US President Donald Trump on Wednesday dismissed talk that he is preparing to replace War Secretary Pete Hegseth, while suggesting the Pentagon chief would be a popular choice for a Senate seat in Tennessee.
The remarks came despite suffering bruising midterm elections losses that the US president has blamed on the war against Iran.
Asked whether he was considering replacing Hegseth, Trump said: "No, I think he's doing a very good job."
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Asked if he wanted Hegseth to fill Marsha Blackburn's Senate seat, he said: "Well, I think he's doing a very good job, and I actually think he'd be very popular if he did that. But I haven't heard that at all."
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President Trump SHUTS DOWN any rumor of him considering replacing War Secretary Pete Hegseth. Reporter: “Are you considering replacing Secretary Hegseth?” President Trump: “No, I think he's doing a very good job.” Reporter: “So you don't want him to fill Marsha Blackburn's Senate seat, then, to be appointed to be senator? President Trump: “Well, I think he's doing a very good job, and I actually think he'd be very popular if he did that. But I haven't heard that at all.”
— RedWave Press (@RedWavePress) November 4, 2026
The comments came a day after the midterm elections, in which Democrats won both the House and the Senate, gaining seven Senate seats and 25 House seats.
Blackburn won the Tennessee governor's race, and plans to appoint her own successor once she is sworn in. Hegseth has been reported to be hoping for that appointment, though Representative Tim Burchett is also interested in the seat.
Questions over Hegseth's future have grown since the Republican setback. Reuters reported that sources said Trump could still replace him, and CBS reported that Trump had been asking advisers whether Hegseth should stay.
Democrats are also expected to pursue an impeachment effort once they regain the House majority. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said Hegseth "will not back down or be deterred by politicians seeking to score partisan points."
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Much of the criticism centres on the war with Iran, which drove up oil prices and angered voters. Asked when the conflict would end, Trump said: "Whenever I want it to. But it's got to be done right. And we're never going to let them have a nuclear weapon."
He said he had expected the price rise. "I knew the fuel would go up. I thought it would go up two or three times higher than it is. And now today it's coming down." He added: "We've done a great job. The Hormuz Strait is open... It's producing more oil right now than at any time prior to the war."
On Iran's military, he said: "We've totally broken their military. The Navy's gone. Their Air Force is gone. Their anti-aircraft is gone."
Trump also spoke about Vice President JD Vance and the 2028 race, after being asked whether the two had discussed it.
"I'm speaking to him about a lot of things. But, I mean, we'll see what happens... Maybe nobody's going to run. Maybe he won't run. I don't know who's going to run." On the war, he said: "I would have done nothing different."
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