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President-elect Donald Trump is standing by Pete Hegseth as he pushes back against allegations of sexual misconduct and appears to be locking up support among Senate Republicans for the Secretary of Defense post, but one upper chamber lawmaker is reportedly after the same job and pressuring Trump to back her instead. Trump has expressed his continued support for Hegseth multiple times this week, telling him to “keep fighting” for the nomination, even as Senate lawmakers openly discuss alternative candidates.

“I spoke to Trump this morning,” Hegseth told reporters on Wednesday. “He supports us fully.”

Hegseth’s nomination preceded that of former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., to serve as Attorney General. Gaetz’s nomination drew considerable attention away from Hegseth for its short duration. The Florida lawmaker pulled out of contention in the face of stiff Senate opposition and his own alleged misconduct.

But Trump seems more willing to let Hegseth make his case and to push back against hesitant Republicans, some of whom seem to be flipping his way. The New York Post on Wednesday reported that no Senate Republicans were outright against Hegseth’s confirmation.

“There are zero ‘nos’ right now,” a GOP source told the outlet. 

But while no Senate Republican has openly opposed Hegseth for defense secretary, at least one seems to be eyeing the job for herself and some lawmakers are openly discussing the prospect of his replacement with Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla.

The confirmation process will not formally begin until the Senate convenes in early January, giving Hegseth, awarded the Bronze Star for combat, roughly one month to make his case. In the meantime, the drama around his confirmation seems to have taken some of the pressure off of some of Trump’s other controversial nominees, like Tulsi Gabbard, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Kash Patel.

“Keep fighting”

Trump and his team have thus far, resolutely supported Hegseth, with the president himself personally urging him to maintain his pursuit of the post. The Trump-Vance Transition Team, moreover, circulated a Wall Street Journal op-ed from Hegseth on Wednesday in which he pushed back on his media opponents and anonymous accusers.

“The press is peddling anonymous story after anonymous story, all meant to smear me and tear me down,” Hegseth wrote in the op-ed. “It’s a textbook manufactured media takedown. They provide no evidence, no names, and they ignore the legions of people who speak on my behalf. They need to create a bogeyman, because they believe I threaten their institutional insanity. That is the only thing they are right about.”

Hegseth himself has shown no signs of slowing down, posting an image of soldiers resting a helmet atop an upright rifle, apparently to honor a fallen comrade.

“Maybe it’s time for a [Secretary of Defense] who has… Led in combat. Been on patrol for days. Pulled a trigger. Heard bullets whiz by. Called in close air support. Led medevacs. Dodged IEDs. And understands—to his core—the power of this photo…because he’s been on that knee before,” Hegseth posted.

Ernst’s “calling and nagging”

Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, made multiple calls to Trump before meeting Hegseth asking him to jettison the nominee before her meeting with him, The Federalist reported. One unnamed source told the outlet that “[s]he’s waging a campaign to replace Pete with herself.”

“She’s constantly calling and nagging him,” another said. “It wasn’t just one time.” A representative for Ernst spoke to the outlet, calling the allegations of Ernst’s interference “Washington whispers” and highlighting her meeting with Hegseth.

“I am told that Joni Ernst is the ringleader seeking to derail Pete Hegseth’s nomination by President Trump for Defense Secretary,” conservative commentator Mark Levin posted on Wednesday.“ She has worked to organize Republican opposition in the Senate and deny Hegseth a roll call vote on his nomination. All she needs is 4 or 5 Republicans to go along with her. She has also been involved in a press campaign against Hegseth.”

Ernst has not publicly indicated she would oppose Hegseth’s confirmation, but has not committed to supporting him either. She met with the Defense Secretary designate on Wednesday, after which she posted a statement that left her options open.

“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,” Ernst posted on X.

Hegseth backers floating primary challenges to opponents

Trump backers online are livid with Ernst over the alleged effort to thwart Hegseth and are considering the prospect of a primary challenge to her in 2026. “We are learning a lot about Joni Ernst and the Senate establishment right now. Trump faithful are talking about finding a primary challenger. This is getting very serious,” Charlie Kirk wrote.

“We’re going to primary you and you’ll get this result. Stop the nonsense. Confirm or get a primary,” wrote pro-Trump account “Catturd“, along with a picture of the primary results in which a Trump-backed primary challenger defeated former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo.

“Trump won Iowa with almost 56% of the vote. This is the kind of state where a primary makes sense and doesn’t put the majority in jeopardy. Ernst is up for re-election in 2026,” wrote commentator Lisa Boothe.

Conservative heavyweight commentator Dan Bongino, a former Secret Service Special Agent, has amplified calls for a primary challenger to Ernst if she does not confirm Hegseth. He has further supported his confirmation and is rumored to be Trump’s pick to lead the Secret Service himself.

“Those who oppose reform will lose their primary/election. Period,” posted Elon Musk, in response to a post from Kirk about Sen. Mike Rounds’, R-S.D., concerns about another Trump nominee.

Some critics backing off

At least two previously vocal critics of Hegseth seem to have reversed course in recent days, either outright supporting him or dismissing allegations against him on the basis of their sourcing.

“I’ve known Pete Hegseth for a long time. I served with him in Afghanistan,” Sen. Lindsey Graham said on Fox News this week. “The people over there said nothing but great things about him. The allegations against Pete are all anonymous sources. I am not going to make ANY decision based on an anonymous source. If you’re not willing to raise your hand under oath and make the accusation, it doesn’t count.”

His comments appeared to mark a reversal from prior statements in which he told CBS News that “I think some of these articles are very disturbing. He obviously has a chance to defend himself here, but some of this stuff is going to be difficult.” The Federalist also reported that Graham was working alongside Ernst to sink Hegseth.

Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-S.D., for his part, had been a vocal critic of the former Fox News host, but said Thursday that he saw “no reason not to support” him.

Consequences for other nominees

Gaetz withdrew swiftly in the face of Senate opposition. Some of Trump’s backers are now worried that a Hegseth withdrawal could open the door for moderate Senate Republicans to move on to sinking some of his other, unconventional nominees. “Pete, DO NOT back down under ANY circumstances,” Bongino said Thursday on his podcast.

“And Mr. President, PLEASE DO NOT LET Pete Hegseth’s nomination fall. If he does, forget it, it’s over. Tulsi’s next and RFK’s right after that.”

Gabbard, a critic of the intelligence community and the expansion of its surveillance tools, ran for president as a Democrat in 2020, after which she became an independent, before joining the GOP in the 2024 cycle. Her nomination to serve as Director of National Intelligence has elated the libertarian and anti-establishment factions of the GOP, but roiled conventional lawmakers. Thus far, however, she has not attracted comparable scrutiny to Hegseth.

Kennedy, another ex-Democratic presidential candidate, has also attracted negative press over his views on vaccines and chemicals in foods, which has led to several lawmakers to express concerns about him leading the Department of Health and Human Services. Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg railed against Kennedy on Tuesday, saying in his opening remarks at a public health conference that Kennedy would be “beyond dangerous” as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

Kash Patel, for his part, seems poised to sail to confirmation, with even moderate Republicans in influential committee positions evidently willing to back him for the post. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, on Thursday told Hugh Hewitt that “he will be” confirmed as FBI director.

Just the News has sought comment from Ernst’s office, which did not respond by publication time.