A pressure campaign by Donald Trump’s allies on Senate Republican skeptics over some of his cabinet picks appears to be paying off in a sign of the president-elect’s planned turnaround when he enters the Oval Office next month.
Some GOP senators, such as Joni Ernst of Iowa and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, former Fox News host Pete Hegseth and others who have questioned how Trump would vote for the Pentagon chief’s pick, are more optimistic about a “yes” vote. “, even if it’s not quite there yet.
And the broader uproar over other controversial nominees, including former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard for Director of National Intelligence, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. To lead the Department of Health and Human Services and Kash Patel to become head of the FBI has remained silent while they meet. with senators, though all are still expected to face tight confirmation processes.
The changes underscored the importance of Trump’s allies in Washington and the media to the president-elect’s launch of his preferred administration and placed a sharp focus on potential detentions, making it clear that nothing of their political survival was at stake.
“Months ago, they had room to run and courage to challenge Hegseth. They have run out of track and now any courage is false because the MAGA base is upon them and will make them pay,” said a source close to the transition. Referring to Trump’s “Make America Great Again” mantra.
After it emerged that Hegseth’s appointment was on life support, a pressure campaign was launched.
Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense, gives a thumbs up as his wife Jennifer Rauchet walks with Sen. Joni Ernst, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, on Capitol Hill in Washington. DC, December 9, 2024.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Trump himself has recently spoken about Hegseth, saying on NBC’s “Meet the Press” over the weekend that “we’re going to be working on his nomination” and that “I’ve had a lot of senators call me saying he’s wonderful.” Trump’s transition also essentially released what it is hype video On Tuesday, some senators praised the glowing remarks he made about Hegseth.
A conservative group with ties to Elon Musk, the world’s richest man who has played a powerful role in Trump’s orbit, is spending $500,000 on a new ad pushing the Senate to confirm Hegseth. The ads urge viewers to “call your senator today and ask them to confirm Pete Hegseth” and are airing nationally, but also targeting Ernst’s Iowa state digital platforms.
Those moves, coupled with election threats from Trump online media allies like Steve Bannon and Dan Bongino, appear to have moved the needle, even as Hegseth continues to deny allegations of excessive drinking and sexual misconduct by former colleagues and a woman who says he raped her. the same
After (Hegseth) announced there would be a “very thorough review” before moving forward, Ernst said after an “exciting” meeting on Monday: “As I support Pete in this process, I look forward to a fair hearing based on the truth, not anonymous. sources.”
Graham, who called the allegations against Hegseth serious, also said Monday that he had a “very positive, thorough and honest meeting” with Hegseth, and that the allegations “should be supported by testimony before Congress, not anonymous sources.”
Lindsey Graham, ranking member of the committee, speaks during a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill, December 10, 2024, in Washington.
Mark Schiefelbein/AP
The move represents the enormous power that Trump and his allies wield, and the influence they can wield over the party’s base. And the political graveyard is littered with the careers of Republican lawmakers who defied Trump only to lose office in a primary.
“We will use every resource at our disposal to ensure that all of Trump’s nominees and cabinet picks are confirmed. And if that doesn’t happen, the last resort will be at the ballot box for those electors who choose not to vote for them,” said a second source close to the transition. “That includes Pete, that includes Bobby, that includes Kash, that includes everyone.”
“We have been very clear. And the president has made calls to several US senators for some of his candidates. The president has been very clear about what he wants. Elon Musk has been very clear,” the person added. “When you’re the richest man in the world, and you have $350 billion, that makes politicians shudder.”
To be sure, Hegseth himself has been working towards confirmation. He has continued to deny the allegations against him, held meetings with senators and Ernst said he was committed to appointing a senior official who would deal with the issue of sexual assault within the military.
But the role of Trump’s allies cannot be dismissed.
The pressure campaign comes ahead of a new Congress in which Republicans will hold a 53-47 Senate majority, meaning any Cabinet pick cannot lose more than three GOP votes if Democrats vote unanimously in opposition.
Members of Congress are historically ardent defenders of their role as a co-equal branch of government — a role that manifests itself in the role of “advise and consent” on the president’s Cabinet picks. Already, Senate opposition has sunk the fortunes of former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., the attorney general’s pick for sexual misconduct allegations Trump has denied.
Still, Trump has incredible traction in his base, and threats of primaries in cases of infidelity could be persistent for lawmakers to fend off opposition to Cabinet picks in the coming weeks and establish support for the next four years.
“I think these senators may be under pressure because they’ve seen what happened with former members who were now against the president. So we’re seeing a lot of members changing their tune because they’re worried about never being impeached, and they don’t want to the president to have crosswords for them,” said Brian Darling, a former GOP strategist and Senate aide.
“Republicans in the Senate may not appreciate it, but it’s a fact of life,” he added.
Already, some Republicans have warned that GOP critics in the Senate have been hurt.
In this Nov. 19, 2024, file photo, Sen. Joni Ernst delivers remarks during a news conference at the Capitol building in Washington, DC.
Aaron Schwartz/Sipa via USA Newscom, FILE
Although all Republican senators came in every Trump election, the president-elect’s supporters have a long memory, and the strain of populism, one of the country’s main political drivers, has fueled anti-incumbency fervor.
“His backsliding has also been felt in Iowa,” Bob Vander Plaats, a conservative Iowa Christian leader, said of Ernst. “You’ve seen a lot of people push back on that, and there’s been some calls, especially from outside of Iowa, that ‘it should probably be prioritized.’ I haven’t seen anything real to that extent in Iowa yet, but it’s a rich environment today.”
