Secretary of War Pete Hegseth maintains President Donald Trump’s support but faces a tidal wave of opposition following the midterm elections, which could threaten his job security.
Trump said the secretary is “doing a very good job” in his first public comments following the “bluenami” during a White House event on Wednesday.
Nonetheless, Congressional Democrats will hold the majority in both the House and Senate, and they campaigned on providing additional oversight of the Pentagon amid the ongoing war in Iran, even as impeachment discussions have already begun, primarily but not exclusively from Democrats.
“Hegseth has a reckoning,” Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) told CBS News. “He is one of the reasons why we don’t have the funding or guarantee for defense that we need. I think after the election, we need to determine whether or not he’s the best person to bring those needs to Congress. If he wants something done before the end of this Congress, which is only 60 days away.”
The Iran war has gone on for more than eight months, cost an estimated $47 billion — though the total is actually believed to be higher — and led to the deaths of more than 20 American service members. Hegseth, who has been one of the war’s most vocal cheerleaders, boasted about the military’s success in destroying Iran’s conventional capabilities from the early days of the conflict, has accused the media of highlighting the department’s shortcomings to make Trump look bad, and claimed it was treasonous to report on the contours of the conflict.
Hegseth, like Trump, has an adversarial relationship with most Democrats in Congress dating back to his time as a political pundit on Fox News, as well as his bruising confirmation hearing in which he was asked about his extramarital affairs, alcoholic consumption, and an alleged sexual misconduct encounter.
“If crazed Democrats want to abuse their power and politicize their process of investigations, subpoenas, and destroying lives, they should be reminded that we still control the federal government and all of its powers,” a White House official told the Washington Examiner.
Hegseth told lawmakers in April the “biggest adversaries we face at this point are the reckless, feckless, and defeatist words of congressional Democrats and some Republicans.”
Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, from left, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Michael A. Needham, counselor and director of the State Department’s Office of Policy Planning, listen as President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House, Friday, Oct. 30, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
" data-large-file="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/AP26303773874274.jpg?w=1024" src="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/AP26303773874274.jpg?w=1024" alt="Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, from left, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Michael A. Needham, counselor and director of the State Department's Office of Policy Planning, listen as President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House, Friday, Oct. 30, 2026, in Washington." class="wp-image-4793226" srcset="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/AP26303773874274.jpg 1024w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/AP26303773874274.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/AP26303773874274.jpg?resize=768,512 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px">
Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, from left, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Michael A. Needham, counselor and director of the State Department’s Office of Policy Planning, listen as President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House, Friday, Oct. 30, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Tennessee’s open Senate seat
Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) won her election to serve as Tennessee’s next governor, which will give her the opportunity to appoint her own successor.
Given Hegseth’s prior residence in the state, his name has been floated as a possible pick. And if he were selected, it could preclude an impeachment attempt.
Trump said on Wednesday he thought Hegseth would be “very popular” if he was appointed to the Senate seat, but he added, “I haven’t heard that at all.”
Last month, Hegseth attended a college football game between Tennessee and Alabama in Knoxville.
“I don’t think the Hegseth appointment to Tennessee is a viable option now,” a former Trump administration official told the Washington Examiner. “I don’t think there’s an appetite to bring that guy into the Senate at this point.”
The official pointed to Sen. Darline Graham (R-SC), the sister of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, who was appointed to fill his seat but lost to Dr. Annie Andrews in Tuesday’s election, as an example of the challenge any appointed senator may face when they first appear on the ballot.
Possible replacements
If Hegseth leaves his position, either by his choice or the president’s, Trump will need to appoint someone as his successor who can win Democratic support. Vice President JD Vance had to cast the tie-breaking vote to get Hegseth’s confirmation vote across the finish line, but the administration won’t have the same math to work with when it comes to a future confirmation battle.
“You need someone who can work with Congress at DoD, and I think that’s a reason why the president might need to move on from Hegseth is because he hasn’t talked to Democrats, and if they’re going to nominate someone new, that person’s going to need to win over five Democrats, maybe six at this point,” the former Trump administration official told the Washington Examiner.
HEGSETH’S ‘ARSENAL OF FREEDOM’ AND ‘SEND ME’ TOURS RESEMBLE A CAMPAIGN TRAIL
Two possible replacements are Mike Gallagher, the former Wisconsin lawmaker who left to take a role at Palantir, and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz, the former administration official suggested. Both have experience serving in the House of Representatives and were foreign policy- and defense-focused during their times in Congress.
A source close to Waltz told the Washington Examiner that he is “happy” in his current role at the U.N.
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
