WASHINGTON, D.C. – President Trump asked his advisers around him and on the phone whether Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth should remain in office, following the Republicans’ catastrophic losses Tuesday night, several sources familiar with the matter told CBS News.
Some White House aides predicted that some of the blame for the Republican Party’s midterm losses would be placed on Adm. Brad Cooper, head of U.S. Central Command, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine, both of whom played important roles in shaping the war in Iran.
Yet other sources indicated that the president had not decided whether to replace Hegseth. Before the election, Democrats were already trying to impeach Hegseth, and the likelihood of an impeachment attempt could increase given that Democrats hold strong majorities in both chambers.
Vice President JD Vance blames the war for the Republican Party’s defeat. “The reason we lost was the war,” he said in a lengthy article on X on Wednesday morning.
A source told CBS News that Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was being floated as a possible replacement for Hegseth, arguing that DeSantis could go through Senate confirmation during the lame duck period and then take over when his term as governor expires on Jan. 5.
Mr. Trump was asked Wednesday afternoon if he was considering replacing Hegseth, and he told reporters: “No, I think he’s doing a very good job.” The president was also asked if he would like to see Hegseth nominated to fill the seat that will be vacated by Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn when she takes over as governor. “I actually think he would be very popular if he did that,” Mr. Trump said, “but I haven’t heard that at all.”
Asked about reports that Hegseth’s future as defense secretary was in question, White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said in a statement that the president “has full confidence in Secretary Hegseth.” In the statement, Kelly also praised military operations in Iran and Venezuela as well as Hegseth’s efforts to reverse the Biden Pentagon’s prioritization of “DEI and woke ideology.”
Weijia Jiang contributed to this report.
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