Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday blasted efforts to impeach him as a farce that would embolden US adversaries, as he lashed out at his political opponents in Congress and the media in an unapologetic ​defence of his record. Striking a defiant tone at a Pentagon news briefing, Hegseth thanked President Donald Trump for his continued ‌support as the House of Representatives scheduled a procedural vote for late on Tuesday that will test support for his impeachment. WATCH IN FULL: @SecWar's powerful press conference dismantling the politically motivated impeachment hoax against him. pic.twitter.com/XS4dnHyEbh — Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) November 10, 2026 Hegseth said past impeachments of Trump had ultimately failed, and added: "Both times he came back stronger, and the American people sent him back to the White House. Now they're trying a third time. This time against a ​member of his cabinet." US Representative Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, introduced eight articles of impeachment against Hegseth on Monday. Massie said in ​a post on X that if the House of Representatives can overcome Tuesday's procedural effort, "we will proceed to a ⁠real debate and vote on the Articles of Impeachment". Congressional sources say the resolution may have the votes to pass even with Trump’s Republicans ​still controlling the House until Democrats take over on January 3. Conviction appears unlikely in the Senate, however, where a two-thirds majority is required and ​Republicans hold 53 of 100 seats. Hegseth is accused of various abuses of power in office, including issuing orders to go to war with Iran without an imminent threat or approval from Congress. Voter anger over the Iran war helped Democrats win control of Congress in last week's midterm elections. A new Reuters/Ipsos poll published on Tuesday found a majority ​of Americans want the newly elected Democratic-majority US Congress to act to end the war with Iran. Vice President JD Vance has publicly questioned the ​war. Hegseth declined to be drawn into responding to Vance, but defended the conflict, calling Trump courageous and saying Iran's military has been left in ruins. "History will judge ‌the ⁠Iran war quite differently than the conventional wisdom right now," he said. Hegseth cited US Secretary of State Marco Rubio as saying of the war: "It's not necessarily popular, but it may have been necessary, and that's certainly how I feel. It was a necessary undertaking." Trump repeated his backing of Hegseth in a post on his Truth Social platform just after the Pentagon briefing ended. "Pete Hegseth gets an 'A' plus, plus, plus for his defence against a ​disgruntled, angry, defeated, former Congressman, Thomas ​Massie, a total loser!" he wrote. pic.twitter.com/OmtmGvytQX — Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) November 10, 2026 A ⁠polarising figure in American politics, Hegseth would be the first US defence secretary to be impeached. The last time any civilian leader of the US military was impeached was in 1876, when William Belknap held the ​title "secretary of war". Hegseth, a former Fox News host, calls himself secretary of war, part of his effort to ​rebrand a military ⁠he said was too weak and "woke" when he took office last year. But even some Republicans say his strained relations with Congress are becoming a political liability as the administration seeks a $1.5 trillion defence spending package. In a possible nod to the spending requests, Hegseth said Republicans should use their final weeks in control ⁠of Congress ​to deliver wins for the American people instead of pursuing his impeachment. If he's still ​around next year, Democrats have promised to investigate Hegseth and his handling of the Pentagon, including his firing of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and other top ​military officers. Hegseth, the United States defence secretary, calls himself the secretary of war, part of his effort to rebrand a military he said was too weak and "woke" when he took office last year. Now, with an expected House impeachment vote this week, he could soon share something in common with an actual secretary of war. Read More: Rubio says no need for major combat operations on Iran given US economic campaign William Belknap, who held that title in 1876, became the first, and to date only, civilian leader of the US military to be impeached by Congress. Massie introduced eight articles of impeachment on Monday, setting off a two-day clock for a potential House vote on charges including waging war against Iran without congressional approval and other abuses of power. Massie, addressing reporters, cautioned that Republican leadership could try to avoid a straight vote on impeachment by trying to dismiss it with a procedural motion. "They may try to get out of an actual vote on the substance of this. We should have a vote and a rigorous debate on these eight articles of impeachment," he told a press conference. Read: Explainer: What does Democratic control of Congress mean for Trump? Trump, in an interview with Reuters on Monday, strongly defended Hegseth, pointing to the US military's performance in Iran and Venezuela: "Well, he won two wars. I don't know how you can impeach him." He later told a White House press conference he would stand by Hegseth even if he is impeached, and called Massie a "stone-cold loser". House Speaker Mike Johnson opposed the effort, saying impeachment “in the middle of hostilities abroad” would be “a terrible thing for our allies and our enemies to see”. .