Trump Defends Pete Hegseth While Allies Say He's Weighing a Change. Decide, Then Lead.
Trump says Hegseth is doing a very good job, while sources tell NBC and CBS the president has asked whether to replace him after the midterm losses.
The facts come first below. My opinion follows in the section marked as opinion.
President Trump is publicly defending Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth while privately talking with allies about whether to keep him, according to major news outlets reading the post-midterm blame game over the Iran war.
These accounts come from reports read Thursday evening, Nov. 5, Central time. Personnel decisions can change overnight.
Democrats will control the Senate confirmation process in January. That calendar is why the lame-duck window matters for any Cabinet change. A nominee who cannot clear a Democratic Senate will not clear one later without a fight.
What Trump said and what sources say
NBC News reported Wednesday that Trump has told some of his allies in recent days that he is considering replacing Hegseth, citing two people familiar with the discussions. NBC noted that Hegseth, a former Fox News weekend co-host, was very narrowly confirmed by the Senate in January 2025 and has frustrated members of Congress from both parties.
CBS News reported the same day that Trump has been asking advisers whether Hegseth should stay after Republicans' catastrophic midterm losses, citing multiple sources familiar with the matter. Asked Wednesday afternoon whether he was considering a replacement, Trump told reporters, "No, I think he's doing a very good job," CBS reported. White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said in a statement that the president "has full confidence in Secretary Hegseth."
CBS also reported that one source said Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is being floated as a possible replacement who could be confirmed in the lame-duck session and take the job when his term as governor expires Jan. 5. That DeSantis scenario rests on that single CBS source. Other sources told CBS the president has not decided to replace Hegseth. As of Thursday evening, Nov. 5, Trump had announced no nomination and still publicly backed Hegseth.
War, blame and impeachment talk
Vice President JD Vance blamed the Iran war for the GOP defeat, writing on X, "The reason we lost is the war," CBS News reported. Some White House aides have predicted blame will also fall on Adm. Brad Cooper, head of U.S. Central Command, and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine, CBS said.
Deutsche Welle, citing U.S. outlets including CNN and The Washington Post, reported that Hegseth has been a loud advocate of attacking Iran and that pressure is rising on Capitol Hill. Deutsche Welle, citing CNN, said Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky told CNN he plans to trigger an impeachment vote, and that Massie posted on X that his resolution is a "much gentler" version of what Democrats will bring in January: "They'll have hearings & trials." Separate U.S. coverage since then has Massie aiming to force that vote when Congress returns next week, unless Hegseth resigns first.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said Hegseth "will not back down or be deterred by politicians seeking to score partisan points or launch phony investigations where no wrongdoing exists," and that "Secretary Hegseth is 100% committed to leading the Department until the end of President Trump's term in office," according to Deutsche Welle.
For Trump's public reaction to the midterm loss itself, see Trump Congratulates Democrats, Says Iran Was Part of GOP Loss.
Opinion:
A defense secretary serves at the pleasure of the president. If Trump believes Hegseth is the right man, he should say so plainly and stick to it. If he does not, he should make a change before a Democratic Senate can turn every nomination into a two-year circus. Winking at both options helps no one in uniform.
The Iran war is not a cable-news subplot. Americans paid for it at the pump and at the ballot box. Leaders who cheered the war should own the results. Leaders who opposed it without a serious plan should own that, too. Impeachment theater that scores points without proving high crimes is not the same as oversight.
Scripture says, Without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counsellors they are established. Trump should take counsel from people who tell him the truth about costs, casualties and strategy, not only from people who want a job. Decide. Then lead.
