Joni Ernst Scurries to Avoid Questions About Plan to Back Hegseth

Photo: Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters

Since President-elect Donald Trump nominated former Fox News host Pete Hegseth to serve as his secretary of Defense, all eyes have been on Iowa senator Joni Ernst.

Hegseth has been accused of sexual assault and of denigrating women servicemembers. If he wins the backing of Ernst, a combat veteran and assault survivor who has advocated for women in the military, he would likely sail through to confirmation.

Ernst initially voiced some concerns about Hegseth’s nomination, but there were signs that she was warming up to him following a series of one-on-one meetings. Though Ernst opened her exchange with him during Tuesday’s confirmation hearing by saying she “pulls no punches,” their interaction was notably friendly and devoid of the contentious back-and-forths of her Democratic colleagues on the Armed Services Committee, quickly dashing hopes that she might join their ranks in opposing him.

Following the hours-long hearing, Ernst joined an Iowa radio show, where she officially announced her plans to vote for Hegseth. “He was adequately able to answer all of my questions. He pointed out the woke issues at the Pentagon, and I think we’re at a point where now we can start moving forward,” Ernst told host Simon Conway.

Despite her public announcement, Ernst appeared unwilling to discuss the reasons for her decision with the D.C. press. In a clip shared by CNN’s Manu Raju, Ernst can be seen quickly walking through the U.S. Capitol followed by a scrum of reporters, knocking down their questions about her motivations with the same answer. “I have a statement coming out,” she said.

The statement, released soon after, made it clear: Hegseth had her vote.

“After four years of weakness in the White House, Americans deserve a strong Secretary of Defense,” Ernst said. “Our next commander in chief selected Pete Hegseth to serve in this role, and after our conversations, hearing from Iowans, and doing my job as a United States Senator, I will support President Trump’s pick for Secretary of Defense.”

Ernst’s backing of Hegseth is evidence of the narrow line that Republicans will have to continue to walk to stay in Trump’s good graces. The Iowa senator intends to run for reelection in 2026, and allies of Trump have made it clear that members who buck the incoming president could find themselves contending with a well-funded primary challenge. “Republican senators [who] vote against President Trump’s nominees are signing their political death warrants,” Steve Bannon told Semafor in November.

That dynamic is a well-known one on the Hill. On Ernst’s predicament, one senator recently told New York’s Rebecca Traister, “Joni Ernst is going to be made to eat the shit sandwich in public. She is going to be made to vote for somebody who thinks what she did is dumb or wrong.”