Trump says Hegseth doing 'a very good job' as questions swirl about his future

U.S. President Donald Trump backed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in Washington on Wednesday, saying he was doing a very good job after Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress in midterm elections shaped by voter anger over the Iran war. Trump said he was not considering replacing Hegseth, though sources said the defense secretary could still be replaced as Republicans assess their losses. Democrats have promised investigations into Hegseth’s handling of the Pentagon, while Trump also said Hegseth could be popular if appointed to a vacant Tennessee Senate seat.

The Defense Department said Hegseth was 100 percent committed to leading the Pentagon until Trump’s term ends on Jan. 20, 2029.

Representative Thomas Massie filed articles of impeachment against Hegseth earlier this year, accusing him of launching hostilities against Iran without congressional approval.

Senator Thom Tillis said Hegseth’s strained relationship with lawmakers was undermining the administration’s effort to pass a $1.5 trillion defense spending package.

Marsha Blackburn was elected Tennessee governor on Tuesday and has four years remaining in her Senate term; Hegseth, a Tennessee resident, could be appointed to the seat without running for election.

Democrats’ promised oversight could cover the Iran war, Hegseth’s removal of senior military officers, Ukraine policy and U.S. strikes on suspected drug-trafficking boats in Latin American waters.

Published Nov 5, 2026 10:24 am KST

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth observes while President Donald Trump meets with Stephen Hubbard, a released Russian prisoner, in the Oval Office of the White House, Washington, DC, USA, Oct. 30. EPA-Yonhap

WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump backed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday, a day after Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress in midterm elections that reflected voter anger over the Iran war.

Asked whether he was considering replacing Hegseth, whom he has described as a champion of the war, Trump told reporters: "No, I think he's doing a very good job."

The response contrasted with then-President George Bush, who fired Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld the morning after the 2006 midterm elections, when voter discontent over the Iraq war helped Democrats win control of Congress.

But sources said Trump could still replace Hegseth as Republicans assess their losses.

One Trump adviser said Hegseth "could be on the chopping block" because of the war. "Someone is going to get blamed for this and you know it's not going to be him (Trump)," the adviser said.

Trump has described Hegseth as a key proponent of the unpopular conflict, saying on March 23: "Pete, I think you were the first one to speak up, and you said, 'Let's do it, because you can't let them have a nuclear weapon.'"

On Wednesday, Vice President JD Vance publicly questioned whether the Iran war was worth it and said it cost Republicans control of Congress.

Asked for comment, the White House referred Reuters to Trump's public remarks on Hegseth.

The Defense Department said Hegseth was "100 percent committed" to leading the Pentagon until the end of Trump's term, which ends on Jan. 20, 2029.

Hegseth has been a polarizing figure in American politics and has made enemies even with his own Republican Party. One Republican lawmaker, US Representative Thomas Massie, even filed articles of impeachment against him earlier this year, accusing him of abusing his office by launching hostilities against Iran without approval by Congress.

Republican US Senator Thom Tillis told CBS news on Tuesday night that Hegseth has "a reckoning" coming and his strained relationship with lawmakers was undermining the Trump administration's push for a $1.5 trillion defense spending package in Congress.

"I think after the election, we need to determine whether or not he's the best person to bring those needs to Congress if he wants something done before the end of this Congress, which is only 60 days away," Tillis said as the midterm results came in.

Democrats have promised to investigate Hegseth and his handling of the Pentagon, and aides say that could include everything from his handling of the Iran war to his purges of top military officers including the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

He could also face scrutiny over his Ukraine policy and US military strikes on suspected drug trafficking boats in Latin American waters, which some Democrats say could amount to war crimes.

At times, the conflict between Hegseth and members of Congress has become personal. Last year, Hegseth sought to prosecute Democratic US Senator Mark Kelly after he and five other Democrats in Congress with backgrounds in the military and intelligence urged US troops to refuse illegal orders.

Hegseth accused them of sedition.

Representative Adam Smith, the Democrat who is expected to lead the House Armed Services Committee next year, promised vigorous oversight on everything from the Iran war to what he called the erosion of the "apolitical foundation of the armed forces."

