--- title: "Senator Tillis calls vote for Hegseth 'biggest regret' in new book" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/senator-tillis-calls-vote-for-hegseth-biggest-regret-in-new-book" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/senator-tillis-calls-vote-for-hegseth-biggest-regret-in-new-book" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/senator-tillis-calls-vote-for-hegseth-biggest-regret-in-new-book.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/senator-tillis-calls-vote-for-hegseth-biggest-regret-in-new-book" category: "Politics" area: "United States" published: "2026-10-05T19:46:17.550Z" source_reported: "2026-10-05T19:00:34.000Z" updated: "2026-10-05T19:46:17.550Z" trust_score: 42 critic_score: 61 hype_score: 20 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-10-05T20:14:56.907Z" --- # Senator Tillis calls vote for Hegseth 'biggest regret' in new book *Republican senator also criticises Trump's actions and predicts midterm losses in memoir.* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 42 of 100, higher is better. Central claims attributed to a named body, with two independent outlets and a document cited. - Craft 61 of 100, higher is better. Reporting includes context, quotes from affected parties, and clear separation of fact from comment. - Hype 20 of 100, lower is better. Language is measured and proportionate, with a straightforward headline and body. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - Republican Senator Thom Tillis stated in his new book that his vote to confirm Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in January 2025 is his "biggest regret of my career". - Tillis also wrote that he "should’ve stopped" Robert F. Kennedy Jr. from becoming Health and Human Services secretary. - The senator criticised former President Trump's policies, including tariffs, immigration raids, and the Iran war, and predicted a "bloodbath" for Republicans in the upcoming midterm elections. - Tillis indicated that many Republican colleagues privately expressed reservations about Trump's actions but publicly supported him. Senator Thom Tillis has written in a new book that his deciding vote to confirm Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in January 2025 represents the "biggest regret of my career." The North Carolina senator also stated he "should’ve stopped" Robert F. Kennedy Jr. from becoming Health and Human Services secretary. Tillis's book, titled "How to Lose Friends and Antagonize Presidents," is set to be published soon. He is currently in his final months in office, having announced last year that he would not seek re-election. In his book, Tillis writes that he believed many Republicans privately expressed reservations about former President Trump's actions but publicly supported him. He stated that at least 30 GOP colleagues had expressed reservations "to put it mildly" about many of the president's actions in private, but offered only positive public statements. Tillis also criticises Trump's tariffs, immigration raids, and the Iran war, and predicts a "bloodbath" for Republicans in the upcoming November midterm elections. ## Disagreements on coverage Washington Top News reported that Tillis "mostly deflects full blame from Trump, saying, 'my beef is not with him, but the idiots he’s got working for him.'" The same report states Tillis calls the president "an amazing political talent." Joe.My.God. reported that Tillis "unloads on what he calls the 'WTF moments' of the second Trump Administration" and is "increasingly worried about how the nation’s system of checks and balances is being tested by the outsized influence of the executive branch." ## What the coverage left out None of the left-rated or centre-rated reports printed below mention Senator Tillis's prediction of a "bloodbath" for Republicans in the upcoming November midterm elections. The digests from WBAL, Winnipeg Free Press, WKMG, and KXL do not include specific details about Tillis's criticisms of Trump's tariffs, immigration raids, or the Iran war. ## Who covered it Shares of the 11 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 36% (4) - Centre: 64% (7) - Right: 0% (0) 2 of 13 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-10-05T20:14:56.907Z. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 3 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-10-05T20:30:18.354Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - The left-rated reports from Joe.My.God., The Mercury News, and The Seattle Times led with Senator Tillis calling his vote to confirm Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth his "biggest regret of my career." Joe.My.God. also highlighted Tillis's concerns about the executive branch's influence and his calls for colleagues to stand up to executive power. The Mercury News and The Seattle Times digests focused solely on the regret over the Hegseth vote. ### Centre - The centre-rated reports from Washington Top News, WBAL, Winnipeg Free Press, WKMG, and Political Wire all highlighted Senator Tillis's statement that his vote to confirm Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in January 2025 is the "biggest regret of my career." Washington Top News also included Tillis's regret over supporting Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for HHS secretary and his criticisms of Trump's policies and his prediction of a "bloodbath" for Republicans in the midterms. Political Wire noted Tillis's regret over the "pivotal vote" and quoted him calling Hegseth "an actor" and "not a manager." ### Right No separate framing summary. **Provisional coverage gap:** right. