‘Another sellout’: Onlookers outraged as GOP's Joni Ernst reveals position on Trump pick

Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Defense is one step closer to receiving the GOP votes he needs to sail through his Senate confirmation process after Republican Sen. Joni Ernst – once a critical holdout in her support of Pete Hegseth – revealed Tuesday she would indeed give his nomination the green light.

“After four years of weakness in the White House, Americans deserve a strong Secretary of Defense,” Ernst said in a statement Tuesday night, adding she “will support President Trump’s pick for Secretary of Defense.”

Ernst, a veteran and sexual assault survivor, had outright opposed Hegseth, who served in the Army, but has been plagued by a sexual assault allegation and accusations surrounding his alcohol use since his nomination was announced.

But not all were as impressed by Hegseth’s performance in front of the Armed Services Committee as Ernst's announcement suggests she became, with political observers across social media calling out the Iowa senator for falling in line with MAGA lawmakers.

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“The capitulation is complete,” the incoming president’s niece, psychologist Mary Trump, wrote on X. “Jodi Ernst signals her support of Pete Hegseth, an alleged sexual predator. Ernst, a veteran and a survivor of sexual assault, has no principles. She's chosen to risk our national security by installing an unqualified hack to preserve her power.”

“.@SenJoniErnst - sexual assault survivor & female combat vet originally hesitant about #Hegseth as Secy of DOD - reportedly refuses to meet with Hegseth’s sex assault accuser & now endorses him,” former Fox News host Gretchen Carlson told her followers on X.

“Another sellout,” Republicans Against Trump posted to their X account.

“Once again, a woman Republican Senator sells out women in favor of a sexual degenerate for political expediency,” former GOP communications director Tara Setmayer wrote on X. “Cognitive Dissonance is a helluva drug. Ernst should be ashamed of herself.”

Ernst – who had been threatened with a primary challenge by Trump allies over her initial refusal to support Hegseth – said she arrived at her decision to ultimately support the president-elect's nominee after her conversation with the former Fox News weekend co-host, “hearing from Iowans, and doing my job as a United States Senator.”

“I will work with Pete to create the most lethal fighting force and hold him to his commitments of auditing the Pentagon, ensuring opportunity for women in combat while maintaining high standards, and selecting a senior official to address and prevent sexual assault in the ranks,” she said Tuesday.

But former GOP strategist Tim Miller of the Bulwark had one last message for Ernst.

“If I had one Q for Sen. Ernst it would be this,” Miller wrote on X. “If a situation arises where there is a He said / She Said regarding a war fighter accused of sexual assault, and the SecDef needs to weigh in, who do you think he will side with?”