Lauren Boebert

Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) said it was “difficult” to defend President Donald Trump’s war in Iran when Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is making campaign stops across the country.

NewsNation’s Chris Cuomo asked Boebert on Wednesday about whether military operations in Iran — and potentially Cuba — could possibly hurt MAGA candidates’ chances in the midterm elections. Boebert reiterated her support for the military operation in Venezuela that removed leader Nicolás Maduro from power.

“These foreign issues that we are facing are not my top priority. I understand that the President is tackling them hard. I praised him for his work in Venezuela. I praised him for the initial strikes in Iran,” she said.

She added: “It’s really tough to defend all the aspects of this war with Iran currently, especially when we see the Secretary of War doing campaign events in Kentucky, of all places, in the middle of a war. That’s really difficult to grasp.”

Hegseth made a rare campaign stop earlier this week to support retired Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein in his primary challenge to Rep. Thomas Massie’s (R-Ky.). The campaign stop was met with some backlash as critics questioned whether it was appropriate for a government official to campaign for a political candidate.

Boebert became one of the latest Republicans to be targeted by Trump after she supported Massie’s reelection bid despite opposition from the president. In a post on Truth Social last week, Trump offered to back a primary challenger to Boebert.

“Is anyone interested in running against Weak Minded Lauren Boebert in Colorado’s Fourth Congressional District? You remember Lauren moved to the District when it became obvious that she couldn’t win in her original Congressional District (The Third!) — A Carpetbagger, indeed!” Trump said.

After Massie lost his reelection bid on Tuesday, Boebert shared a social media post on X signaling her support for Trump.