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - high: 3 - unknown: 3 - veryHigh: 7 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [BizToc](https://biztoc.com/x/eb293ff59eb9b646) — Sen. Tillis says his vote for Hegseth was 'biggest regret of my career' in new book - [PBS NewsHour](https://pbs.org/newshour/politics/sen-tillis-says-his-vote-for-hegseth-was-biggest-regret-of-my-career-in-new-book) — Sen. Tillis says his vote for Hegseth was 'biggest regret of my career' in new book - [WCCB Charlotte](https://wccbcharlotte.com/2026/10/05/republican-sen-tillis-calls-his-vote-for-hegseth-the-biggest-regret-of-my-career-in-a-new-book) — Republican Sen. Tillis calls his vote for Hegseth the 'biggest regret of my career' in a new book - [My Mother Lode](https://mymotherlode.com/news/national/general-election/11196240/republican-sen-tillis-calls-his-vote-for-hegseth-the-biggest-regret-of-my-career-in-a-new-book.html) — Republican Sen. Tillis calls his vote for Hegseth the ‘biggest regret of my career’ in a new book - [The Mercury news](https://mercurynews.com/2026/10/05/thom-tillis-book-hegseth-regret) — Republican Sen. Tillis calls his vote for Hegseth the ‘biggest regret of my career’ in a new book - [Washington Top News](https://wtop.com/us-politics/2026/10/republican-sen-tillis-calls-his-vote-for-hegseth-the-biggest-regret-of-my-career-in-a-new-book) — Republican Sen. Tillis calls his vote for Hegseth the ‘biggest regret of my career’ in a new book – WTOP News - [WBAL](https://wbal.com/republican-sen-tillis-calls-his-vote-for-hegseth-the-biggest-regret-of-my-career-in-a-new-book) — Republican Sen. Tillis calls his vote for Hegseth the 'biggest re - [Winnipeg Free Press](https://winnipegfreepress.com/world/2026/10/05/republican-sen-tillis-calls-his-vote-for-hegseth-the-biggest-regret-of-my-career-in-a-new-book) — Republican Sen. Tillis calls his vote for Hegseth the 'biggest regret of my career' in a new book - [The Seattle Times](https://seattletimes.com/nation-world/nation/republican-sen-tillis-calls-his-vote-for-hegseth-the-biggest-regret-of-my-career-in-a-new-book) — Republican Sen. Tillis calls his vote for Hegseth the ‘biggest regret of my career’ in a new book - [WKMG](https://clickorlando.com/news/politics/2026/10/05/republican-sen-tillis-calls-his-vote-for-hegseth-the-biggest-regret-of-my-career-in-a-new-book) — Republican Sen. Tillis calls his vote for Hegseth the 'biggest regret of my career' in a new book - [KXL](https://kxl.com/republican-sen-tillis-calls-his-vote-for-hegseth-the-biggest-regret-of-my-career-in-a-new-book) — Republican Sen. Tillis calls his vote for Hegseth the 'biggest regret of my career' in a new book - [Political Wire](https://politicalwire.com/2026/10/05/thom-tillis-regrets-pivotal-vote-to-confirm-hegseth) — Thom Tillis Regrets Pivotal Vote to Confirm Hegseth - [Joe.My.God.](https://joemygod.com/2026/10/tillis-my-biggest-regret-is-voting-to-confirm-hegseth) — Tillis: My Biggest Regret Is Voting To Confirm Hegseth ## Questions **What does Senator Thom Tillis regret most according to his new book?** According to his new book, Senator Thom Tillis states that his "biggest regret of my career" was his deciding vote to confirm Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in January 2025. He also expressed regret over his vote to confirm Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Health and Human Services secretary. **What criticisms does Tillis make of Donald Trump in his book?** Senator Tillis criticises former President Trump's policies in his book, specifically mentioning tariffs, immigration raids, and the Iran war. He also writes that many Republican colleagues privately expressed reservations about Trump's actions but publicly supported him. **What does Tillis predict for the Republican party?** In his book, Senator Tillis predicts a "bloodbath" for Republicans in the upcoming November midterm elections. He also warns of a slippery slope toward authoritarianism and urges his colleagues to push back on executive overreach. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/senator-tillis-calls-vote-for-hegseth-biggest-regret-in-new-book. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "Senator Tillis calls vote for Hegseth 'biggest regret' in new book", https://mediabias.news/politics/senator-tillis-calls-vote-for-hegseth-biggest-regret-in-new-book