Pete Hegseth on the chopping block after midterm defeats, White House says

President Donald Trump stood alongside War Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday, saying he was doing “a very good job” even as figures in the current and former administration continued to question how long the Pentagon chief could stay in his post after Republicans’ bruising midterm defeats.

“I think he’s doing a very good job,” Trump said Wednesday when asked by media whether he was considering replacing Hegseth.

The public support came a day after Democrats secured majorities in both houses of Congress in Tuesday’s midterm elections, paving the way for a change of power at the Capitol in January.

The war in Iran and its economic fallout loomed large in the election, with Hegseth one of the administration’s strongest campaign advocates. His future remains a subject of speculation among current and former administration figures, despite Trump’s public support.

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Pete Hegseth, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense, testifies before a Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing at the Capitol in Washington, January 14, 2025. (Reuters/Elizabeth Frantz)

A White House official told Fox News Digital on Tuesday that the election results “would have been very different without the war in Iran.” The official predicted that Trump would ultimately hold Hegseth, a former Fox News host, responsible, saying, “It will come down to lame duck.”

“Hegseth is on the chopping block,” a former White House staffer told Fox News Digital on Tuesday of Hegseth’s future.

An administration official said there were “signs” that Hegseth could be ousted, but added that “Trump can turn around in no time.” The official said the possibility had been discussed for some time, although “only Trump knows what he’s going to do.”

“It was clear that Bessent had become the reference after Pete failed to deliver victory for Iran,” 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 injured 32 others at Fort Hood in 2009. The proposal sparked bipartisan backlash before Trump ultimately abandoned the livestream, while leaving Hasan’s execution in place.

A foreign policy source connected to Hegseth expressed doubts to Fox News Digital that the secretary would stay on until the end of the year. The source said Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie’s impeachment drive could force Republicans eyeing re-election in 2028 to “bother with a pro-Hegseth vote.”

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Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth walks away from the podium with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine, right, and Admiral Brad Cooper, left, after a news conference at the Pentagon April 16, 2026, in Washington. (Kevin Wolf/AP Photo)

Hegseth was criticized for his leading role in the Iran war, which continued to generate political and economic fallout well after the initial three-to-four-week timetable set by the White House. He was one of the administration’s most vocal supporters of the campaign, declaring in March that the United States was carrying out “our retaliation” against Iran.

Even though sustained U.S. strikes have ended, tensions with Tehran remain unresolved, with lingering concerns over Iran’s nuclear and missile capabilities and the possibility of further military action.

Further US military strikes against Iran remain under serious consideration by the White House, sources told Fox News Digital.

This possibility could weigh against an immediate change at the Pentagon. Installing new leadership as the administration plans to resume military operations would create uncertainty at a critical time, when Hegseth has already demonstrated a willingness to move quickly to implement Trump’s military directives.

Pentagon chief spokesperson Sean Parnell told Fox News Digital that Hegseth remains “100 percent committed to leading the department through the end of President Trump’s term.”

“Secretary Hegseth will not back down or be deterred by politicians seeking to score partisan points or launch false investigations where no wrongdoing exists,” Parnell said.

“The War Department followed the law, and our Secretary will continue to stand up and fight every day to support and defend the Constitution, lead our troops, and protect America. We will continue to lead President Trump’s agenda at the War Department despite threats of a fake witch hunt from Democrats.”

Democrats have indicated that Hegseth will be a focus in the next Congress. Before the election, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Democrats would “run Pete Hegseth out of town” if they won the House. Democrats also discussed investigations into the Iran war and the leadership of the Pentagon, with impeachment among the options.

Democratic scrutiny could keep Hegseth and the war he championed at the center of the administration’s political turmoil.

Massie, R-Ky., separately pledged to force a vote on his impeachment resolution during the lame duck session if Hegseth remains in office.

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President Donald Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth listen to questions from the media during a Cabinet meeting at Camp David, Maryland, July 31, 2026. (Aaron Schwartz/AFP via Getty Images)

As Secretary of War, Hegseth pushed sweeping changes in military culture, including banning transgender service members; eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programs; and impose uniform combat fitness standards for men and women. He also sought to overhaul the Pentagon bureaucracy by consolidating military commands, removing top military officials and expanding the use of artificial intelligence and advanced weapons technologies.

His tenure has also been marked by controversy, including sharing sensitive details about planned strikes against Houthi militants in discussions on Signal inadvertently involving a journalist. Infighting, leak investigations and the firing of several top aides have fueled scrutiny, even as Trump has repeatedly defended his leadership.

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The political pressure on Hegseth echoes a past moment when midterm defeats and an unpopular war called into question the defense secretary’s future.

On November 8, 2006, President George W. Bush announced the resignation of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, a day after Republicans suffered major midterm election defeats amid growing criticism of the Iraq War.