Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s job is in jeopardy after a disastrous showing for Republicans in midterm elections driven primarily by issues connected to the Iran war, a cause he proudly championed alongside President Trump.
Mr. Trump is considering replacing Mr. Hegseth at the Pentagon and has been phoning advisers after the catastrophic election results, according to multiple reports. However, Mr. Trump rejected those reports, saying he is not considering firing the secretary.
“No, I think he’s doing a very good job,” the president said when asked whether he was considering replacing Mr. Hegseth. He said Mr. Hegseth would be “very popular” as a replacement for Marsha Blackburn, the Tennessee Republican who won the state’s gubernatorial race Tuesday and is set to vacate her Senate seat.
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Even if Mr. Trump sticks with Mr. Hegseth, a Democratic-controlled Congress may move to impeach him anyway. That threat has dogged the former Fox News host in one form or another since his confirmation in 2025.
High-profile members of the House have openly called for Mr. Hegseth’s impeachment over the past two years.
Rep. Adam Smith, Washington Democrat and expected chairman of the House Armed Services Committee in the new Congress, said this year that he was in favor of impeaching both Mr. Hegseth and Mr. Trump over the Iran war.
Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican who lost his primary reelection bid in May, introduced articles of impeachment against Mr. Hegseth in September, accusing him of violating the 1973 War Powers Resolution.
Still, it is unclear how much of a priority Democratic leadership will place on ousting Mr. Hegseth. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a New York Democrat who is expected to become the nation’s first Black speaker of the House, emphasized his party’s commitment to focus on economic issues before moving to impeach Mr. Trump or his Cabinet officials.
“The American people don’t want us to get even. They want us to get things done on their behalf because life is way too expensive,” Mr. Jeffries said.
Mr. Hegseth’s tenure at the Pentagon has been marked by controversy after controversy over the past two years.
Just months after his confirmation, the “Signalgate” controversy raised serious questions about the integrity of secure communications within the Pentagon after Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, was inexplicably added to a group chat planning airstrikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen.
In September 2025, a military strike in the Caribbean destroyed a speedboat allegedly carrying drugs for the Tren de Aragua cartel, killing nine people immediately and leaving two survivors. A follow-up airstrike then killed those survivors.
News of the “double tap” strike infuriated some on Capitol Hill, who saw it as a clear violation of the Geneva Conventions, potentially constituting an extrajudicial killing.
Democrats have also implied that Mr. Hegseth has blocked officer promotions based on their race or gender and has obscured true casualties of the Iran war from the American public.
Mr. Hegseth has made few friends at the Pentagon during his tenure and has often alienated some top military commanders via his confrontational public appearances.
Numerous high-ranking officers told The Washington Times last year that Mr. Hegseth’s theatrical speech before hundreds of generals and admirals gathered at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia was “embarrassing” to many in leadership positions who judged it as “below our institution.”
That criticism coincided with a widespread overhaul of the Pentagon’s leadership, spearheaded by Mr. Hegseth. High-level military sources told The Times late last year that the firings, early retirements and resignations fundamentally weakened the U.S. strategic position.
Those high-profile departures have continued since then, and the Iran war has exacerbated the potential risks to American military readiness abroad.
Most recently, Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia, director of strategy, plans and policy on the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was removed from his post after he was accused of leaking to the media classified information about the Iran war and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Other high-profile removals this year include Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George and Army Secretary Dan Driscoll. Although those departures may have made it easier for Mr. Hegseth to carry out his vision for the Defense Department, they may have left him with few allies who could come to his defense if Democrats move to impeach.
• Ben Wolfgang contributed to this report.
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