WASHINGTON — President Trump insisted Thursday that he has “every intention” of retaining Secretary of War Pete Hegseth as pressure grows to make the Pentagon chief the scapegoat for Tuesday’s sweeping Democratic victories in the midterm elections.
“I have every intention to keep him,” Trump told ABC News anchor Jonathan Karl. “I get these calls, you know, about him. I don’t understand why.”
Hegseth has faced an avalanche of criticism over his handling of the war in Iran, for which he has been a strong advocate and for which top administration figures like Vice President JD Vance have blamed Democrats racking up wins in House and Senate races across the country.
Several Republicans, such as retiring Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, have nudged Trump to sack Hegseth and replace him while Republicans still have a Senate majority.
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives could vote on a resolution to impeach Hegseth as soon as next week, when it returns for its lame-duck session.
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives could vote on a resolution to impeach Hegseth as soon as next week, when it returns for its lame-duck session. Regardless of whether that succeeds, Democrats have signaled they plan to pursue the former Fox News host if he is still in charge of the military when the new Congress is sworn in Jan. 3.
During the early days of Operation Epic Fury, Hegseth emerged as the face of the Trump administration’s pro-war contingent, bristling at any skepticism from reporters about the success of the operation.
However, Hegseth has not briefed reporters about the conflict since May, while new details have slowly emerged about the devastation Iran caused US bases in the region — including a key port in Bahrain used for supplying aircraft carriers.
On Wednesday, Hegseth shot down efforts to get him to voluntarily leave his role at the Pentagon and pursue the newly open Senate seat in his home state of Tennessee. Outgoing Sen. Marsha Blackburn won the gubernatorial race in the Volunteer State and will be able to appoint her successor.
“We will continue to drive [Trump’s] agenda at the Department of War — despite threats of sham witch hunts from Democrats — and Secretary Hegseth is 100% committed to leading the Department until the end of President Trump’s term in office,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell insisted.
However, White House insiders told The Post that Trump is canvassing advisers for feedback about whether Hegseth should remain the cabinet — though they caution the 46-year-old’s ouster is far from certain.
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“Somebody has to own this,” a person close to the administration said Wednesday. “When the word ‘war’ is in your title, then you might be the person in the crosshairs.”
There is precedent for axing key officials after heavy electoral losses.
Former President George W. Bush announced the resignation of then-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld a day after Republicans sustained massive losses in the 2006 midterm elections amid public backlash over the war in Iraq.
Also Thursday, Trump expressed optimism that he could work with Democratic majorities in the 120th Congress.
“I think we can get along,” he said. “It’s good for the country if we do. The country has had enough.”
