Trump defends Hegseth but acknowledges easier path to replacing him before new Congress

President Trump said Thursday morning he intends to keep Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in his current role, but acknowledged it would be easier to confirm someone new to lead the Pentagon before Democrats take control of Congress next year.

The president told ABC News’s Jonathan Karl that he has “every intention” for Hegseth to remain in the Cabinet, following reporting Wednesday that he was weighing whether the Defense chief should stay in the post after the midterm elections.

Trump said he’s received calls from people who are concerned about Hegseth but noted he didn’t “understand why.”

On Wednesday, he suggested Hegseth would be “very popular” if he was elected to replace Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) in Congress, who opted to run for Tennessee governor instead of for reelection. Trump also said the Defense secretary was “doing a very good job.”

Hegseth previously expressed interest in Blackburn’s seat, two sources familiar with the matter told The Hill at the end of October. A third person said the Pentagon leader is campaigning behind the scenes for the role, while another said his interest was an open secret.

Pentagon spokesperson Kingsley Wilson denied the reports at the time as “beltway gossip by anonymous sources.”

The flip of control of Congress to favor Democrats in Tuesday’s midterms sets new timeline pressures for the president and his administration to confirm a new Defense secretary if Hegseth were to depart the role.

Democrats will have a majority in the Senate, where Trump’s Cabinet nominees need a simple majority for confirmation. Under the chamber’s current 53-47 Republican majority, the president can afford to lose up to three GOP lawmakers.

This will not be the case in the new term, where Democrats have already secured 54 seats in the Senate and could possibly gain one more in Alaska.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), who is expected to gain a majority role in the lower chamber when Democrats take control, appeared to reference the Defense chief’s possible departure on Thursday morning.

“Why is Pete Hegseth still around?” he wrote on social media.

Filip Timotija contributed reporting.