Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, states in divorce papers that she turned down a chance to be President Trump’s running mate in the 2016 election because she thought her husband “hated any successes I have.”
The GOP senator, 48, and her husband, Gail, 65, are engaged in a bitter court battle. She claims he assaulted her after she confronted him about his alleged affair with their daughter Libby’s babysitter, she wrote in a court filing.
She cites her marriage as reason for passing on the opportunity to be vice president. “Meanwhile, he hated any successes I had and would belittle me and get angry any time I achieved a goal,” she said.
“In the summer of 2016, I was interviewed by Candidate Trump to be vice president of the United States. I turned Candidate Trump down, knowing it wasn’t the right thing for me or my family,” Ernst said in an affidavit.
“I continued to make sacrifices and not soar higher out of concern for Gail and our family,” she said. It has not been reported that Trump offered Enst the role of running mate. Ernst met with Trump at his New Jersey golf course in July 2016, but days later said she told the then candidate she was “focused on Iowa.”
The couple announced in August 2018 they were filing for divorce after 26 years of marriage. The couple have one daughter, Libby, 19, who is currently studying at the U.S. Military Academy West Point. Gail Ernst has two daughters from his first marriage.
Sen. Ernst was the first female combat veteran to be elected to the United States Senate. She met her husband at Iowa State University, where she joined the ROTC program in 1990. She served in the Iowa Army National Guard from 1993 to 2015, retiring as a lieutenant colonel. In 2003, she was commander of the Iowa National Guard’s 1168th Transportation Company, running convoys in Iraq.
Gail Ernst served in the Army for 28 years, including as an army ranger and drill sergeant. He describes himself on his Facebook page as “Adventure Seeker at Retired and loving life.”
In a separate filing, Gail Ernst pushes back on his ex-wife’s assertions. “I gave up all my aspirations and goals to be a good dad and husband so Joni could pursue her dreams,” he said.
Trump ultimately chose then-Indiana Gov. Mike Pence to be his running mate, and he became vice president in January 2017.
