Trump backs Hegseth as midterm losses raise questions over Pentagon chief’s future

• Trump said he was not considering replacing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth after Democrats won control of Congress.
• Vice President JD Vance questioned whether the Iran war was worth it and said it cost Republicans their congressional majorities.
• Democrats have pledged to investigate Hegseth’s handling of the war and other Pentagon decisions.

US President Donald Trump defended Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday, a day after Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress in midterm elections marked by voter discontent over the Iran war.

Asked whether he was considering replacing Hegseth, Trump told reporters he was not and said the defense secretary was doing “a very good job.” The White House referred Reuters to Trump’s public remarks, while the Pentagon said Hegseth was committed to leading the department through the end of Trump’s term on January 20, 2029.

Sources told Reuters that Trump could still replace Hegseth as Republicans assess their losses. One Trump adviser said the defense secretary could face blame for the war. Trump previously described Hegseth as one of the first officials to advocate military action against Iran, citing concerns that Tehran could acquire a nuclear weapon.

Vance publicly questioned the merits of the war on Wednesday and said it had cost Republicans control of Congress. Trump’s decision to stand by his defense secretary contrasted with that of President George W. Bush, who dismissed Donald Rumsfeld the morning after the 2006 midterms, when anger over the Iraq war helped Democrats win both chambers.

Hegseth has also faced criticism within his own party. Republican Representative Thomas Massie filed articles of impeachment against him earlier this year, accusing him of abusing his office by launching hostilities against Iran without congressional approval.

Republican Senator Thom Tillis told CBS News on Tuesday that Hegseth’s strained relationship with lawmakers was complicating the administration’s effort to secure a $1.5 trillion defense spending package. He questioned whether Hegseth was the right person to make the case for the package with about 60 days left in the current Congress.

Democratic aides said potential investigations could cover Hegseth’s handling of the Iran war and his removal of senior military officers, including the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Lawmakers could also examine his policy on Ukraine and US strikes on suspected drug trafficking boats in Latin American waters. Some Democrats have said those strikes could amount to war crimes.

Representative Adam Smith, who is expected to lead the House Armed Services Committee next year, pledged close oversight of the Pentagon, including scrutiny of whether its decisions have eroded the military’s political neutrality.

Relations with Congress had already deteriorated last year when Hegseth sought to prosecute Democratic Senator Mark Kelly. Kelly and five other Democratic lawmakers with military or intelligence backgrounds had urged service members to refuse illegal orders. Hegseth accused them of sedition.

A source familiar with the matter said tensions on Capitol Hill had figured in White House discussions about possible replacements. The source said a successor might be better positioned to deal with Democratic investigations if they had not been involved in the decisions under review. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said the department had acted lawfully and that Hegseth would continue to carry out Trump’s agenda. He characterised the proposed investigations as partisan.

Another possibility raised in Washington is a move to the Senate. Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn was elected governor on Tuesday and is due to take office in January, leaving four years on her Senate term. Hegseth, a Tennessee resident who voted there on Tuesday, could be appointed to fill the vacancy without running for the seat. Trump said Hegseth would likely be popular in that role but said he had heard nothing about a possible appointment.

Trump has regularly praised Hegseth and given the former Army National Guard soldier wide latitude to reshape the Pentagon. The two publicly diverged last month when Trump halted Hegseth’s plan to livestream the military execution by firing squad of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan. Republican lawmakers, religious leaders and international observers had objected to the plan, and defense officials privately expressed relief that the livestream would not go ahead.