A source familiar with the matter said rancor on Capitol Hill over Hegseth has featured in White House discussions about potential replacements for him, saying there would be a need to have someone in the job who could distance themselves from events under Democratic scrutiny.

Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said Hegseth would continue to drive Trump's agenda and that the Pentagon "has followed the law."

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

Tennessee senate seat?

One long-rumored possibility for Hegseth would be filling the Senate seat that will be vacated by Senator Marsha Blackburn, who was elected on Tuesday to become Tennessee's next governor starting in January.

She has four years left in her term, and Hegseth, a Tennessee resident who voted there on Tuesday, could be appointed to the position, without having to run for election.

Asked whether he wanted Hegseth to fill Blackburn's seat, Trump said: "Well, I think, I think he's doing a very good job, and I actually think he'd be very popular if he did that."

"But I haven't heard that at all," Trump told reporters.

Trump has regularly praised Hegseth publicly, and has given the former Army National Guard soldier significant leeway as he sought to reshape the Pentagon.

But last month Trump publicly split with Hegseth by pulling the plug on his plans to livestream the Army's firing-squad execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan.

Many fellow Republicans, along with religious leaders and international observers, raised objections to the plan. Defense officials privately expressed relief that the livestreaming would not go forward.

美国总统唐纳德·特朗普周三在华盛顿力挺国防部长皮特·赫格塞斯，称在民主党赢得中期选举、掌控国会两院之后，赫格塞斯的工作非常出色。此次中期选举的走向受到选民对伊朗战争的愤怒情绪的影响。特朗普表示他目前没有考虑更换赫格塞斯，但有消息人士称，随着共和党评估选举失利，国防部长仍有可能被撤换。民主党承诺将对赫格塞斯在五角大楼的工作展开调查，而特朗普还表示，如果任命赫格塞斯填补田纳西州参议员的空缺席位，他可能会很受欢迎。

国防部表示，赫格塞斯将百分之百致力于领导五角大楼，直到特朗普的任期于 2029 年 1 月 20 日结束。

今年早些时候，众议员托马斯·马西对赫格塞斯提出了弹劾条款，指控他未经国会批准就对伊朗发动了敌对行动。

参议员汤姆·蒂利斯表示，赫格塞斯与立法者之间紧张的关系正在破坏政府通过一项价值 1.5 万亿美元的国防开支方案的努力。

玛莎·布莱克本于周二当选田纳西州州长，她的参议院任期还有四年；田纳西州居民赫格塞斯无需参加选举即可被任命为该席位的参议员。

民主党人承诺的监督可能涵盖伊朗战争、赫格塞斯撤换高级军官、乌克兰政策以及美国对拉丁美洲水域涉嫌贩毒船只的打击。

发布于2026年11月5日上午10:24（韩国标准时间）

10月30日，美国国防部长皮特·赫格塞斯在白宫椭圆形办公室旁听美国总统唐纳德·特朗普会见获释的俄罗斯囚犯斯蒂芬·哈伯德。图片来源：EPA-Yonhap

华盛顿——美国总统唐纳德·特朗普周三力挺国防部长皮特·赫格塞斯。此前一天，民主党在中期选举中赢得了国会两院的控制权，这反映出选民对伊朗战争的愤怒。

当被问及是否考虑撤换被他称为战争捍卫者的赫格塞斯时，特朗普告诉记者：“不，我认为他做得非常好。”

这一反应与当时的总统乔治·布什形成了鲜明对比。布什在 2006 年中期选举后的第二天早上解雇了国防部长唐纳德·拉姆斯菲尔德，当时选民对伊拉克战争的不满帮助民主党赢得了国会的控制权。

但消息人士称，随着共和党人评估损失，特朗普仍有可能撤换赫格塞斯。

一位特朗普顾问表示，由于这场战争，赫格塞斯“可能面临下台”。这位顾问说：“有人会因此受到指责，但你知道那个人肯定不会是他（特朗普）。”

