President Donald Trump stood by War Secretary Pete Hegseth Wednesday, saying he was doing “a very good job” even as current and former administration figures continued to question how long the Pentagon chief could remain in his post after Republicans bruising midterm losses.
“I think hes doing a very good job,” Trump said Wednesday when asked by the media whether he was considering replacing Hegseth.
The public support came a day after Democrats secured majorities in both chambers of Congress in Tuesday’s midterm elections, setting the stage for a shift in power on Capitol Hill in January.Â
The and its economic fallout loomed large in the election, with Hegseth among the administration’s most vocal advocates for the campaign. His future remains the subject of speculation among current and former administration figures despite Trump’s public backing.
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A White House official told Fox News Digital Tuesday that the election results “would have looked very different without the Iran War.” The official predicted Trump would ultimately hold Hegseth, a former Fox News host, accountable, saying, “That will play out in the lame duck.”
“Hegseth is on the chopping block,” a former White House staffer told Fox News Digital later Tuesday of Hegseth’s future.
An administration official said there were “signs” Hegseth could be ousted but added that “Trump can turn on a dime.” The official said the possibility had been discussed for some time, though “only Trump knows what hes gonna do.”
“It was clear Bessent became the go-to after Pete couldn’t deliver an Iran victory,” the source said, referring to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who led the sanctions campaign against Iran known as Operation Economic Outcast.
Beyond the Iran war, Hegseth also championed a plan to livestream the firing-squad execution of Nidal Hasan, the former Army major who killed 13 people and wounded 32 others at Fort Hood in 2009. The proposal drew bipartisan backlash before Trump ultimately scrapped the livestream, while leaving Hasan’s execution in place.
A foreign policy source with ties to Hegseth expressed doubt to Fox News Digital that the secretary will remain in the job through the end of the year. The source said Republican Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massies impeachment push could force Republicans eyeing 2028 re-election bids to “saddle themselves with a pro-Hegseth vote.”
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Hegseth has faced criticism over his prominent role in the Iran war, which has continued to generate political and economic fallout long after the White House’s initial three- to four-week timeline. He was among the administration’s most vocal defenders of the campaign, declaring in March that the U.S. was carrying out “our retribution” against Iran.
Although sustained U.S. strikes have ended, tensions with Tehran remain unresolved with lingering concerns about Iran’s nuclear and missile capabilities and the possibility of renewed military action.
Renewed U.S. military strikes against Iran remain under serious consideration by the White House, sources told Fox News Digital.
That possibility could weigh against an immediate change at the Pentagon. Installing new leadership as the administration considers renewed military operations would create uncertainty at a critical moment, while Hegseth has already demonst
