On Thursday, new reporting revealed why President Donald Trump won’t fire the Cabinet secretary who is so widely despised that even Republicans are calling for his impeachment. According to White House insiders, there’s a simple reason Trump doesn’t want to axe Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Following reports that Republicans are preparing to throw Hegseth under the bus for their midterm disaster, claiming that his mishandling of the war and broadly disliked approach to military leadership played a key role in pushing voters to slap down the GOP’s Senate and House majorities, officials told CNN White House Correspondent Alayna Treene that there is a straightforward justification for the president’s unwillingness to can his embattled aide. “Trump personally likes Hegseth very much,” posted Treene, “and that remains true despite the shellacking on Tuesday, multiple White House officials told me.”
As Treene elaborated, “It is no secret to those in the West Wing that Hegseth is a primary target for Dems. But Trump has told his aides that he believes Hegseth should fight back against those efforts – the question is if this changes as the demand for accountability grows louder.” Calls for Hegseth’s removal have been coming for months, and not just from Democrats. Many Republicans blame Hegseth for his role in convincing Trump to launch war without a viable exit strategy, and they’ve become increasingly open about such criticisms to the point where Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) called for his impeachment — a move that alarmed House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) so much that he adjourned the House for an early recess. But now that the midterms are over and the House is coming back in session next week, Massie has declared that he will reintroduce articles of impeachment, a move that many in his party support. As Sen. Thom Tillis (R-SC) declared following the GOP’s midterm trouncing, “Hegseth has a reckoning” coming.
Despite this, Trump told ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl that he has “every intention of keeping him.” According to Karl, Trump acknowledged receiving calls from people unhappy with Hegseth, but said, “I get these calls, you know, about him. I don’t understand why.” He also acknowledged it would be easier to confirm a new Defense Secretary before the Democrats take over the Senate in January.
Treene noted, however, that despite the president’s affection for Hegseth, the former has asked allies about the latter’s performance in recent months, and Trump’s most senior advisors have made it clear that they have soured on the secretary as the war has dragged on. But many disapprove of Hegseth’s leadership for reasons beyond the conflict, notably criticizing his tendency to fire respected, experienced generals and other officers who don’t fit his culture war ethos. Negative opinions of Hegseth also abound within the military ranks. On Monday, a new report revealed that half of U.S. armed forces service members want to quit because they say the military has become too politicized. According to the survey, 45 percent of service members are considering leaving the military early specifically because of policy changes and uncertainty caused by the Trump administration, and 67 percent agree that military decisions are being made for political gain, not mission readiness.