Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s False Claim of Biden-Ordered Guard Deployments to Polling Sites

During a May 4 House Armed Services Committee hearing, Rep. Jill Tokuda (D-HI) asked Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth whether he would obey a Trump order to send troops to polling places. Hegseth denied such an order and then claimed, “In 2024, troops were deployed to polling locations in 15 states – that was Joe Biden.” He repeated the claim the following day before the Senate Armed Services Committee, attributing the deployments to the Biden administration.

MediaiteCNN‘You seem to really like Joe Biden’: Hegseth needlessly fixates on former presidentCNN

CNN queried the 15 states listed by *Stars and Stripes*. Eleven states—Delaware, Illinois, New Mexico, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, Iowa, and Arizona—responded, all confirming no Guard troops were placed at polling sites. Iowa’s Jackie Schmillen said, “We have never gone to a polling station as part of an election.” Arizona’s Erin Hannigan added that the Joint Task Force “activated two personnel… No such request was made.” Four states that did not reply (Alabama, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin) provided no evidence of deployment.

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• Pete Hegseth claimed the Biden administration ordered Guard deployments to 15 states.

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• Rep. Jill Tokuda reminded that law allows Guard use at polling sites only to repel armed enemies of the United States.

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• Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) challenged the claim on the Senate floor, leading Hegseth to repeat it.

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• Ellis Hopkins, National Guard Bureau official, said of the ten states with Guard support on Election Day, “None of them are in a civil disturbance or civil response mode. They’re in general support or in supporting cyber networks.” The Department of Defense declined comment.

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Fact-checkers at CNN and Mediaite called Hegseth’s testimony false. Daniel Dale of CNN cited Defense Department data showing that “All of the National Guard activations connected to the 2024 election were ordered by state governors, not by Biden.” State Guard spokespeople denied any polling-site presence, describing their role as “behind-the-scenes” cybersecurity assistance. The four states that did not respond—Alabama, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin—offer no record of deployment, leaving a minor evidentiary gap.

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• “I will note that in 2024, troops were depl… – that was Joe Biden by the way, Joe Biden – were deployed to polling locations in 15 states.” — Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Defense

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• “We have never gone to a polling station as part of an election.” — Jackie Schmillen, Iowa National Guard spokesperson

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• “None of them are in a civil disturbance or civil response mode. They’re in general support or in supporting cyber networks.” — Ellis Hopkins, National Guard Bureau official

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• “There were no members of the NM National Guard at polling places in 2024, any assertion to the contrary is false,” — Michael Coleman, New Mexico Governor’s office spokesperson

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Congressional committees may seek further clarification of Pentagon communication practices, while independent fact-checkers continue to monitor senior defense officials’ statements for accuracy.

‘You seem to really like Joe Biden’: Hegseth needlessly fixates on former president