GOP senators targeted by Trump allies keep door open to controversial picks

By Kristen Holmes, Manu Raju, Jeremy Herb, Lauren Fox and Jeff Zeleny, CNN

(CNN) — Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota is the kind of Republican who has been willing to clash with Donald Trump in the past and could be seen as wavering on some of the president-elect’s more controversial choices for his Cabinet.

But facing reelection in two years in a conservative state, Rounds is the target of Trump allies trying to get him to fall in line on those picks. And so far, he seems to be doing just that.

Rounds told CNN on Wednesday he doesn’t see himself opposing any of Trump’s selections, short of “a very serious issue.” The South Dakota Republican has met with Trump’s Pentagon pick, Pete Hegseth, who has faced allegations of heavy drinking and sexual misconduct but has been boosted by a significant pressure campaign from Trump’s allies.

“It’s very, very seldom that a member of their own party of the president would vote against – it would be a very serious issue – so I don’t expect to see that in this process coming forward, but most certainly each member has that prerogative to make that decision themselves,” Rounds said.

Rounds’ signal that he won’t be an impediment to Trump’s nominees comes after Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa faced a public and aggressive campaign from Trump’s allies after she expressed concerns about Hegseth. The effort, largely through social media, includes threatening to primary senators in upcoming elections and sending the MAGA base after those who even suggest they’re considering balking at any of his choices.

In a chamber where lawmakers often pride themselves on their independence, Republican senators insist that they aren’t feeling the outside pressure. But the initial resistance to some of Trump’s controversial picks has dissipated, publicly at least. Most of Trump’s selections don’t currently appear in serious danger of losing GOP support, although many senators aren’t officially backing Trump’s picks ahead of formal nominations and confirmation hearings. Nominees can only afford to lose three Republican votes in the new Congress, assuming all Democrats vote against them.

“I think it’s outside groups that think that they’re putting pressure, but honestly, most of us just feel like we’re all part of the same team,” Rounds said. “We’re just doing the best we can to make sure these guys get a fair shot.”

Unlike in the past, Trump has left the pressure campaign on Republican senators to his allies and supporters – for now. Sources close to Trump told CNN he is aware of the weight his input will carry and has been urged to be careful with how he expends his political capital this early.

Advisers also say Trump is mindful of the potential risks of directly calling out senators by name, which he has done in the past. It’s an open question whether his relative restraint toward senators who question his picks will continue or could be broken at any point – particularly if any of them become more endangered as the confirmation process moves toward hearings and votes.

After Matt Gaetz – who had been a step too far for many Republicans – withdrew from consideration for attorney general, Trump allies mobilized amid fears that a second withdrawal from Hegseth could embolden Senate Republicans to try to push out additional Trump picks who have attracted scrutiny, such as Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence or Kash Patel for the FBI director. But so far, between an aggressive social media campaign and Hegseth’s own carefully choreographed round robin with senators, Trump’s team has been able to avoid a quick succession of doomed candidates.

“I think there was a real panic in Trump world after Gaetz and after that DEA thing where they thought people were going to start coming out in droves and saying, I am not going to vote for Tulsi or RFK or Hegseth,” said one Republican senator who requested anonymity to freely discuss the confirmation process. “And I think that panicked them to be like ‘we’ve got to stop this right now.” Trump’s pick for the Drug Enforcement Administration withdrew earlier this month.

“Gaetz was the sacrificial lamb,” one Trump adviser said, acknowledging that the first pick for attorney general had a number of problems that were increasingly hard to defend. “It made sense to cut him loose, but now the pressure is on to get these others confirmed.”

But MAGA pressure may not have the same impact on all senators. Asked if she thought such a campaign from Trump allies has been effective, Maine Sen. Susan Collins – who met with Hegseth on Wednesday – told reporters, “No. I’ve taken many, many difficult votes over the years.”

And some Republicans also warn that a pressure campaign could always backfire, harkening back to then-Sen. John McCain tanking Trump’s health care repeal bill in 2017.

Sen. Thom Tillis said Thursday that alienating members with attacks “is a risk you want to avoid” — a lesson he said he learned in his days in leadership in the North Carolina state House.

“If you aren’t careful with that, you can create headwinds in the future, instead of just getting with these members — all of whom are excited about Trump coming into power, all of whom are excited about a Republican-controlled Washington, DC — and if we start on any one nominee or any one issue, then you have created a reason for that person you’ve targeted to never be with you for the remainder of this Congress,” he said.

When asked by CNN earlier this week whether a pressure campaign was an effective strategy for persuading lawmakers like her, Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska — like Collins, a moderate Republican and potentially key vote on Trump’s Cabinet picks — paused and let the Senate elevator doors close without answering.

