Trump Rules Out Firing Hegseth After Midterm Defeat, Backs Defence Secretary

US President Donald Trump has ruled out firing Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth after the Republicans’ midterm election defeat, saying he believes Hegseth is doing a very good job. The public backing came on Wednesday, a day after Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress, even as some Republicans blamed the war with Iran for the scale of the losses.

Asked whether he was considering replacing Hegseth, Trump answered: “No, I think he’s doing a very good job.” He also defended the decision to go to war, saying he would make the same decision again. The remarks, reported by CNN, the Times of Israel and the Jerusalem Post, put a temporary stop to speculation about an immediate cabinet change — but they did not end the political pressure on the Pentagon chief.

Why Hegseth is under pressure

Hegseth, a staunch supporter of military action against Iran, has become a focus for blame inside the Republican Party after Tuesday’s results. Vice President JD Vance said publicly that “the reason we lost is the war,” a statement that sharpened the debate about who should carry responsibility for the defeat.

According to CNN, some House Republicans are preparing to challenge Hegseth directly. Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky plans to trigger a vote to impeach the defence secretary when Congress returns next week, and multiple Republican sources told CNN they expect such a vote to pass the House. The impeachment push centres on the claim that the war was launched without congressional authorisation.

Hegseth has signalled he does not intend to step aside. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said Hegseth “will not back down” in the face of what he described as politically motivated investigations, and said the secretary remains committed to leading the department until the end of Trump’s term.

Trump’s position — and its limits

Trump’s public support for Hegseth sits alongside reporting that he has been privately testing opinion about the secretary’s future. CBS News, cited by the Times of Israel and the Jerusalem Post, reported that Trump has been asking advisers whether Hegseth should stay, and that some sources said no final decision had been made. The New York Post reported that Trump has discussed whether to make Hegseth a scapegoat for the losses, while noting that replacing him would be difficult because a successor would need Senate confirmation after Democrats take control in January.

That tension matters for how readers should interpret Wednesday’s remarks. A president saying he will not fire a minister today is not the same as a guarantee about next week or next month, particularly when an impeachment vote is approaching and the party is still assessing its losses. Trump has also, in the past, praised senior officials shortly before removing them — a point the New York Post noted in its coverage.

One further detail reported on Wednesday was that Hegseth himself ruled out leaving voluntarily to take a Senate appointment, closing off one possible exit route that had been discussed in Washington.

What happens next

The immediate test is Congress’s return next week, when the planned impeachment vote could force Republicans to take a public position on Hegseth. A second test is whether the White House’s own review of the election defeat produces any wider cabinet changes; so far, Trump has not signalled plans to fire any top officials.

For now, the position is clear on the record: Trump says Hegseth stays, Hegseth says he will fight any impeachment effort, and a growing group of Republicans says the Iran war — and the secretary who championed it — cost them the midterms. How long that balance holds will depend on the vote in the House and on whether the blame debate inside the party intensifies or fades.

Frequently asked questions

Did Trump fire Pete Hegseth? No. Asked on Wednesday after the midterm defeat, Trump said he was not considering replacing Hegseth and described his performance as very good.

Why are some Republicans calling for Hegseth to go? They blame the war with Iran, which Hegseth advocated and oversaw, for the party’s midterm losses, and some argue the war lacked congressional authorisation.

Will Hegseth face an impeachment vote? Representative Thomas Massie plans to trigger a House vote when Congress returns next week, according to CNN. The outcome is not yet known.

Has Trump definitively decided Hegseth’s future? Publicly he has backed him, but CBS News reporting cited by other outlets says he has been consulting advisers and had not made a final decision at the time of that reporting. The situation should be treated as developing.

Sources

• CNN — Republicans quickly turn against Pete Hegseth after midterms rout — https://www.cnn.com/2026/11/04/politics/pete-hegseth-impeachment-trump?cid=external-feeds_iluminar_meta
• The Times of Israel — Trump says he won’t fire Defense Secretary Hegseth following midterms blowout — https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/trump-says-he-wont-fire-defense-secretary-hegseth-following-midterms-blowout/
• The Jerusalem Post — Donald Trump backs Pete Hegseth amid reports of possible firing after midterm election loss — https://www.jpost.com/american-politics/article-913858
• New York Post — Trump weighs making Pete Hegseth the fall guy for Republicans’ crushing midterms loss — https://nypost.com/2026/11/04/us-news/trump-weighs-making-pete-hegseth-the-fall-guy-for-midterm-loss/
• Business Recorder — Trump rules out firing Pentagon chief Hegseth — https://www.brecorder.com/news/40447416/trump-rules-out-firing-pentagon-chief-hegseth

Note: Results and vote plans described here are as reported on 4–5 November 2026; counts and congressional action may change as the situation develops.