Trump Plots Secret Move to Dump Hegseth and Save Face
The president has several options when it comes to his embattled Pentagon chief.
Photo Illustration by Thomas Levinson/The Daily Beast/Getty
Donald Trump may be planning a new role for Pete Hegseth to appease voters angry over the Iran War.
Despite his denials, the president is reportedly considering firing the embattled Pentagon chief.
One option may be for him to offer Hegseth a safe Republican Senate seat that will become available in January.
“Watch what happens with Hegseth,” said former Democratic senator Claire McCaskill. “It will not surprise me if Trump wants to dump Hegseth before January. And the easiest way to do that is to get Marsha Blackburn to appoint him as senator in Tennessee.”
Andrew Harnik/Pool via Reuters
Tennessee’s MAGA Sen. Marsha Blackburn won the state’s governor’s race on Tuesday and is planning to hold out on a successor for her Senate seat until after January 3, when she can name someone herself.
As a close Trump ally, Blackburn might be persuaded to name Hegseth, McCaskill said, in an interview with Stephanie Ruhle on MS NOW.
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Maggie Haberman, White House reporter for The New York Times, also claimed Hegseth was for the axe, saying: “This might be an easy move for him to make is to get rid of Pete Hegseth and try to propel some kind of a comity with Democrats.”
U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) attends a press conference in favor of the proposed "SAVE America Act", which would require proof of U.S. citizenship in registering to vote and a photo ID for casting ballots, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 18, 2026.
Nathan Howard/REUTERS
Asked about the possibility of Hegseth replacing Blackburn, Trump said on Wednesday: “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,” the president added.
Trump told ABC News White House Correspondent Jonathan Karl on Thursday that he intended to keep Hegseth, but he added, “I get these calls, you know, about him. I don’t understand why.”
Lawmakers, including Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, have urged Trump to get rid of Hegseth quickly, so he can rely on a GOP Senate majority to confirm the replacement before the Democrats take over Congress in January.
GOP rebel Thomass Massie voted in favor of the resolution and is also trying to impeach Pete Hegseth over the war in Iran.
Evan Vucci/Evan Vucci/Reuters
To avoid the chaos of his first term, with its revolving-door cabinet, Trump shifted Mike Waltz from his key job as National Security Advisor after the Signalgate scandal in March last year, when he accidentally included a journalist in a secure chat about military planning involving Hegseth.
Trump gave Waltz the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations role to save face.
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