Hegseth in ‘trouble’ as Trump faces music on Iran war, midterms

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's future leading the Pentagon looks increasingly uncertain as his critics within the administration blame him for helping push President Trump into a war that contributed to massive midterm losses Tuesday.

Two sources familiar with the discussion said the president is asking allies about Hegseth's standing. One of those sources said the Defense chief is in "a lot of trouble," while the other said it wasn't clear how much his position was in jeopardy. Both spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.

At the same time, the administration is reviewing plans to resume military operations against Iran, one of the two sources said.

Trump has stood by Hegseth in public and told reporters Thursday his mind wasn't made up on the future of the war.

"I would rather not destroy the rest of the country, if possible, but maybe I will have to," Trump told reporters Thursday at the White House. "You will know soon enough."

A senior Pentagon official told The Hill on Thursday that the idea of Hegseth being replaced is not "practical," pointing to the potential difficulty of finding a replacement who could be confirmed by the Senate during the lame-duck — and before Democrats take control of the upper chamber.

"He is not terribly worried about being replaced," the senior Pentagon official said.

The Defense secretary's standing in Congress has been on a downturn among both Democrats and Republicans, who have demanded more transparency from the Pentagon regarding the Iran war and defense spending plans.

A Republican congressional official said Hegseth's position had become "completely untenable" from a Capitol Hill standpoint.

"Keeping him in would require the White House to spend all of their political capital defending him from impeachment proceedings and drag the president into endless news cycles about the war, firing generals, Signalgate and more," this official told The Hill on Thursday.

Hegseth and allied social media accounts made a concerted effort to push back Thursday.

In a video recorded in front of the Pentagon, Hegseth slammed Rep. Thomas Massie's (R-Ky.) impeachment salvo and pushed once again for Congress to greenlight the $350 billion defense reconciliation package.

"This is not about me, but of course the other side. In case you've noticed, they're obsessed. A disgruntled, defeated congressman , along with all his Democrat allies, has also dropped sham articles of impeachment against yours truly, just like they tried against President Trump twice," Hegseth said in the video posted Thursday.

"You see, their policies don't work, so their obsession with political theater disguised as power drives them to try to destroy their opponents," he said. "It's all about the politics of personal destruction. Didn't work against President Trump, and it won't work with me."

The Pentagon press team started making social media posts in support of the Defense secretary Thursday, writing, "Stand. Fight. Defend the Republic."

The Pentagon did not respond to The Hill's request for comment.

The White House posted an 80-second video to the social platform X touting Hegseth's tenure at the Pentagon.

"We are not defenders anymore. We are warriors," the Pentagon chief said in that video.

The speculation surrounding Hegseth's future follows Vice President Vance's move to blame the GOP's midterm defeats on the Iran war, of which he's been a vocal opponent within the administration.

"When you have the sitting VP say Iran is a mistake, the support for the conflict and Hegseth by extension is going to evaporate," one defense-world source said Thursday.

But a senior administration official said anyone "looking to point fingers should start looking for another scapegoat," as the Pentagon and the White House have made their positions on Hegseth "crystal clear."

"They are coming out swinging in support of Hegseth, and that should tell you everything you need to know," the official said.

"Suggesting he's looking for an exit or preparing to step aside is delusional thinking and misreading the situation. He's not going anywhere," the official added. "He's going to remain focused on his mission, he won't be distracted by the noise and he's not going to let the pressure dictate his future."

Inside the Pentagon, questions are swirling about how long Hegseth lasts even if he is not impeached, The Hill has reported.

Those who have broken with Hegseth, including a former Army National Guard major, argued the former Fox News co-host shouldn't have overseen the Pentagon in the first place.

"For almost two years now, we've had a cross between a court jester and a personal trainer running the Pentagon, and it's done real damage to the President and to Republicans. If Hegseth were truly loyal to President Trump, he would have stepped aside long ago — or better yet, never taken a job he wasn't qualified for," said John Ullyot, former Pentagon spokesperson under Hegseth and author of the new book " The President Deserves Better ."

Hegseth is seen as one of the chief Iran war backers in the administration — something Trump has publicly recognized.

"Pete, I think you were the first one to speak up, and you said let's do it because you can't let them have a nuclear weapon," Trump said in late March.

The pressure on Hegseth will go up next week as Massie, a vocal Iran war critic, plans to reintroduce eight articles of impeachment against Hegseth, an effort that has House Democrats lining up behind it.

Massie, who lost his reelection to Hegseth-backed former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein, said the only thing that could stop him is Hegseth resigning on his own accord.

Mark Lucas, a Hegseth ally, said that Democrats are using Massie and Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) to drive the impeachment push and that his organization Veteran Action will hold any Republican accountable who supports the effort.

"And if you ever hope to have a political future in the Republican Party, you better vote that resolution down. It's bigger than Pete Hegseth. It's bigger than Donald Trump," Lucas said during his appearance on Steve Bannon's "War Room" show.

CBS News reported Wednesday that Trump was considering replacing Hegseth with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), who is term-limited and leaving office in January. However, one source said DeSantis is not interested in the role.

Trump has maintained that he has no plans to remove Hegseth from his role but noted in a phone interview with ABC News on Thursday that it would be easier to confirm a new Defense secretary while Republicans still have their majorities before next year.

The president also said Wednesday that Hegseth would be a "very popular" Tennessee senator if he filled Sen. Marsha Blackburn's (R) seat.

Hegseth is interested in the open Tennessee Senate seat , which expires in 2031, and has been campaigning behind the scenes for the post, The Hill previously reported . Blackburn has shown no signs of supporting the move.

"I think he's doing a very good job, and I actually think he'd be very popular if he did that. But I haven't heard that at all," the president told reporters Wednesday.

When pressed again on potential staffing changes involving Hegseth, the president said Thursday his Defense secretary "has done a fantastic job."

"We had more generals than we did in World War II. We had so many generals. Everybody was a four-star general. I never saw anything like it, and many of those people were woke," he continued. "I don't like a woke general, so he probably has opposition. I think he's doing a fantastic job."

Hegseth was seen walking into the West Wing earlier Thursday.

Massie also encouraged the president to replace Hegseth during the lame-duck period.

However, with only a few weeks of floor time and many competing priorities, replacing a defense secretary in the middle of a war may not be a top GOP priority.

Even if Trump did attempt a switch, a number of departing Republican senators who have locked horns with Trump, including Republican Sens. John Cornyn (Texas), Bill Cassidy (La.), and Mitch McConnell (Ky.), may not be generous with their confirmation votes.

On the Senate side, Democrats are quietly floating the defense secretary's removal following the midterms, using Hegseth as leverage in defense spending talks with the administration, The Hill previously reported . And they could have some GOP support.

Hegseth's message to service members on Thursday was to remain focused on the mission.

"To the troops, don't blink, ignore the noise, never hesitate," he said. "You see, all this is politics. You do real things, so stay the course."