Musk-backed Group Runs Ad Pressuring Senators To Support Hegseth

A group previously backed by tech billionaire Elon Musk is running an advertisement pressuring senators to support President-elect Trump’s pick for Defense secretary, Pete Hegseth.

The ad, from conservative group Building America’s Future, is set to air on national television and will have a particular focus on Iowa via digital platforms. It was first reported by the Daily Caller. 

“America needs a Defense secretary who knows what it means to fight and understands the price of freedom,” a voiceover says in the ad posted Friday to social platform X.

The ad, which is costing Building America’s Future $500,000, features photos and a video clip of Hegseth, and calls him “a patriot, a decorated combat veteran and a warrior who will stop at nothing to keep America safe.” It ends with a push from the narrator to contact “your senator today and urge them to confirm Pete Hegseth for secretary of Defense.”

According to previous reporting from Reuters, Musk began contributing to Building America’s Future in 2022. 

Republican senators’ scrutiny of Hegseth has grown in the wake of recent revelations of alleged alcohol abuse and sexual misconduct in his past.

Despite the controversy, Hegseth said Wednesday that he won’t back down, and in a post on X, he suggested he is the target of a smear campaign by Democrats.

The Building America’s Future ad having a distinct aim toward Iowa may be due to the state’s own Sen. Joni Ernst (R) and her recently saying that Hegseth had not won her vote. Hegseth has had two meetings with Ernst in the last week, with one being Monday. 

Ernst said in a statement that Trump’s pick for Defense secretary “committed to completing a full audit of the Pentagon and selecting a senior official who will uphold the roles and value of our servicemen and women — based on quality and standards, not quotas — and who will prioritize and strengthen my work to prevent sexual assault within the ranks.”

The Hill has reached out to Ernst’s office for comment.