Trump allies drilled down on Joni Ernst in pressure campaign to save Hegseth

The pressure campaign to flip Sen. Joni Ernst‘s (R-IA) feelings about Pete Hegseth running the Department of Defense appears to have worked.

Normally a staunch ally of President-elect Donald Trump, Ernst looked as though she was preparing to step out of line when it came to letting him select his next secretary of defense. Her brief rebellion looks like it came to an end after a torrent of criticism from Trump’s allies, including hints she wouldn’t have a clear path to reelection without a primary challenge in 2026, appears to have softened her opposition to Hegseth.