WASHINGTON — She is an Iraq War veteran and sexual assault survivor who has been advocating for years to improve the way the military handles claims of sexual misconduct.
But when Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, initially seemed cool for the appointment President-elect Donald Trump ‘s choice of Pete Hegseth becomes Secretary of Defense – a man once said women are not allowed to serve in combat and who was that himself? accused of sexual abuse – she faced a barrage of criticism from her own party, including the threat of a potential primary challenge in 2026.
“The American people spoke,” said Bob Vander Plaats, president and CEO of the Family Leader and a conservative activist in Ernst’s home state.
“When you sign up for this job, it’s a big boy, big girl job, and she feels the pressure of people expressing their disappointment, their concern about the way she’s handling this.”
The pressure campaign against Ernst, once a rising member of the Republican leadership, shows that there is little room in Trump’s party for those who cannot get a yes vote on Hegseth or any of his other picks for his new administration.
It underscores the power Trump is expected to wield on Capitol Hill in a second term and serves as a warning to other lawmakers who may harbor their own concerns about other Trump selections, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Secretary of Health and Tulsi Gabbard as Secretary of Health. be director of national intelligence.
“If the King wants another senator from Iowa, we’ll have one. If he doesn’t, neither will we,” said Iowa talk show host Steve Deace. suggests on his show Monday that he would be willing to run against Ernst if Trump wanted a challenger. “I think someone has to be an example, whether it’s Joni or someone else.”
People close to Ernst, a retired National Guard lieutenant colonel, are highlighting her bravery and saying her ultimate decision will depend on her assessment of Hegseth, a former ‘Fox & Friends Weekend” host and veteran, and nothing else.
“Has there been Twitter pressure? Certainly. But Joni is a combat veteran. She is not easily pressured,” said David Kochel, a Republican strategist from Iowa and a longtime friend and adviser of Ernst.
Ernst has worked steadily to strengthen her relationship with Trump after declining to endorse him before the Iowa caucuses that kicked off this year’s campaign for the Republican presidential nominee. During a recent visit to Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s Florida club, she met with Trump and billionaire Elon Musk with ideas for their budget-cutting Department of Government Efficiency. She heads a newly formed DOGE caucus in the Senate.
Trump did not personally try to pressure Ernst to support Hegseth, according to a person familiar with their conversations who spoke on condition of anonymity to disclose them. And he has not publicly attacked her — or would-be robbers — in social media posts.
He didn’t have to do that either.
The backlash against Ernst built quickly, first in whispers after her initially cool comments after meeting Hegseth, and then in a succession of powerful figures from the “Make America Great Again” movement.
Only about 2 in 10 Americans approve of Hegseth’s appointment Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs polls. About a third of Republicans approve of him as a choice, and 16% disagree. Another one in ten Republicans are roughly neutral, saying they neither approve nor disapprove.
Trump allies worried that a successful effort to derail Hegseth’s candidacy would strengthen opposition to other nominees, undermining his projections of complete dominance of the party. In the tight Senate, with a Republican majority of 53 to 47 in the new year, any Trump candidate can only afford a few Republican ‘no’ votes if all Democrats are against.
Those piling in included Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., and conservative activist Charlie Kirk. who warned about this Ernst’s political career was “in serious jeopardy” and the main challengers were ready.
A social media post from The Federalist’s CEO featured photos side by side Ernst has been compared to ousted Rep. Liz CheneyR-Wyo., that Trump recently said he deserves jail time, together with others members of the House committee who investigated the Capitol riot.
Building America’s Future, a conservative nonprofit, announced plans to spend half a million dollars supporting Trump’s choice of Hegseth. the Daily Caller first reported. The group has already spent thousands of dollars on Facebook and Instagram ads featuring Ernst’s photo and is running a commercial urging viewers to call their senators to support him.
Criticism also increased at home. Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird, who quickly endeared herself to Trump when she became the highest-ranking state official to endorse him ahead of this year’s caucuses, wrote a op-ed for conservative Breitbart news site that was seen as a not-so-subtle warning.
“What we are seeing now in Washington is an attempt by the Deep State to undermine the will of the people,” she wrote.
Local Republican groups also encouraged Iowans to call Ernst’s office and urged her to support Trump’s choices.
While Iowa incumbents have special staying power, Trump has a track record of ending the careers of those who oppose him.
Jason Miller, a senior adviser to the Trump campaign, defended the tactic.
“Right now, this is President Trump’s party,” he said Tuesday at The Wall Street Journal’s CEO Council Summit in Washington. “I think voters want the president to be able to deploy his people.”
Ernst seems to gradually soften towards Hegseth. On Monday, after meeting him again, she released a statement saying they had had “encouraging conversations.”
Ernst said Hegseth has committed to “complete a full audit of the Pentagon” and hire a senior official who will “prioritize and strengthen my work to prevent sexual violence within the ranks.”
“While I support Pete through this process, I look forward to a fair hearing based on the truth, not anonymous sources,” she said.
But for many Republican senators who found themselves on the wrong side of Trump, it was difficult not to see the campaign against Ernst as a warning.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, the Alaska Republican who also met with Hegseth this week, said the attacks seemed “a little more intense than normal,” while acknowledging that she is “no stranger” to similar MAGA-led campaigns. She was re-elected in 2022 after defeating a Trump-backed challenger.
Murkowski said the possible attacks have no bearing on her decision-making, but added: “I’m confident this plays a role in Senator Ernst’s.”
___ Colvin reported from New York and Fingerhut from Des Moines, Iowa.