@SpeakerJohnson: "The impeachment effort is a political gambit for attention. I think @SecWar did an extraordinary job... The idea that you would impeach the Secretary of War at a time of international conflict sends a terrible message to our enemies and our allies, and we're… pic.twitter.com/CYlGkmFLl5 — Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) November 10, 2026 Voter anger over the war helped Democrats win control of Congress in last week's midterm elections, intensifying Republican divisions over a conflict that Vance has publicly questioned and Hegseth has defended as “courageous and historic”. Accused of taking huge kickbacks, Belknap handed President Ulysses Grant his resignation ahead of his scheduled impeachment vote and, according to a Senate history, “burst into tears”. The House impeached him anyway, but the Senate later acquitted him after falling short of the required two-thirds majority. By contrast, Hegseth is promising to stay and fight. Hegseth says he is not worried Hegseth has mounted a social media campaign, saying in a defiant video message last week that he would not back down. He also drew a comparison to Trump, who was impeached twice, saying: "It didn't work against President Trump, and it won't work with me." Asked if he had enough Republican support to defeat the impeachment push, Hegseth said on Monday: "We're not worried about that."  Read More: Trump hand-picked Senate candidates. Republicans paid the price Rubio, who is also White House national security adviser, called the impeachment push "unfair", telling reporters: "I think Pete's done a good job. I really do." Trump, speaking with Reuters, extolled Hegseth's performance in the Iran war, which is at an impasse, and with Venezuela, where the US military deposed that country's president, Nicolás Maduro, in a surprise January commando raid on his compound in the Venezuelan capital. "Well, what about impeaching the people from Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq and all of that, where we fought forever and nothing happened?" Trump asked. Defence spending at risk? Some Republican lawmakers have expressed concern that if Hegseth stays, his strained relationship with Congress will undermine the Trump administration's push for a $1.5 trillion defence spending package. Massie, a Trump critic who is leaving office in January, warned in a statement on Monday that impeachment would be "much gentler" than what's in store for Hegseth once Democrats take control in January. "They will hold hearings and trials. President Trump should replace Secretary Hegseth now while he can still get a replacement confirmed in the Senate," Massie said. If Trump’s going to replace appointees like Hegseth, he should do it while he can still get the replacements confirmed in the Senate. Also, my Hegseth impeachment resolution is a much gentler version of what’s coming when Dem’s control Congress. They’ll have hearings & trials. https://t.co/7p3qlqCugw — Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) November 5, 2026 Democrats have promised to investigate Hegseth over issues including the firing of the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff and other senior leaders. House Democratic leader Hakeem ​Jeffries said on Sunday he was a "hard yes" on a measure to impeach Hegseth. US Senator Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat who is expected to become majority leader, said on Monday the Senate needed to put Hegseth on trial. "Hegseth waged this war illegally, in open defiance of the Constitution and multiple War Powers Resolutions this Congress passed to end the fighting," he said. Also Read: US Vice President Vance says Iran war is ‘the reason we lost’ midterms Massie's articles of impeachment accuse Hegseth of "high crimes and misdemeanours" ranging from waging the Iran war to various alleged abuses of power, including violating the free speech rights of US Senator Mark Kelly, an Arizona Democrat. Last year, Hegseth sought to prosecute Kelly after he and five other Democrats in Congress with backgrounds in the military and intelligence urged US troops to refuse illegal orders. Hegseth accused them of sedition, something Trump at the time said in a social media post was "punishable by death!"