US President Donald Trump is considering replacing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth following the Republicans’ major defeat in the midterm elections, which handed Democrats control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
According to information published by CBS News, the US president has begun discussing with his aides and advisers whether Hegseth should remain at the helm of the Pentagon. Among the names being mentioned as potential replacements is Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
However, sources close to the administration say Trump has not yet made a final decision on Hegseth’s removal. DeSantis’s name has emerged during behind-the-scenes discussions about the Pentagon’s future leadership.
According to one CBS News source, DeSantis could undergo the Senate confirmation process during the transition period, before the new Congress takes office. He could then assume leadership of the department after his term as governor ends on January 5.
For now, the scenario remains under discussion, and there has been no official announcement that Trump has decided on Hegseth’s successor. Meanwhile, some White House officials believe responsibility for the Republicans’ electoral losses could also be attributed to other senior military officials.
Those mentioned include Admiral Brad Cooper, head of US Central Command (CENTCOM), and General Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Both have played significant roles in providing military advice on the war in Iran.
The midterm election results have triggered a broader debate within the US administration over the political cost of military intervention in Iran. Post-election polls indicated that the conflict was one of the factors that weakened electoral support for Republicans, increasing pressure on the White House to change course.
Hegseth has been one of the central figures shaping the military policy of Trump’s second administration. During his tenure, he has pushed for sweeping changes within the Armed Forces, including military operations against Iran without prior congressional approval and the removal of dozens of senior military officials.
He has also backed controversial initiatives concerning the physical fitness and operational readiness of service members, placing emphasis on physical endurance, fitness standards and testosterone levels.
However, these policies failed to prevent the Republicans’ major electoral defeat. Meanwhile, some of Hegseth’s critics claim he has presented the president with an overly optimistic picture of how the war in Iran is unfolding.
Hegseth’s position has been further weakened by reactions in Congress, where several Republicans have openly questioned whether he should remain in charge of the Pentagon.
Republican Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina said the Defense Secretary would have to answer for his decisions.
“Hegseth is going to have to be held accountable. He is one of the reasons we don’t have the funding and defense guarantees that we need,” Tillis told CBS News.
The dispute is directly linked to funding for the US Armed Forces. Democrats have threatened to block the administration’s request for an additional $70 billion for the defense budget, submitted in June.
The Pentagon’s annual budget for fiscal year 2027 is also at the centre of the dispute, as the United States remains involved in military operations in Iran.
Tillis played a decisive role in confirming Hegseth’s appointment in January 2025, but later described his vote as the “biggest regret” of his political career.
Last month, he publicly called on Trump to fire the Defense Secretary, sharply criticising him in a post on X.
“I have never seen such an incompetent leadership of the brave men and women who serve our country. He is afraid of competence and resorts to pushing culture wars instead of seriously addressing the vital issue of our national defense and the health and well-being of military personnel,” the senator wrote.
In another statement to CBS News, Tillis added that, following the elections, it was necessary to examine whether Hegseth was the right person to present the country’s defense needs to Congress. He stressed that lawmakers had only 60 days remaining before the end of the current congressional session.
Democratic Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has expressed a similar position. In September, he said a change in Pentagon leadership could make it easier for the two parties to reach agreements on defense spending.
Beyond the possibility of being removed by Trump, Hegseth also faces the threat of impeachment proceedings being launched in the House of Representatives.
Republican Congressman Thomas Massie of Kentucky, who has openly clashed with the US president and is preparing to serve the final weeks of his term following his defeat in the primary elections, has filed eight articles of impeachment against the Defense Secretary since September 15.
Massie plans to seek a vote on the measure on the House floor as early as next week, when Congress resumes its work.
In his resolution, he accuses Hegseth of conducting military operations against Iran without the necessary congressional authorisation, ordering the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro without a constitutional basis, and issuing orders to kill individuals suspected of drug trafficking in the Caribbean without any prior judicial proceedings.
“Secretary Hegseth’s constitutional violations go far beyond the illegal war in Iran,” Massie said.
He added that the secretary was abusing the powers of his office to disregard congressional resolutions concerning the authority to declare war, abduct foreign leaders and intimidate critics of the Trump administration by taking retaliatory action against them for exercising their right to freedom of speech.
Although Republicans will continue to control the House of Representatives until the new Congress takes office and may attempt to defeat the proposal, Massie believes it has a realistic chance of passing.
“There is a significant chance that this will pass the House, and I think that would be a stain on his record. If he is thinking about leaving, now would be a good time to do it,” he told The Washington Post.
Democrats taking control of both chambers of Congress in January represents another threat to the Trump administration. Democrats have already introduced proposals to launch impeachment proceedings not only against the US president, but also against Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Education Secretary Linda McMahon.
These initiatives had made little progress while Republicans controlled the House of Representatives, but they indicate the direction Democrats intend to take following their electoral victory.
Adam Smith, one of the leading Democrats on the House Armed Services Committee, told The Washington Post that he intends to examine US military operations, the politicisation of the Armed Forces and possible corruption in Pentagon procurement contracts.
The shift in the balance of power in Congress could therefore turn the political battles surrounding Hegseth into wide-ranging investigations, leaving the Trump administration facing a Congress in which it no longer holds a majority.
Despite reports of discussions about the Defense Secretary’s future, the White House insists that the president continues to support him.
Asked about reports that Hegseth could be replaced, White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said Trump “has full confidence in Secretary Hegseth”.
In the same statement, she defended the military operations in Iran and Venezuela, while praising Hegseth’s efforts to reverse policies that, according to the Trump administration, the Pentagon had pursued under Joe Biden’s presidency concerning diversity, equity, inclusion and what it calls “woke” ideology.
Similarly, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell told The Washington Post that the secretary had no intention of resigning.
According to Parnell, despite threats of “fabricated witch hunts”, Hegseth remains “100% committed” to carrying out his duties until the end of Trump’s presidential term and implementing the administration’s agenda.
Parnell also maintained that the Pentagon had complied with the law and that its chief would not back down in the face of politicians who, he claimed, were seeking political gain or attempting to launch baseless investigations despite there being no legal violations.
Pentagon spokeswoman Kingsley Wilson also defended Hegseth, describing him as a “transformational leader” who had restored military standards.
“The entire department is united behind the Secretary’s vision and will continue working to put our service members and America first,” she told USA Today.
Trump himself publicly defended the Defense Secretary on October 28, dismissing criticism and threats of impeachment proceedings against him.
“I think it’s unacceptable. All they do is talk about impeaching everybody. He’s doing a great job. He’s a great warrior. I think he’s the best at that job in many years, and a lot of people agree with that,” the US president told reporters.
Nevertheless, following the Republicans’ defeat and their loss of control of Congress, the political landscape in the United States has changed significantly, increasing uncertainty over Pete Hegseth’s future at the helm of the Pentagon.
