth for secretary of defense, and she and Sen. Susan Collins voted "no" on his nomination in a procedural vote.

Senators voted 51-49 to advance Hegseth's defense secretary bid, which has been mired in several controversies. Two Republicans oppose him.

Voting against Hegesth in a procedural motion on Thursday, the two released statements declaring their disapproval of the Fox News host and his long history of comments about women serving in combat. Collins, in her statement, insinuated that she didn’t believe Hegseth’s views had changed, despite his assurances.

Pete Hegseth is on track to be secretary of defense, despite Murkowski's opposition. He has denied multiple allegations of alcohol abuse, financial mismanagement and violence against women.

The Senate voted Thursday to advance Pete Hegseth's nomination to be President Donald Trump's defense secretary, putting him on a path to final confirmation at the end of the week. The vote was 51-49,

The Senate is muscling Pete Hegseth's nomination to lead the defense department toward confirmation Friday, prioritizing his vow to create a “warrior culture” at the Pentagon over allegations of heavy drinking and aggressive behavior toward women.

Hours after Pete Hegseth cleared a major procedural hurdle in the Senate, President Trump suggested his embattled nominee may not ultimately be confirmed.

Five days after assuming the White House, President Donald Trump is racking up a number of wins and losses after issuing a flurry of executive orders. On Friday, he travels to disaster-hit states of North Carolina and California while new developments play out over his immigration policy and cabinet confirmations.