Ah, the political theater of Washington, where personal ambition and ideological waffling go hand in hand. This time, the spotlight is on Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA), who seems to be playing coy about supporting Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense. Let’s be clear: Hegseth, a decorated combat veteran with no love for wokeness in the military, is precisely the kind of nominee President-elect Donald Trump’s base expects to see reshaping the Pentagon. But Ernst? Well, she’s not sold. And her reasons are as baffling as they are telling.
Let’s start with the smear campaign against Hegseth. Predictably, the left-wing media is digging up allegations of sexual misconduct and heavy drinking, treating them with the same “guilty until proven innocent” fervor we saw with Brett Kavanaugh. For most conservatives, that’s reason enough to rally around Hegseth—it’s a classic play from the Democrats’ dirty tricks handbook. Yet Ernst, instead of standing firm against these attacks, seems more interested in playing spoiler. Rumors are swirling that she might be angling for the job herself, which, if true, reeks of opportunism.
Then there’s Ernst’s record on military issues, which raises some serious red flags. While Hegseth has vowed to root out wokeness in the Department of Defense—an effort long overdue—Ernst has taken a decidedly different tack. She’s defended transgender inclusion in the military, arguing that “if people are physically willing and able to serve our country, we want them to do so.”
On paper, it sounds like a pragmatic stance. But in practice, this kind of policy has turned the military into a social experiment, distracting from its core mission: defending the nation. Ernst also claims the military isn’t woke, blaming civilian leadership instead. Newsflash, Senator: when drag queen story hours and DEI training seep into the ranks, the distinction between leadership and the institution itself becomes meaningless.
Sen. Joni Ernst, who is reportedly lobbying to replace Hegseth as Trump’s SecDef nominee, supports the transing of the military and requiring women to be eligible for the draft. Not entirely surprising she prefers the status quo to Pete Hegseth. https://t.co/NRsuprY42n
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) December 5, 2024
Let’s not forget Ernst’s support for Lloyd Austin, President Biden’s woke-as-they-come Secretary of Defense. Austin’s tenure has been marked by an obsession with “equity” and a willingness to push radical agendas that have nothing to do with military readiness. Ernst’s vote for Austin speaks volumes about her priorities—or lack thereof. Now, when presented with a nominee like Hegseth, who represents a hard reset from the disastrous Biden-era policies, Ernst is balking. Why? Because he won’t play the woke game? Because she wants the job herself? Either way, it’s a bad look.
Senator Joni Ernst (R) voted to confirm Lloyd Austin for Secretary of Defense who turned our military into a woke laughingstock but is refusing to say if she will confirm Pete Hegseth.
So she supports all this trash but doesn’t support a strong Conservative who will strengthen… pic.twitter.com/F2nKpoIQy6
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) December 5, 2024
What’s especially frustrating is that Ernst hails from Iowa, a ruby-red state. Conservatives expect squishiness from senators like Murkowski, Collins, or Romney’s eventual replacement—not from Ernst. Her hesitation here feels like a betrayal of the voters who sent her to Washington to stand up for conservative values, not play Beltway games.
Meanwhile, Lindsey Graham, who’s hardly a hardliner on everything, appears to be coming around to Hegseth’s nomination despite the media circus surrounding him. If Graham can recognize the importance of this pick, why can’t Ernst? Instead of obstructing a nominee who’s ready to clean house at the Pentagon, Ernst should be leading the charge to confirm him. But if ambition or misplaced priorities are clouding her judgment, she might find herself increasingly out of step with her constituents.
Bottom line: Ernst needs to decide whose side she’s on. Is she with the conservatives who want to restore sanity to the military, or is she content to play Washington games while the Pentagon remains a social justice playground? Time’s ticking, Senator.
