Trump World Sources: Joni Ernst Is Waging ‘Aggressive’ Personal Jihad Against Hegseth; Ernst Endorsed Transgender Military Service

By The Federalist. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, has been leading an “aggressive” personal jihad against Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s nominee for defense secretary, multiple sources within Trump world with direct knowledge of her outreach to Trump told The Federalist on Wednesday.

Ernst’s efforts included personal calls to Trump to urge him to dump Hegseth ahead of her meeting with the Army veteran on Wednesday afternoon. Ernst did not tell Hegseth during her meeting with him about her efforts to derail his nomination, sources told The Federalist.

“She’s waging a campaign to replace Pete with herself,” a Trump source familiar with her phone calls with Trump said.

Ernst posted a tweet on X following her meeting with Hegseth on Wednesday afternoon. The Iowa senator said she “appreciate[s] Pete Hegseth’s service to our country,” and that they “had a frank and thorough conversation.” She did not, however, say whether she will support his nomination to become defense secretary.

I appreciate Pete Hegseth’s service to our country, something we both share.

Today, as part of the confirmation process, we had a frank and thorough conversation.

— Joni Ernst (@SenJoniErnst) December 4, 2024

When pressed on Wednesday by The Hill’s Alex Bolton on whether she’s interested in becoming Trump’s defense secretary, Ernst didn’t give a direct answer, instead saying, “Pete is the nominee,” according to Punchbowl News reporter Andrew Desiderio. (Read more from “Trump World Sources: Joni Ernst Is Waging ‘Aggressive’ Personal Jihad Against Hegseth” HERE)

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Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst Endorsed Transgender Military Service

By The Federalist. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, previously endorsed allowing trans-identifying individuals to serve in the U.S. military, a position military specialists and reports have warned hampers the force’s overall readiness.

The recently unearthed revelation stems from comments the GOP senator made during an Aug. 9 interview on PBS’s “Firing Line with Margaret Hoover.” The host asked Ernst, an Army veteran, whether she agrees with Republicans’ sentiment that the military “has become too woke.”

Ernst said she doesn’t believe “those [who] serve in uniform” are woke but admitted that “there is civilian leadership of the military that is woke.” She then cited trans-identifying individuals serving in the armed forces as an example of those “in uniform,” and expressed belief that those who qualify should be permitted to serve in the military.

“We have transgender people serving in our military. They will bleed red just as the rest of us,” Ernst said.

The Iowa Republican subsequently pushed the baseless claim that a person can “transition” into the opposite sex, saying she doesn’t think the military should be “integrating transgender people into certain situations,” such as allowing “a transgender woman who has not transitioned” into female barracks. (Read more from “Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst Endorsed Transgender Military Service” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr