US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth issued a video message on Thursday in which he pledged to continue the struggle and stand in the face of attempts being made in Congress to isolate him. He defended the Iran war and described it as a “courageous and historic” effort, after voters punished the Republican Party because of it in the midterm elections that took place this week. His statements, published on social media, came at a time when criticism from his opponents in Congress increased, while President Donald Trump ignored questions about whether he would fire Hegseth and expressed his appreciation for him. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries wrote in a post, asking, “Why is Pete Hegseth still in office?”