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The White House has denied rumors that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio could step down from their positions as part of the Trump administration's reshuffle after the election.
The U.S. media reported that there are voices calling for the replacement of Minister Hegseth, who has been particularly criticized for his response to the Iran war. The Iran war is pointed out as the main reason for the Republican Party's crushing defeat in this election.
One Republican congressman who is about to leave office warned that he would push for an impeachment vote against Secretary Hegseth as early as next week.
In response, Minister Hegseth released a video statement defending his work performance and condemning the movement to pursue impeachment.
"The reason they're attacking me is because we're getting the job done effectively," he said in the video. "That won't work. We won't back down."
Meanwhile, Secretary Rubio also denied reports that he was considering resigning from his position as Secretary of State ahead of his 2028 presidential run.
In an interview with the New York Times, Secretary Rubio said it was "the plan from the beginning" to work together until the end of President Trump's term.
“I love what I’m doing,” he said. “It always makes me laugh when people say I’m leaving my job. And I ask, ‘Which job are you talking about?’”
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The White House and State Department also denied reports that Secretary Rubio could step down following the Republican Party's crushing defeat in this week's midterm elections, dismissing them all as "fake news."
However, Minister Hegseth's political position is more uncertain.
President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance both pointed to the Iran war as the reason for the Republican Party's election defeat. As a result of this election, the Democratic Party secured majority positions in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate.
In a phone interview with ABC News, Trump acknowledged that he had "received a call about" Hegseth, but said he had "every intention" to continue using him.
At a meeting with reporters at the White House on the 5th local time, President Trump said, "Pete Hegseth did a great job." He then listed Minister Hegseth's major achievements that he evaluated, including the arrest of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in January of this year and the war with Iran, which has now continued for nine months.
The Washington Post reported on the 5th that President Trump may be considering dismissing Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Cain or Central Command Commander Brad Cooper.
Both men played a role in providing important military advice regarding the war with Iran that began eight months ago.
Meanwhile, Republican Congressman Thomas Massey, who has frequently criticized President Trump, announced that he would push ahead with his plan to impeach Secretary Hegseth.
In an interview with Politico, a political media outlet, Rep. Massey said he would propose a resolution to impeach Minister Hegseth as early as next week.
He also urged the president to replace Minister Hegseth before the new Congress, with a Democratic majority, is inaugurated in January.
“Now is the last opportunity to do so, as the Senate can confirm his successor,” Massey wrote in X.
Hegseth is also rumored to be interested in running for a vacant Tennessee Senate seat.
In a video statement, Hegseth called the push to impeach him "a botched impeachment attempt by a disgruntled, defeated congressman and all his Democratic sympathizers."
At the same time, he listed what achievements the Department of Defense under his leadership had made to realize President Trump's 'America First' policy.
He said this includes expanding military recruitment, rebuilding the defense industrial base, and eliminating diversity-related policies and projects.
He criticized the Democratic Party, saying, "Their policies are ineffective," and "obsessing over a political show disguised as an exercise of power is ultimately an attempt to destroy the opposition." He then claimed, “Everything is just a political offensive aimed at destroying political opponents.”
