Another source familiar with the matter tells TIME that a Trump ally informed Ernst that the President would support a primary challenge against her in Iowa—where Trump won the caucuses last year by roughly 30 points—if she blocked Hegseth. At the same time, Musk quietly back-channeled a message to Senators, according to two sources familiar with the matter: anyone who votes against Trump’s Cabinet secretaries will face a multi-million dollar Musk-funded Super PAC to oust them from office in their next primary. Ernst ultimately signaled she would back Hegseth.
“That’s the reality that all these members live in the next couple years here,” says a source close to Trump. “They all get in line at the end of the day.”