Pete Hegseth’s future hangs in the balance as Donald Trump confronts a political crisis of his own making. After Republicans suffered a devastating midterm defeat, the president is weighing whether to keep his embattled war secretary or sacrifice him to a furious party base.
For more than eighteen months, Hegseth has been one of Trump’s most visible and combative Cabinet members. He renamed his position to include the word “war,” and he helped steer the administration into a conflict with Iran that has now become a political millstone. This week, voters delivered their verdict: Democrats won races up and down the ballot in what the source describes as one of the worst midterm losses for a ruling party in recent memory.
The question now is whether Hegseth will pay the price. Trump has publicly offered mixed signals. In an ABC News interview on Thursday, he said he had “every intention to keep” Hegseth, adding that he receives calls about the secretary but does not understand why. Yet behind closed doors, Trump has reportedly asked advisers whether he should remove him. One former White House staffer told Fox News that Hegseth is “on the chopping block.”
Trump has also floated an alternative: Hegseth could be “very popular” in another political role, such as a Senate seat in Tennessee. Senator Marsha Blackburn will vacate her seat next year after winning the governor’s race, and she could appoint Hegseth to serve the remainder of her term.
Hegseth has maintained a defiant public posture. On Thursday he posted a message declaring that the War Department stands, fights, and defends the republic.
Other administration figures tied to the Iran war are already positioning themselves for the fallout. Reports suggest Secretary of State Marco Rubio is looking to step down and pivot toward a presidential campaign, while Vice President JD Vance blamed the GOP’s poor showing on the war in a lengthy post-midterm message.
Outgoing Representative Thomas Massie, who was pushed out of the MAGA fold after Trump endorsed his primary opponent, has said he will trigger a vote to impeach Hegseth when Congress returns next week. Even if the House passes such a resolution, at least 67 senators would need to support removal, making a presidential decision the most likely path out of the Pentagon.
The choice is not straightforward. Firing Hegseth would be politically expedient, allowing Trump to pin blame for an unpopular war on a former Fox News host. But Trump is still at war, and Hegseth remains both willing and incentivized to carry out the president’s orders. One official told CNN that just two days earlier, Trump had told Hegseth in person that he was “the best guy I have.”
For a lame-duck president facing a crumbling administration, removing one of his few truly loyal Cabinet members may prove harder than it looks.
