Pete Hegseth Was Toast. The MAGA Swarm Came to His Rescue.

Warning: this episode contains strong language.

Over the past few weeks, the resistance of a single Republican senator, Joni Ernst of Iowa, had threatened to derail Donald J. Trump’s choice of Pete Hegseth to run the Department of Defense.

Karoun Demirjian, who covers Congress for The Times, and Jonathan Swan, who covers politics, discuss how Mr. Trump and his allies ensured that Ms. Ernst’s resistance went away.

Guest:

• Karoun Demirjian () , who covers Congress for The New York Times, with a focus on national security.

• Jonathan Swan () , a Times reporter covering politics and Donald J. Trump’s presidential campaign.

Background reading:

• Mr. Trump became convinced that letting Mr. Hegseth fail would set off a feeding frenzy () among senators.

• Ms. Ernst, who is facing reelection in 2026, appeared less skeptical about the pick after MAGA supporters threatened her with political retribution () .

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