Ernst Facing Heavy Criticism for Not Backing Hegseth

Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Donald Trump do not exactly have the smoothest relationship right now.

It is actually about to get a bit rougher as Ernst is looking to block a Trump appointee.

Ernst has come forward to say that is not yet a “yes” for Hegseth, and that is drawing some attacks from Trump loyalists.

Not Yet

Trump’s surrogates are already making this an us or them event, and I think that is a big mistake.

For instance, one Trump ally stated, "It's really this simple: If you oppose President Trump's nominees, you oppose the Trump agenda and there will be a political price to pay for that.

“We are well aware that there are certain establishment Senators trying to tank the President's nominees to make him look weak and damage him politically, and we're just not going to allow that to happen.”

That is about as ridiculous as it gets because there are a few of Trump’s nominees that I don’t support, but I am very much looking forward to him being able to implement his agenda.

Hegseth has some real concerns, at the top of that list being an apparent drinking problem.

Perhaps it is being overblown, and maybe Hegseth will do an amazing job, but that is conjecture and the information I have in front of me now leaves a lot of questions to be asked.

Ernst finds herself getting clobbered now after saying she is not there with Hegseth yet, stating, "Pete Hegseth and I will continue our constructive conversations as we move forward together in this process. We plan to meet again next week. At a minimum, we agree that he deserves the opportunity to lay out his vision for our warfighters at a fair hearing.”

Trump has been silent at first, but now he is back to vocally supporting the nomination, recently stating, "Pete Hegseth is doing very well. His support is strong and deep.

"He will be a fantastic, high-energy, Secretary of Defense, one who leads with charisma and skill. Pete is a WINNER, and there is nothing that can be done to change that!!!"

Hegseth has stated that as long as Trump wants him in there, he plans on hanging around, but this is one of several nominees that I believe will have a tough time.

The good news is that there are rumors that Donald Trump has talked to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis as the backup, who I would expect to fly through the nomination process.