Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth will leave the Pentagon as U.S. soldiers fight in the Middle East to make a special appearance in a heavily contested presidential battleground.
Hegseth has confirmed he will head to Iowa on Saturday, March 14, for a fundraising event for Republican congressman Zach Nunn. The Democrats are targeting Iowa in this year’s midterms as Donald Trump continues to lose popularity in Middle America.
Combat veteran Nunn has borrowed Top Gun imagery for his ‘Salute to the Troops’ event with Hegseth, to be held at Ankeny Regional Airport.
“This event is all about honoring the brave men and women who have worn the uniform and defending the freedoms they fought for,” Nunn posted on X.
Tickets range from $26 for a basic single ticket to $3,500 for six tickets and an invitation to a VIP reception. There are no details on whether that includes a meet-and-greet with Hegseth.
The fine print on Nunn’s flyer states, however, that Hegseth is a “special guest” at the event and his appearance “is not a solicitation of funds.”
Nunn’s website states that while he is a member of U.S. Air Force Reserve, “Use of his military rank, job titles, and photographs in uniform does not imply endorsement by the Department of the Air Force or Department of Defense.”
He claims to have raised over $3.5 million in 2025 for his “war chest” ahead of a “showdown” this year as he applies for reelection in Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District.
Nunn is one of the names Democrats are targeting in their new focus on challenging bolted-on GOP states.
Last month the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee released their “Red to Blue” program, a high-stakes attempt to swing long-held Republican districts ahead of the 2026 midterms.
In 2024, Trump had his best showing in Iowa, carrying the state by 13 points over Kamala Harris.
The defense secretary’s forthcoming appearance with Nunn in an election hotspot comes as Republican Markwayne Mullin awkwardly upgraded his title to “President Hegseth” twice during a Fox News interview on Tuesday.
Mullin was praising Hegseth’s war-fighting credentials after his time in the Army National Guard.
“War is ugly, it smells bad, and if anybody’s ever been there and, been able to smell the war that’s happened around you and taste it and fill it in your nostrils and hear it, it’s something that you’ll never forget, and it’s ugly,” Mullin said before stumbling over his titles twice.
“And fortunately, you have President Hegseth—or I say President Hegseth—Secretary Hegseth, that has got a great relationship with President Trump, and President Hegseth’s been there. He’s done that.”
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