The White House has denied rumours that Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio could leave their jobs in a shakeup of the Trump administration following the election. The denial came as US media reported calls to replace Hegseth, particularly over his handling of the Iran war, which some have blamed for heavy Republican losses at the polls.
Rubio has also dismissed reports that he is weighing a departure ahead of a possible 2028 presidential run. The White House and the State Department both rejected such reports after this week’s midterm defeats, describing them as “fake news”. Hegseth, by contrast, faces a more uncertain political future.
Hegseth faces impeachment threat and calls to replace him
One outgoing Republican congressman has threatened to force an impeachment vote against Hegseth as early as next week. Thomas Massie, a frequent critic of Trump, told the news site Politico that he would trigger his resolution early next week. On X, he urged the president to replace Hegseth before a Democratic-controlled Congress takes office in January.
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“He should do it while he can still get the replacements confirmed in the Senate,” Massie wrote on X.
Hegseth responded with a video statement defending his record. He described the effort as “sham articles of impeachment” pushed by a “disgruntled, defeated congressman, along with all his Democrat allies”. He said the department had revived military recruitment, rebuilt the defence industrial base and rooted out diversity initiatives under his leadership.
“They attack me. They attack us because we are effective,” he said. “It’s not going to work. We will not back down.”
Hegseth has also been rumoured to be interested in running for an open Tennessee Senate seat.
Rubio says he plans to serve until the end of Trump’s term
Rubio told a national newspaper in an interview that working for Trump until the end of his term has “always been my plan”. He said he enjoyed his current role and joked about the speculation.
“I love the work I’m doing,” Rubio said. “And plus I always laugh when they say he’s going to leave his job. I go, ‘Which one?'”
Trump and Vice-President JD Vance have both blamed the Iran war for Republican losses that gave Democrats full control of the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Trump backs Hegseth and cites achievements
In a telephone interview with ABC News, Trump said he had received “calls about” Hegseth but added that he had “every intention” of keeping him. Later, he told reporters at the White House that “Pete Hegseth has done a fantastic job”.
Trump listed several of what he described as his achievements, including the arrest of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in January and the Iran war, which is now in its ninth month.
The Washington Post reported on Thursday that Trump might be considering removing General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, or Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of Centcom. Both have played significant roles in advising on the war, which began eight months ago. The report did not say that any decision had been made.
