Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) appears to be softening her objections to some of President-elect Donald Trump’s controversial appointees, including Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth. According to retired U.S. Naval War College professor Tom Nichols, Ernst’s motives might be strategic.
Speaking with MSNBC’s Katy Tur, Nichols speculated that Ernst may be anticipating Hegseth’s downfall and positioning herself as his replacement. Tur highlighted the baffling aspects of Hegseth’s confirmation hearing, including his refusal to declare alcoholism disqualifying for the position or to outright deny accusations against him.
“I suspect because he was worried about walking into a trap where he says this kind of behavior is completely disqualifying, and then someone accuses him of it, or there’s another revelation, or some other senior Republican has a similar accusation,” said Nichols.
Tur questioned why Trump would stick with appointees like Hegseth when more qualified individuals who share his defense vision are available. Nichols suggested it’s part of a broader political calculation. “I thought of this when I was watching Joni Ernst.
I wonder—it always seems that in the Republican Party—there are people waiting for someone else to do the thing that needs to be done. And maybe Ernst was just saying, I’m not going to lead this charge,” Nichols said.
He speculated that Ernst might view herself as “likely to be the replacement if and when [Hegseth] implodes or is fired early.” Nichols added that this strategy might reflect a broader mindset among Trump’s appointees and their allies.
“I think you saw what you saw—a lot of Republicans basically saying, this isn’t going to be our problem now,” he said. Reflecting on past Senate standards, Nichols lamented the shift in political priorities. “Back in my day, a senator wouldn’t want their name or vote associated with someone who was a disaster,” he said, contrasting that era with today’s “nothing matters” approach.
“Give Trump the people he wants,” Nichols concluded. “Let them implode. Which—it makes sense from a political point of view, from the point of view of your personal survival in politics. It’s really a terrible thing to take that approach and put the country at risk.”
Nichols’ analysis underscores the political maneuvering and potential risks at play as the Trump administration prepares to take office.