In the 2006 midterms, then-President George Bush fired Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld the morning after Democrats seized control of Congress. A Trump adviser said Pete Hegseth isn't safe from the same fate.
President Donald Trump listens as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks at a roundtable event in the East Room of the White House on Oct 21, 2026, in Washington. (Photo: AP/Alex Brandon)
President Donald Trump listens as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks at a roundtable event in the East Room of the White House on Oct 21, 2026, in Washington. (Photo: AP/Alex Brandon)
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump backed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday (Nov 4), a day after Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress in midterm elections that reflected voter anger over the Iran war.
Asked whether he was considering replacing Hegseth, whom he has described as a champion of the war, Trump told reporters: "No, I think he's doing a very good job."
The response contrasted with then-President George Bush, who fired Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld the morning after the 2006 midterm elections, when voter discontent over the Iraq war helped Democrats win control of Congress.
But sources said Trump could still replace Hegseth as Republicans assess their losses.
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One Trump adviser said Hegseth "could be on the chopping block" because of the war. "Someone is going to get blamed for this and you know it's not going to be him (Trump)," the adviser said.
Trump has described Hegseth as a key proponent of the unpopular conflict, saying on Mar 23: "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.'"
On Wednesday, Vice President JD Vance publicly questioned whether the Iran war was worth it and said it cost Republicans control of Congress.
Asked for comment, the White House referred Reuters to Trump's public remarks on Hegseth.
The Defense Department said Hegseth was "100 per cent committed" to leading the Pentagon until the end of Trump's term, which ends on Jan. 20, 2029.