Trump Asks Advisers About Hegseth’s Future After Republican Midterm Losses
President Donald Trump has asked advisers whether Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth should remain at the Pentagon after Republicans lost both chambers of Congress in Tuesday’s midterm elections. Trump raised the question in person and by phone, according to several people familiar with the discussions who spoke to CBS News. The president has yet to make a decision and publicly backed Hegseth on Wednesday.
When reporters asked Wednesday afternoon whether he was considering removing Hegseth, Trump replied, “No, I think he’s doing a very good job.” Earlier that day, Vice President JD Vance had blamed the administration’s war with Iran for the Republican defeat. “The reason we lost is the war,” Vance wrote in a post on Twitter.com
Some White House aides expect two senior military officers to draw criticism over the war as well. Adm. Brad Cooper, who leads U.S. Central Command, and Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, both advised the administration on the conflict.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has come up in discussions as a possible successor to Hegseth, one person briefed on the matter told CBS News. If Trump nominates him, the Senate could consider DeSantis during the lame-duck session, while Republicans still hold the majority. He could then take over at the Pentagon when his term as governor ends Jan. 5.
DeSantis had criticized Trump’s choice of Kristi Noem to lead the Department of Homeland Security in a Nov. 3 interview with Stephen A. Smith on SiriusXM. The governor called the appointment a mistake and said Noem sought confrontations over immigration enforcement because they drew news coverage. DeSantis also took aim at lawmakers who trade stocks while in office, renewing his call for Congress to ban the practice and adopt term limits.
He's on fire https://t.co/sudVR6LdM2
— Ryan James Girdusky (@RyanGirdusky) November 5, 2026
Trump also fielded a question Wednesday about whether Hegseth might seek the Tennessee Senate seat that will open when Sen. Marsha Blackburn becomes governor. “I actually think he’d be very popular if he did that,” Trump said, adding, “but I haven’t heard that at all.”
House Democrats had already introduced articles of impeachment against Hegseth over the war in Iran. Their incoming majority will give them control of the committees that could investigate his conduct and the votes to bring the articles to the House floor.
White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said Trump “has full confidence in Secretary Hegseth.” She cited U.S. military operations in Iran and Venezuela and credited Hegseth with reversing what she described as the Biden administration’s emphasis on “DEI and woke ideology” at the Pentagon.
