'Go in with authority': Sen. Joni Ernst's advice to Trump on Powerhouse Politics

Washington DC -- As the first female combat veteran elected to the Senate, Joni Ernst told ABC's Powerhouse Politics podcast that she has some advice for President Donald Trump as he heads to his summit with Kim Jong Un Singapore.

“Let's lay out the ground rules. Let's talk about the issues. I don't think that necessarily we will see an ultimate solution coming out of this first summit, but it's absolutely going in with authority," Ernst told host and Chief White House Correspondent Jonathan Karl. "Go in from a position of strength. Let them know what our expectations are.”

Ernst toured South Korea with a congressional delegation in February and was briefed on the North Korea threat. She also serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee. The Iowa Republican doesn’t trust North Korea, and believes isolating Kim Jong Un economically has been effective. “I do believe those sanctions have brought him to the negotiating table.”

She added, “I think that we have to press hard, and that there should not be a reward. We shouldn't reward bad behavior. I think we continue pressing on, and make sure that we are seeing our goals and objectives met before we yield to any demands coming from North Korea.”

Ernst will be nowhere near Singapore during the summit. The Harley Davidson enthusiast heads to her home state this weekend for her annual Roast and Ride rally which includes a motorcycle ride and a pig roast. Karl joined Ernst for her first one three years ago. Republicans with higher political ambitions often attend the event. South Carolina Rep. Trey Gowdy headlines this year's event.

Despite his conservative credentials, Gowdy has recently has come under fire for challenging President Trump's unsubstantiated claim that the FBI embedded a spy in the 2016 Trump campaign. Gowdy told Fox News, "I am even more convinced that the FBI did exactly what my fellow citizens would want them to do. It has nothing to do with Donald Trump."

Ernst said she trusted Gowdy’s judgment and pointed out that he had access to classified information that she did not. “He is known to be a very dogged prosecutor. I mean he is he will go after any wrongdoer that he sees and he does it full force. So if there was something that he had found that would lead him to believe there was evil intent, I think he would most certainly go after the agency. So I do trust his judgment.”

And after the Roast and Ride, Ernst will head back to Washington. She’s one of the senators who pushed for the August recess to be canceled, tweeting “No Budget, No Vacation.” After Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's announcement Tuesday that the Senate will remain in session for August, it looks like she got her way.