Donald Trump has admitted that people want Pete Hegseth fired after receiving a flurry of angry phone calls about the defense secretary following Tuesday’s disastrous elections.
Multiple Republicans believe Hegseth’s job should be on the line, with the defense secretary the perfect fall guy after voter backlash against the deeply unpopular war in Iran helped the GOP get annihilated in the midterms.
However, Trump is still defending Hegseth, telling ABC News chief White House correspondent Jonathan Karl that he has “every intention to keep him.”
“I get these calls, you know, about him. I don’t understand why,” Trump said in a Thursday morning phone call.
Hegseth is being lined up by members of his own party as the scapegoat for the midterm massacre, given that he oversaw the disastrous Middle East conflict that sent gas prices soaring and exacerbated the financial hardship of millions of Americans.
There is also an argument that Trump should fire Hegseth now, since he will have little chance of getting his next pick to lead the Pentagon confirmed by a Democratic-controlled Senate next year.
Trump admitted to Karl that it would be easier to confirm a new defense secretary before Democrats take control of the Senate in January, but he does not appear to be considering firing Hegseth.
“I think he’s doing a very good job,” Trump told reporters on Wednesday.
There is also the argument that Trump could fire Hegseth before he is impeached, with Republican rebel Thomas Massie hoping to force a vote on impeaching the defense secretary when Congress returns next week.
Some believe such impeachment efforts could succeed even in the current GOP-controlled House, as scores of outgoing House Republicans may seek to blame the Pentagon chief for their election defeats.
“If the president is serious about anyone taking responsibility for it, it’s Pete Hegseth,” one Republican close to the White House told CNN.
“Pete has been either dishonest or incorrect—neither of which are acceptable—about timelines, goals and objectives since the beginning.”
In a statement, Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell told the Daily Beast: “Secretary Hegseth will not back down or be deterred by politicians seeking to score partisan points or launch phony investigations where no wrongdoing exists. The Department of War has followed the law and our Secretary will continue to stand and fight every single day to support and defend the Constitution, lead our troops, and protect America.
“We will continue to drive President Trump’s agenda at the Department of War—despite threats of sham witch hunts from Democrats—and Secretary Hegseth is 100 percent committed to leading the Department until the end of President Trump’s term in office.”
