He could also be President-elect Donald J. Trump’s most “unconventional” cupboard nominee (within the phrases of Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi, the rating Republican on the Senate Armed Companies Committee), however when Pete Hegseth took his seat in room G50 of the Dirksen Senate Workplace Constructing for his confirmation hearing as Secretary of Protection, he appeared like a spit-polished officer within the Trump military.

Mr. Hegseth, who entered to the kind of applause and chants of “U.S.A., U.S.A.” usually reserved for celebrities, wasn’t sporting the Nationwide Guard uniform or the dusty boots of his personal navy service, which he referred to greater than as soon as throughout his testimony (in case anybody was questioning how fluent he was within the shared language of costume), however he was sporting a de facto uniform of the brand new administration. One simply adjoining to the basic Washington uniform and clearly calibrated for what Mr. Hegseth referred to as, in his testimony, “an important deployment of my life.”

To be particular, he was sporting the now-signature Trump uniform: the brilliant blue swimsuit, pristine white shirt with unfold collar and completely knotted purple tie, this time with delicate navy stripes, that acts as a Pavlovian allusion to the American flag. The uniform that has been adopted by Trump acolytes like Vice President-elect JD Vance. The one that may be a signal of allegiance not solely to the nation however to Mr. Trump himself.

In case anybody didn’t get the image, Mr. Hegseth added an Outdated Glory print pocket sq. — one he additionally favored throughout lots of his earlier visits to Capitol Hill — in matching purple, white and blue. To not point out some star-spangled socks and a flag belt buckle.

His solely jewellery was a marriage ring (his spouse, Jennifer Rauchet, was seated instantly behind him), a lapel pin representing the crest of the 187th Infantry Regiment, and a Killed in Motion bracelet worn in honor of a soldier, Jorge M. Oliveira, who misplaced his life in Afghanistan — a collection of equipment that served as a type of worth signaling.

His hair was gelled again with out a strand misplaced. In the course of the occasional interruptions from the group, his jaw was heroically clenched.

Hidden had been nearly all of his tattoos: a big Jerusalem Cross, a “Be a part of or Die” snake, and an American flag with a stripe changed by an AR-15 amongst them, amongst others. Only a trace of ink reaching from his proper forearm to his wrist peeked out from a fastidiously buttoned shirtsleeve. (It appeared to be the tail finish of his “We the Folks” script.)

Left behind was the celebs ‘n’ stripes cowboy hat. Unseen was the Uncle Sam jacket linings that Mr. Hegseth often flashed in his function as a Fox Information host — although contained, maybe, beneath the neatly buttoned jacket. (Flashes of shirtsleeves steered there might have been some purple beneath.)

Actually he didn’t appear to be the hard-drinking, adulterous, budget-mismanaging individual that critics of his nomination had described. He appeared clean-cut, not politically appropriate however patriotically appropriate. How might anybody doubt his love for his nation or his requirements? He was sporting them on his again.

And if his swimsuit was just a little extra excessive than the same old Capitol or C.E.O. look — if it popped just a little extra by way of the display screen than the navy swimsuit, white shirt and purple polka-dot tie worn by Senator Rick Scott of Florida or the navy swimsuit, mild blue shirt and patterned purple tie worn by Senator Angus King of Maine and even the navy costume and matching jacket worn by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York — it was shut sufficient.

Amid all of the theatrics and speechifying by the various committee members and Mr. Hegseth himself, his uniform supplied an argument of its personal. One which had much less to do with the small print of main one of many largest departments within the authorities than together with his means to play the half, in a present designed by the soon-to-be govt producer of the nation.