USA04 November, 20262 min read
Archive photo · 27 January 2025Trump Weighs Firing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth After Republicans’ Midterm Rout
“pin blame for the election results on Hegseth”
“Trump could also scapegoat the head of US Central Command Admiral Brad Cooper”
Photo: U.S. Department of Defense / US federal government, Public domain · Cropped for layout
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Trump weighing firing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth after Republicans' midterm rout Calls to replace Hegseth grow as aides blame Iran war for GOP losses
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Hegseth becomes target
President Donald Trump is weighing whether to keep Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth after Republicans suffered a midterm rout, with CNN saying the House could vote as soon as next week to impeach the Pentagon’s top leader.
“Trump told reporters, ‘No, I think he’s doing a very good job.’”
Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky plans to trigger a vote to impeach Hegseth when Congress returns next week, and multiple GOP sources said they expect it to pass.
Vice President JD Vance said “the reason we lost is the war,” while CNN reported that Trump has not yet signaled plans to fire any top officials.
Trump defended the war effort and denied any plans to fire Hegseth, saying he thought the defense secretary was “doing a very good job.”
War blame and rival voices
Many Republican lawmakers and allies are moving swiftly to pin blame for the election results on Hegseth, arguing behind the scenes that he played a chief role in convincing Trump to attack Iran with no exit strategy. One former senior Pentagon official said, “This has been primarily a Department of War-led effort because you chose to take military action to resolve a foreign policy matter.”
Trump is considering firing Hegseth after the president acknowledged that the Iran war was “largely” to blame for the Democrats’ large victories. Trump said, “Well, I think it’s largely true because it drove the gasoline up a little bit short term and... probably it’s true.”
Possible replacements and stakes
Some White House aides told CBS News that Trump could also scapegoat the head of US Central Command Admiral Brad Cooper and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine for the misghandling of the conflict. Ron DeSantis, the outgoing governor of Florida, has been suggested as a possible replacement for Mr Hegseth.
White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly told CBS News in a statement that Trump has “full confidence” in Hegseth. Trump told reporters, “I actually think he’d be very popular if he did that,” when asked about a possible Senate landing spot for Hegseth in Tennessee.