特朗普称赫格塞斯是这场不受欢迎的冲突的主要支持者，他在 3 月 23 日说：“皮特，我认为你是第一个站出来说话的人，你说，‘让我们行动起来，因为你不能让他们拥有核武器。’”

周三，副总统JD Vance公开质疑伊朗战争是否值得，并表示这场战争导致共和党失去了对国会的控制权。

当被问及此事时，白宫让路透社参考特朗普就赫格塞斯发表的公开言论。

国防部表示，赫格塞斯“百分之百致力于”领导五角大楼，直到特朗普的任期结束，即 2029 年 1 月 20 日。

赫格塞斯在美国政坛一直是一位极具争议的人物，甚至与他所属的共和党也结下了梁子。今年早些时候，一位共和党议员，美国众议员托马斯·马西，甚至对他提出了弹劾条款，指控他滥用职权，未经国会批准就对伊朗发动了敌对行动。

美国共和党参议员汤姆·蒂利斯周二晚间告诉哥伦比亚广播公司新闻，赫格塞斯“即将面临清算”，他与议员们紧张的关系正在破坏特朗普政府在国会推动1.5万亿美元国防开支方案的努力。

“我认为，在选举之后，我们需要确定他是否是能够将这些需求带到国会的最佳人选，如果他想在本届国会结束之前（距离本届国会结束仅剩 60 天）完成一些事情的话，”蒂利斯在期中选举结果出炉时说道。

民主党人承诺将调查赫格塞斯及其对五角大楼的处理方式，助手们表示，调查内容可能包括他对伊朗战争的处理方式，以及他对包括参谋长联席会议主席在内的高级军官的清洗。

他还可能因其乌克兰政策以及美国对拉丁美洲水域涉嫌贩毒船只的军事打击而受到审查，一些民主党人表示，这些打击可能构成战争罪。

有时，赫格塞斯与国会议员之间的冲突会演变成私人恩怨。去年，赫格塞斯试图起诉民主党参议员马克·凯利，此前凯利和其他五位拥有军方和情报背景的民主党国会议员敦促美军拒绝执行非法命令。

赫格塞斯指控他们犯有煽动叛乱罪。

预计明年将领导众议院军事委员会的民主党众议员亚当·史密斯承诺，将对从伊朗战争到他所说的“武装部队非政治基础的侵蚀”等所有问题进行强有力的监督。

一位知情人士表示，国会山对赫格塞斯的不满情绪已经影响到白宫关于其潜在继任者的讨论，称需要找一个能够与民主党密切关注的事件保持距离的人来担任这一职务。

五角大楼首席发言人肖恩·帕内尔表示，赫格塞斯将继续推进特朗普的议程，五角大楼“一直遵守法律”。

帕内尔说：“赫格塞斯部长不会退缩，也不会被那些试图捞取党派利益或在根本不存在不当行为的情况下发起虚假调查的政客吓倒。”

田纳西州参议员席位？

长期以来，一直有传言称赫格塞斯可能会填补参议员玛莎·布莱克本即将空出的参议院席位。布莱克本参议员于周二当选，将于明年一月起担任田纳西州州长。

她的任期还有四年，而居住在田纳西州的赫格塞斯（Hegseth）周二在田纳西州投票，她可能无需参加选举即可被任命担任该职位。

当被问及是否希望赫格塞斯接替布莱克本的席位时，特朗普说：“嗯，我认为，我认为他做得非常好，而且我认为如果他这样做，他会非常受欢迎。”

“但我完全没听说过这件事，”特朗普告诉记者。

特朗普经常公开称赞赫格塞斯，并给予这位前陆军国民警卫队士兵相当大的自由裁量权，让他有机会重塑五角大楼。

但上个月，特朗普公开与赫格塞斯决裂，叫停了赫格塞斯直播陆军枪决胡德堡枪击案凶手尼达尔·哈桑的计划。

许多共和党同僚，以及宗教领袖和国际观察员，都对这项计划表示反对。国防部官员私下里则对直播计划最终未能实施感到欣慰。