Trump Says He Has Every Intention to Keep Hegseth

President Donald Trump said Thursday he intends to keep Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon, telling ABC News he has “every intention to keep him” even as critics push for a post-midterm shake-up, according to ABC News and the New York Post.

Trump acknowledged receiving calls from people unhappy with Hegseth but said he does not understand the criticism, ABC News reported. “I get these calls, you know, about him. I don’t understand why,” Trump said in the interview with ABC’s Jonathan Karl.

🚨 BREAKING: President Trump just threw his FULL SUPPORT behind SecWar Pete Hegseth amid a major push to get him fired

47 says Hegseth FIRED woke generals so he has "opposition"

PETE IS HERE TO STAY ‼️

"Many of those people were woke. I don't like a WOKE general. And so he… pic.twitter.com/kIwTyiAE76

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) November 5, 2026

The comments come as Republicans absorb midterm losses and as Rep. Thomas Massie prepares to reintroduce an impeachment resolution against Hegseth during the lame-duck session, according to ABC News. Massie told ABC he intends to introduce the measure Monday or Tuesday and believes enough Republican votes could be there to pass it.

Asked about Massie’s effort, Trump called the Kentucky Republican “a guy who is very destructive and is a very bad guy,” ABC News reported.

The New York Post reported that some Republicans, including retiring Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, have urged Trump to replace Hegseth while the GOP still holds a Senate majority. Democrats taking control of Congress in January would make confirming a successor harder, Trump acknowledged to ABC News.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said Hegseth “is 100% committed to leading the Department until the end of President Trump’s term in office” and that the department will continue the president’s agenda “despite threats of sham witch hunts from Democrats,” the New York Post reported.

On Wednesday Hegseth’s team also pushed back on suggestions he leave the Pentagon for a Tennessee Senate opening after Sen. Marsha Blackburn’s gubernatorial win, according to the New York Post. Trump predicted Hegseth would be “very popular” in Tennessee if he pursued that path, ABC News reported, while affirming he wants Hegseth to stay at Defense.

For Daily Beltway readers, Trump’s on-camera defense of Hegseth is the clearest public signal yet that the White House is not treating the Pentagon chief as disposable after Election Day. That matters for military readiness, civilian control of the Defense Department, and whether lame-duck impeachment theater becomes an opening move in the next Congress.

Trump separately said he expects Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries at the White House at some point and that he believes the parties can work together, ABC News reported. “I think we can get along. it’s good for the country if we do. The country has had enough,” Trump said.

Daily Beltway will continue tracking Massie’s impeachment push, any formal White House personnel announcements, and Hegseth’s own statements as the lame-duck calendar opens.

Sources

• ABC News: Trump says he has ‘every intention’ to keep Hegseth
• New York Post: Trump says he has every intention of keeping Pete Hegseth
• Anadolu Agency: Trump reiterates intention to keep Hegseth
• X post with Trump remarks clip

Reporting by Daily Beltway.