On Thursday, she argued that it’ll be difficult over the next four years to remain a moderate in the face of party pressure.

“The approach is going to be, ‘Everybody toe the line. Everybody line up. We got you here, and if you want to survive, you better be good. Don’t get on Santa’s naughty list here, because we will primary you,’” Murkowski said during a conference hosted by No Labels in Washington.

“We’re getting a bit of a preview now of what it’s going to mean to be allegiant to party,” she said, pointing to the attention on Trump’s Cabinet picks and coming to the defense of her colleague Ernst.

Greatest pressure on Ernst

The campaign to get Republicans in line behind Hegseth has focused most heavily on Ernst, who has told allies she intends to seek reelection in 2026.

The two-term Iowa Republican has long been viewed with skepticism by the so-called MAGA wing of the GOP. But the episode over Hegseth – regardless of her ultimate vote – is the biggest test yet in the Trump era of the latitude senators still wield to advise and consent presidential nominees.

The first female combat veteran elected to the US Senate, Ernst has endured relentless criticism and pressure from Trump allies over her posture on Hegseth, who has faced allegations of sexual misconduct and drinking, which he has denied. The former Fox News host also previously said he opposed women serving in combat, which he’s attempted to walk back.

While Ernst did not say she would oppose him, the mere fact that she raised questions about his qualifications sparked intense blowback from fellow conservatives. It was an orchestrated campaign, Ernst’s allies believe, intended to get her to drop her rigorous examination of his background and his fitness to preside over the Defense Department.

On social media, the Iowa senator was threatened by conservative personalities – including Charlie Kirk, a staunch ally and friend of Hegseth’s, who warned that “primaries are going to be launched” against those senators opposing Trump’s picks.

Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird, a Republican who was an early supporter of Trump’s 2024 campaign, wrote an essay on Breitbart that was a clear shot across the bow. “In recent days, it’s become clear that D.C. politicians think they can ignore the voices of their constituents,” Bird wrote. “When voters select a president, they are selecting that president’s vision for a cabinet that will enact his agenda.”

Trump allies have credited those aggressive efforts for Ernst’s softening tone toward Hegseth, with whom she met again on Monday after her initial meeting last week.

“This is not the Washington of four years ago or even two years ago,” one Trump adviser told CNN. “The party has shifted, and we have proven we can and will take on those who try and stand in the way. We have the backing of the people. Trump won.”

A transition official denied there was an orchestrated pressure campaign.

Ernst was initially hoping Hegseth’s nomination wouldn’t reach the stage of confirmation hearings and his selection would falter like Gaetz’s, people familiar with her thinking said, though that outcome now seems less likely.

On Monday, after their follow-up meeting, Ernst released a positive statement, saying she looks “forward to a fair hearing based on truth, not anonymous sources.”

“We did that,” one Trump ally involved in the pressure campaign said proudly of the statement.

Asked by CNN if the pressure she is facing back home to support Hegseth and primary politics played a role in her positive statement, Ernst said: “We have been talking these same issues every meeting that we’ve had, and he had really thoughtful answers.”

Waiting for the process to play out

Across Capitol Hill, Trump’s Cabinet picks have hopscotched from Senate office to Senate office, giving candidates like Hegseth opportunities to address allegations head on, as well as Trump’s supporters the chance to direct attention toward GOP senators who may be hesitant.

For their part, several Republican senators told CNN this week they don’t believe that an outside pressure campaign will influence their votes. And for some of them – like Collins, who hails from a state Trump lost three times – the impact of MAGA world could be less than it was in a place like Iowa.

During their Wednesday meeting, Hegseth took tough questions from Collins, a source said, answering carefully and seriously on a series of policy issues from lethality to women serving in combat roles. The Maine Republican told reporters after the meeting she questioned him on issues related to allegations of heavy drinking and sexual misconduct. And she did not close the door to backing his nomination, saying she’d continue her deliberations.

“I pressed him on both his position on military issues as well as the allegations against him,” Collins said. “I obviously always wait until we have an FBI background check, and one is underway in the case of Mr. Hegseth, and I wait to see the committee hearing before reaching a final decision.”

It’s not just moderates who say they want to see the process play out. Texas Sen. John Cornyn – who said this week after his meeting that he will back Hegseth “barring any unforeseen circumstances” – argued that these meetings with senators are also in the Trump team’s best interest because they can uncover other issues his picks may face.

“By providing the kind of vetting process that we do with advice and consent, we can identify problems with some of these nominees that may not manifest themselves until later, to the embarrassment and distraction of the Trump administration, so this really works to their benefit as well,” Cornyn said.

This story has been updated with additional developments.

CNN’s Veronica Stracqualursi, David Wright and Danya Gainor contributed to this report.

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