Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa introduced late Tuesday that she’d vote in favor of President-elect Donald Trump’s completely unqualified choose for secretary of protection, Pete Hegseth—a transfer that implies the previous Fox Information host has a excessive probability of being confirmed.
Throughout an look on an Iowa radio present on Tuesday, Ernst mentioned she believed that Hegseth adequately answered all her questions throughout his listening to earlier than the Senate Armed Companies Committee.
“He pointed out the woke issues at the Pentagon, and I think we’re at a point where now we can start moving forward. People know where he stands on these issues,” Ernst mentioned. “I will be supporting President Trump’s pick for secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth.”
Ernst’s help is a large boon for Hegseth’s odds, virtually making certain he’ll lead the Pentagon in Trump’s incoming administration. Assuming all Democrats oppose his nomination, Hegseth can afford to lose simply three Republican senators. And whereas some within the GOP, together with Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, nonetheless haven’t mentioned how they’ll vote, Tuesday’s affirmation listening to demonstrated that many are on board with Hegseth and are prepared to present his abhorrent alleged conduct a go.
A part of what makes Ernst’s raving endorsement notable is her historical past as a fight veteran and sexual assault survivor who beforehand raised issues over Hegseth’s capacity to steer the Pentagon. In December, she cited issues over Hegseth’s previous opposition to ladies serving in fight roles, although he walked this again throughout Tuesday’s listening to.
It was additionally unclear how Ernst, who has crusaded for years to deal with sexual misconduct within the army, would reply to allegations that Hegseth raped a lady in 2017. (Hegseth maintains that the encounter was consensual.)
Maybe Ernst can abdomen Hegseth’s nomination as a result of she deliberately distanced herself from a number of the worst expenses in opposition to him. In keeping with new reporting from The New Yorker, Ernst declined an invite to satisfy with the lady whom Hegseth paid to settle that 2017 sexual assault declare.
Or perhaps Ernst merely bowed to outsized stress from the GOP base. After assembly with Hegseth in December and voicing doubts about whether or not she’d vote in his favor, she was relentlessly bullied by hardcore MAGA adherents. Not solely did a few of Trump’s most ardent supporters run adverts in Ernst’s house state of Iowa, however additionally they questioned her conservative bona fides on social media. Mega-billionaire Elon Musk additionally pledged to bankroll major challenges to Republicans who went in opposition to the president-elect.
It seems that threats to major Ernst labored. Following one other December assembly with Hegseth, Ernst signaled extra openness to his nomination.
This stress very possible helped change Ernst’s tone on Hegseth. Notably, on Tuesday, as Democrats slammed the protection nominee over his alleged consuming downside and previous feedback towards ladies, Ernst tossed him softballs.
“As secretary of defense, will you appoint a senior-level official dedicated to sexual assault prevention and response?” she requested.
“Senator, as we have discussed, yes I will,” Hegseth responded.
Ernst is up for reelection in 2026 in a state that went for Trump by greater than 13 share factors in November. On condition that, it’s possible she would’ve been focused by MAGA followers had she not kowtowed to the president-elect and refused to again Hegseth. That kind of politicking may work for the likes of Collins and even Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a Republican who’s additionally on the fence about confirming Hegseth, however not the majority of Senate Republicans who want Trump’s base of loyal Republicans to retain their positions in Congress.
Ernst’s onetime arms-length angle towards Hegseth signaled that some Senate Republicans would try to keep up independence underneath a second Trump administration, however the Iowan’s modified tune means that for Republican lawmakers, Trump remains to be king.
