Trump Asking about Keeping Hegseth after Disastrous Midterms

By Staff, Agencies

US President Donald Trump has begun asking advisers whether War Secretary Pete Hegseth should remain in his position following Republicans’ catastrophic losses in Tuesday’s midterm elections, according to multiple sources familiar with the discussions.

Hegseth- a former Fox News host turned war chief - spent the last year pushing aggressive reforms across the military, from launching military strikes in Iran without congressional approval to purging dozens of top officers and championing controversial readiness initiatives aimed at boosting testosterone and fitness standards. But as the midterm results rolled in, his high-profile overhaul failed to shield Republicans at the ballot box. Voters rejected the administration’s military agenda, punished the GOP and handed control of Congress back to Democrats.

The fallout from the election has placed Hegseth’s political survival in immediate jeopardy as Congress prepares to return for a high-stakes lame-duck session.

While White House aides have predicted that much of the post-election blame will land on top commanders like CENTCOM chief Adm. Brad Cooper and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine, political pressure is mounting directly on the Pentagon chief, as reported by CBS News.

Democrats, buoyed by incoming majorities in both chambers, are renewing pushes for an impeachment vote, and key Senate Republicans are openly questioning whether Trump will keep Hegseth to unblock stalled military spending bills.

Exit polling showed the Iran War was a massive drag on Republican support for the midterms. One exit poll found that 74 percent of voters described the war as a crucial or major issue. The Associated Press found that six in 10 voters believed the US made the wrong decision in taking military action against Iran. A day after the results, even Vice President JD Vance was quick to blame the administration's attacks for the lackluster GOP showing.

“The reason we lost is the war,” Vance wrote on social media. “The president himself said so last night.”

The drag the war was for voters could lead Republicans to turn on Hegseth, but the immediate question might be coming from Congress. Sen. Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican, warned that Hegseth faces “a reckoning” and questioned whether the administration could pass critical military spending while he remained atop the War Department, as reported by CBS News.

Tillis told the outlet that Hegseth was directly responsible for stalled funding, saying, “Hegseth has a reckoning. He is one of the reasons why we don’t have the funding or guarantee for defense that we need.”

The funding gridlock stems from Democratic threats to block a $70 billion emergency military funding request made by the administration in June, as well as the annual military appropriations bill for fiscal year 2027, amid ongoing US military aggression against Iran.

Tillis, who provided a key vote to confirm Hegseth in January 2025, recently called that vote the biggest regret of his career. 

Tillis also told CBS News, “I think after the election, we need to determine whether or not he’s the best person to bring those needs to Congress.”

He noted that lawmakers had only 60 days to act before the current session ended.

Other lawmakers have similarly indicated that Hegseth’s departure could clear the path for legislative compromises. Sen. Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, told The Hill in September that a change in leadership at the Pentagon would help Republicans and Democrats reach bipartisan agreements on national military spending.