Trump Says He Will Not Replace Secretary Hegseth: "Doing a Very Good Job," Could Be Popular as Tennessee Senator
On November 4, President Donald Trump publicly backed Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, saying he is not considering replacing the Pentagon chief. The remarks came a day after Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress in the midterm elections, amid speculation that Hegseth — one of the leading advocates of the Iran war — could be a target in a post-election shake-up. CBS News had reported that Trump had consulted advisers and allies about whether Hegseth should remain.
Asked whether he was considering replacing Hegseth, Trump told reporters: "No, I think he's doing a very good job." Trump also said he thought Hegseth would be "very popular" as a U.S. senator from Tennessee — Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn won the state's governorship on November 3, which will leave her Senate seat vacant — while adding that he had not heard of any such plan.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said Hegseth is "100 percent committed" to leading the department until the end of Trump's term on January 20, 2029. Reuters reported, however, that some Trump advisers privately said Hegseth could still be replaced as Republicans assess their losses, with one adviser saying someone would have to take the blame.
Hegseth's future is closely tied to responsibility for the Iran war. Vice President JD Vance wrote on social media on November 4 that the war was the reason Republicans lost; Trump told The Wall Street Journal the same day that Iran was only one of the reasons, and that the decision to go to war was right and he would do it again.
Source: Reuters
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：战争部长 Pete Hegseth 官方肖像。公共领域，美国战争部照片。 / Photo: Official portrait of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. Public domain, U.S. Department of War photo.
