Critics point to her initial hesitation to support Donald Trump’s 2024 defense secretary nominee, Pete Hegseth, She also supported transgender individuals serving in the military, Ernst has voted for bipartisan measures, such as gun control legislation and sending aid to Ukraine, which some on the right view as too liberal—she votes with Democrats 38% of the time, per critics on X. Additionally, she backed Biden’s Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who oversaw the 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal, and endorsed Nikki Haley over Trump in the 2024 primary.
