He may be President-elect Donald J. Trump’s most “unconventional” Cabinet nominee (in the words of Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, the ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee), but as Pete Hegseth took his seat in Room G50 of the House during his confirmation hearing Sitting in Dirksen’s Senate office for confirmation as defense secretary, he looked like a highly polished officer in the Trump army.

Mr. Hegseth, who entered to applause and chants of “USA, USA” usually reserved for celebrities, was wearing neither the National Guard uniform nor the dusty boots of his own military service, which he referred to more than once during his statement (if someone asked how fluent he was in the common language of costume), but he was wearing a de facto uniform of the new government. One that borders on the classic Washington uniform and is clearly tailored to what Mr. Hegseth described in his statement as “the most important mission of my life.”

More specifically, he wore the now signature Trump uniform: the bright blue suit, the pristine white wide-collared shirt, and the perfectly knotted red tie, this time with subtle navy blue stripes that serve as a Pavlovian allusion to the American flag. The uniform adopted by Trump supporters like Vice President-elect JD Vance. This is a sign of loyalty not only to the country, but also to Mr. Trump himself.

In case no one realized, Mr. Hegseth added an Old Glory-print pocket square — one he also favored on many of his previous visits to Capitol Hill — in the matching colors of red, white and blue. Not to mention some star socks and a flag belt buckle.

His only jewelry was a wedding ring (his wife, Jennifer Rauchet, sat directly behind him), a pin depicting the coat of arms of the 187th Infantry Regiment, and a “Killed in Action” bracelet honoring a soldier, Jorge M. Oliveira, who lost his life in Afghanistan – a series of accessories that served as a signal of value.

His hair was gelled back without a strand out of place. During the occasional interruptions from the crowd, his jaw was clenched heroically.

Almost all of his tattoos were hidden: including a large Jerusalem cross, a “Join or Die” snake and an American flag with a stripe replaced by an AR-15. Just a hint of ink, extending from his right forearm to his wrist, peeked out from a carefully buttoned shirt sleeve. (It appeared to be the end of his We the People script.)

What remained was the cowboy hat with the stars and stripes. Invisible was Uncle Sam’s jacket lining, which Mr. Hegseth occasionally flaunted in his role as a Fox News host – although it may have been hidden under the neatly buttoned jacket. (The flash of shirt sleeves suggested there may have been some red underneath.)

He certainly didn’t look like the hard-drinking, adulterous, mismanaging person that critics of his nomination had described. He looked clean, not politically correct, but patriotically correct. How could anyone doubt their love for their country or their standards? He carried her on his back.

And if his suit were a little more extreme than the usual Capitol or CEO look – if it stood out a little more through the screen than the navy suit, white shirt and red polka dot tie worn by Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, or the navy suit, light blue shirt and patterned red tie worn by Senator Angus King of Maine, or even the navy dress and matching jacket worn by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York – it was close enough.

For all the drama and speeches from the many committee members and from Mr. Hegseth himself, his uniform presented an argument of its own. This was less about the details of running one of the largest government departments and more about his ability to play the role in a show designed by the country’s future executive producer.