Pete Hegseth is responding to Vice President JD Vance’s claim the GOP suffered major losses in the 2026 midterm elections because of the wildly-unpopular Iran war.
“I respect the vice president greatly, and I’m certainly not going to exchange in any finger-pointing, and thankfully, politics is not really my thing,” Hegseth, a former Fox News weekend political news host, said in a press briefing on Tuesday, November 10, via NBC News. “I do the Department of War and making sure we’re prepared and ready.”
The United States Secretary of Defense, 46, continued, “A lot of people are going to look at the conflict and assess it, and the vice president has been a critical member of the team in every aspect of this, and we’re grateful for all the input he’s given me personally and our department.”
Earlier this month, Vance, 42, shared his personal — and lengthy — assessment on why the majority of Americans voted for Democrats in various midterm races, resulting in the Democratic party regaining control of the House and the Senate while flipping historically-red states like Texas, Kansas and more.
After allegedly analyzing data and speaking with pollsters, the vice president came to the conclusion that “the reason we lost is the war.”
“If you’d like to argue it was worth it, that losing the Senate for the next 6 years was worth it, then do so,” he wrote via X on November 4. “Argue it was a worthwhile cost to pay. Agree or disagree, that’s at least honest. But everyone knows why we lost. And any honest conversation about where we go from here must start there.”
In his first press briefing at the Pentagon in nearly 190 days, Hegseth said he was focused on the future and keeping Americans safe amid a bipartisan push to remove him from his position.
“Going forward, we’re going to learn all those lessons and apply them,” he shared. “But I agree with what the president said when he said, ‘Hey, if I had to do this all over again, would we do it again? Absolutely.’”
Hegseth’s latest comments come just one day after Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) unveiled eight articles of impeachment against him.
Massie, 55, accuses President Donald Trump’s cabinet member of violating the U.S. Constitution and other laws during U.S. military operations in Iran, Yemen, Venezuela and the Caribbean.
“Some argue Hegseth has been effective,” Massie wrote via X on Tuesday, November 10. “I would agree. He’s been effective at breaking the law and violating the Constitution.”
In a press briefing, Hegseth called impeachment attempts a “farce” and “stunt.”
“What one disgruntled and defeated congressman is attempting is not oversight, and it’s not accountability,” he claimed. “It’s a political spectacle, a personal manifesto driven by ego and resentment. Time for one man’s final days in Congress to try to do damage to this president, to this country and most irresponsibly, the warriors who defend it.”
