Pete Hegseth says he had a ‘strong conversation’ with Joni Ernst as Trump showed support

President-elect Trump publicly expressed his support for embattled defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth Friday, and the nominee said he had a “strong conversation” with Sen. John Ernst.

Hegseth, a former National Guard officer, has been meeting with Republican senators this week to drum up support as allegations of sexual misconduct and heavy drinking have surfaced. He denied doing anything wrong.

Ernst is not committed to voting for Hegseth.

“It looks like Pete is doing great now,” Trump told Kristen Welker on “Meet the Press” on Friday. “I mean, people were a little concerned. He’s a young guy with a very good record. He went to Princeton, he went to Harvard. He was a good student at both, but he loves the military. And I think people are starting to see that, so, we’re going to be working on his nomination and a lot of others.”

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Trump confirmed that he still trusts Hegseth.

“He’s a very smart man,” Trump said. “I know him through Fox, but I’ve known him for a long time. I mean, he’s a military man. I mean, every time I talk to him, all he wants to talk about is the military.”

Trump said that although he has no guarantees from the senators that his nomination will be confirmed, he believes that he will succeed.

“I’ve had a lot of senators call me great,” Trump said.

Asked by Welker about the allegations of excessive drinking, Trump said, “I’ve talked to people who know him well and they say he doesn’t have a drinking problem.”

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Trump also endorsed Hegseth on Truth Social on Friday, writing, “Pete Hegseth is doing great. His support is strong and deep. He was a great student – Princeton / Harvard educated – military minded. He’s going to be great. , power top, Secretary of Defense, lead with charm and skill Pete is a WINNER, and nothing can be done to change that.

Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, speaks to reporters after a closed-door lunch meeting with Senate Republicans at the US Capitol Oct. 17, 2023, Washington, DC. (Drew Anger/Getty Images)

Hegseth wrote on his X account on Friday: “I just had another important conversation with Senator Ernst, I appreciate his sincere commitment to defense policy, and I look forward to meeting him again next week.”

Ernst also called their meeting “constructive” on his account, adding that the two plan to meet again next week.

“Pete Hegseth and I will continue our constructive discussions as we move forward together in this process. We plan to meet again next week. At the very least, we agree that he deserves an opportunity to voice his opinion about our military during the hearing,” he said.

Vice President-elect JD Vance also told reporters Friday that Hegseth has the full support of the incoming administration and will not face “a hearing before the American media.”

Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of defense, walks in the basement of the Capitol Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schifelbein)

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“Pete Hegseth is going to be heard before the Senate Armed Forces Committee, not an American press hearing,” Vance told reporters while in North Carolina. “We believe that Pete Hegseth is the right guy to lead the Department of Defense. That’s why Trump nominated him. We don’t reject this nomination.

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“I fully support Pete. I think Pete will confirm, and we are fully behind him. I have spoken to Joni. [Ernst]. I have already spoken to a number of colleagues about this and other appointments. All I ask is that people allow the Senate nomination process to work. We don’t decide important government officials based on getting a name in the American media.”