WASHINGTON — President Trump said Thursday that he has “every intention” of keeping Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, as pressure mounts to blame the Pentagon chief for the Democrats’ sweeping victories in Tuesday’s midterm elections.
“I have every intention to keep him,” Trump told ABC News anchor Jonathan Karl. “I get these calls, you know, about him. I don’t understand why.”
Hegseth has drawn intense criticism over his handling of the war in Iran, a conflict he has strongly supported. Senior administration officials, including Vice President JD Vance, have cited the war while attributing Republican losses in House and Senate races nationwide to Democratic momentum.
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Several Republicans, including retiring North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis, have urged Trump to remove Hegseth and appoint a replacement while the party still controls the Senate.
At the same time, the House could vote as soon as next week on a resolution to impeach Hegseth when lawmakers return for their lame-duck session.
Democrats have indicated that they intend to target the former Fox News host if he remains in charge of the military when the new Congress is sworn in on Jan. 3.
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