Is Pete Hegseth Trump's Next Political Casualty? President Sounds Out Advisers After GOP Election Humiliation

Sources say the president has privately consulted advisers, despite publicly defending the Defence Secretary and denying an imminent replacement decision

US President Donald Trump is reportedly asking advisers whether Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth should remain in his job following Republicans' crushing midterm election losses. Sources familiar with the discussions told CBS News that Trump has been raising the question privately, although he has yet to make a final decision on Hegseth's future.

The reported deliberations come as political fallout from the Iran war continues to reverberate through the administration and raises the prospect of a shake-up at the Pentagon. Meanwhile, Democrats are preparing to take control of both chambers of Congress, potentially increasing pressure on the Trump administration over its military strategy and leadership.

Trump Weighs Hegseth's Future

Multiple sources told CBS News that Trump has been sounding out advisers about whether Hegseth should remain Defence Secretary following the Republican election setback. Some White House aides reportedly believe senior military officials could also face scrutiny over the losses, particularly those involved in advising the administration on the Iran war.

Adm. Brad Cooper, head of US Central Command, and Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, are among those expected to face questions about their roles in providing guidance on the conflict. However, sources stressed that Trump has not decided to remove Hegseth from his position.

Vance Blames Iran War for GOP Midterms Defeat

Vice-President JD Vance has directly linked the Republican losses to the ongoing conflict with Iran, adding to growing scrutiny of the administration's military decisions. In a lengthy post on X on Wednesday morning, Vance said: 'The reason we lost is the war.'

One of the things the data analysts on our side obsessed over was "composition"—whether the electorate looked close enough to 2024 for Republicans to win. And despite polls that showed a Democrat blowout, the data kept on telling us the same story: in some states turnout was merely OK, in other states it was downright amazing, and in no state was it catastrophic. There was a genuine sense of optimism on our team: our people were showing up.So, I asked the smartest data guy I know, does that mean we're going to shock the world? "No," he told me. "We might do better than the polls suggest. But the data is telling us that a lot of Trump/Vance 2024 voters are pissed and planning to vote for the other guys. Our voters are turning out, but they may not vote for us."Well, that looks prophetic now. Our voters did show up. In Florida, for example, the electorate was 9 points more Republican than Democrat, just a couple points worse than 2024. Undoubtedly there were places we could have done better on turnout. But the main problem is not turnout. The main problem is that many people who voted for Trump/Vance in 2024 voted for Democrats in 2026.There will be a lot of infighting and arguing over what happened and why that is. One of the pollsters I really respect told me that our economic messaging wasn’t sharp enough down the stretch. I’m sure that’s true.But the real reason we lost is obvious to almost everyone.Another pollster—one of the smartest people I know in politics, told me yesterday we’d lose the generic ballot by 13 points. I felt negative going into Tuesday, but even I was shocked by this. In his polling, he saw that a lot of Trump 2024 voters were angry and planning to vote for Democrats. He asked those voters who had abandoned us what would cause them to come back on our team. The top four answers, accounting for nearly all of the responses were:1) End the war 2) Focus on cost of living/inflation 3) Put America First 4) Change our relationship to IsraelOur voters showed up. And the above four reasons are why many of them voted for Democrats. This is according to a pollster who nailed the results. While many spent Monday attacking Rachel Campos Duffy for calling for a diplomatic resolution to the conflict, it turns out her political advice was sound. (She’s also a great person.)In the next few months, there's going to be a lot of gaslighting. Expect to hear any number of establishment politicians say the solution to our woes is amnesty. I'm open to the idea that we should change enforcement—by focusing more on businesses that hire illegal labor, for instance. But anyone pushing amnesty is lying to you.The reason we lost is the war. The president himself said so last night.If you'd like to argue it was worth it, that losing the Senate for the next 6 years was worth it, then do so. Argue it was a worthwhile cost to pay. Agree or disagree, that's at least honest.But everyone knows why we lost. And any honest conversation about where we go from here must start there.I remain hopeful about our country. To the people who are pissed off and want to say, “I told you so”: you’re right, you did tell us so. Take that energy into electing Republicans who share your worldview. To the people who are just pissed at the results, you should be. Let’s take that anger and get back to the work of saving our country.
— JD Vance (@JDVance) November 4, 2026

His remarks came as Republicans faced a significant political setback, with Democrats securing majorities in both chambers of Congress. The criticism has intensified questions about the political consequences of the Iran war and whether changes in Pentagon leadership could follow.

DeSantis Floated as Possible Hegseth Replacement

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has reportedly emerged as a possible candidate to replace Hegseth, according to a source familiar with the discussions who spoke to CBS News. The source suggested DeSantis could undergo Senate confirmation during the lame-duck period before taking over the Pentagon following the end of his gubernatorial term on 5 January.

However, the reported discussions remain speculative. Neither Trump nor DeSantis has publicly confirmed such a plan.

Trump Defends Hegseth

Despite reports of private discussions, Trump publicly defended Hegseth when asked by reporters on Wednesday whether he was considering replacing the Defence Secretary. 'No, I think he's doing a very good job,' the president said.

Trump was also asked whether Hegseth could be appointed to the Senate seat being vacated by Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn when she becomes governor. 'I actually think he'd be very popular if he did that,' Trump said, adding that he had not heard of such a move.

White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly also reiterated the president's support, saying Trump 'has full confidence in Secretary Hegseth'.

Impeachment Pressure on Hegseth

Hegseth was already facing calls for impeachment before the midterm elections. Democrats' expected congressional majorities could now increase the likelihood of renewed efforts against him.

The White House, meanwhile, has defended Hegseth's handling of military operations in Iran and Venezuela, while praising his efforts to reverse what it described as the previous administration's prioritisation of 'DEI and woke ideology'. The coming weeks could prove critical for Hegseth as Republicans assess their election losses and the administration faces mounting questions over its military leadership.

Donald Trump