Trump backs Hegseth as Democrats take Congress after Iran war

President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he was not considering replacing Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, telling reporters: "No, I think he's doing a very good job." The remark came a day after Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress in midterm elections that Dawn and CNA both described as a verdict on the war with Iran.

The White House referred Reuters to Trump's public comments when asked about Hegseth's position. Trump has called Hegseth a leading proponent of the conflict, saying on March 23: "Pete, I think you were the first one to speak up, and you said, 'Let's do it, because you can't let them have a nuclear weapon.'"

Reporters put the question to Trump in the week that then-President George W. Bush fired defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld in 2006, the morning after Democrats took Congress amid discontent over the Iraq war. CNA reported that a Trump adviser said Hegseth "could be on the chopping block" over the Iran war. "Someone is going to get blamed for this and you know it's not going to be him," the adviser said of the president. Vice-President JD Vance said publicly on Wednesday that the war may not have been worth it and that it cost Republicans control of Congress.

At the Pentagon, chief spokesperson Sean Parnell said Hegseth would keep driving Trump's agenda and that the department "has followed the law". "Secretary Hegseth will not back down or be deterred by politicians seeking to score partisan points or launch phoney investigations where no wrongdoing exists," Parnell said. The defence department said Hegseth was "100 per cent committed" to leading it until Trump's term ends on January 20, 2029.

Republican Senator Thom Tillis told CBS on Tuesday night that Hegseth had "a reckoning" coming and that strained relations with lawmakers were holding up the administration's push for a $1.5 trillion defence spending package. "I think after the election, we need to determine whether or not he's the best person to bring those needs to Congress," Tillis said, noting the current Congress has about 60 days left.

Democrats have promised investigations covering the Iran war, Hegseth's removal of senior officers including the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Ukraine policy, and strikes on suspected drug trafficking boats in Latin American waters that some Democrats say could amount to war crimes. Representative Adam Smith, expected to chair the House Armed Services Committee next year, has promised oversight of what he called erosion of the "apolitical foundation of the armed forces". Republican Representative Thomas Massie filed articles of impeachment against Hegseth earlier this year, accusing him of abusing his office by launching hostilities against Iran without congressional approval.

Trump also raised the prospect of Hegseth taking the Senate seat being vacated by Marsha Blackburn, who was elected Tennessee governor on Tuesday. "I actually think he'd be very popular if he did that," Trump said. "But I haven't heard that at all."