Pete Hegseth has been floated as a possible replacement for Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn as pressure grows on the Secretary of War over his handling of Iran and speculation mounts that Donald Trump could remove him.
Two sources close to Mr Hegseth said he could be a strong candidate for the Senate seat, which is expected to become vacant when Ms Blackburn takes up her role as governor-elect. Mr Hegseth has lived in Tennessee since 2022.
However, people in Mr Hegseth’s camp believe he will survive the current turmoil and remain in charge of the Pentagon. A Department of War official said he planned on “staying until the end of the president’s term”.
The official pointed to a video posted by Mr Hegseth on social media this week in which he appeared to signal that he had no intention of leaving his post.
But Blackburn’s transition team has rejected suggestions that Mr Hegseth is under consideration for the Senate appointment, describing the reports as “spin”.
One transition source said the team had received calls from elected officials opposing a possible appointment and referred to a “big backlash”. The Blackburn Senate and transition teams did not say whether she had discussed the prospect with Mr Hegseth.
Mr Trump defended his Pentagon chief this week, saying he was “doing a very good job” and would be “very popular” as a Tennessee senator. The president added: “But I haven’t heard that at all,” appearing to distance himself from the idea.
Questions over Hegseth’s future
The uncertainty comes as Republican allies on Capitol Hill raise questions about Mr Hegseth’s leadership and the administration’s approach to Iran.
James Comer, the Republican chairman of the House Oversight Committee, said: “There’s a lot of questions about Hegseth.” He stressed that the decision on whether Mr Hegseth kept his job ultimately rested with Mr Trump.
“We have no idea what the strategy is moving forward in Iran,” Mr Comer said. “No one’s happy about Iran, and I think the Republican voters are more upset about what’s going on in Iran than the Democratic voters.”
Mr Hegseth has also faced criticism from Republican Senator Thom Tillis, who accused him of wasting taxpayers’ money on “campaign style videos”. Mr Tillis said the secretary’s difficulties stemmed from “the incompetence you’ve displayed, the bad advice you’ve given to president, and your shameful and embarrassing episodes from firing our top generals to texting war plans to reporters”.
Mr Tillis was responding to a video released by Mr Hegseth and issued what he described as a warning, writing: “Kristi Noem learned that the hard way.”
Mr Hegseth is expected to face a Republican-led impeachment effort when Congress returns from recess, potentially as early as next week. Congressman Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican and critic of Mr Trump, has threatened to introduce articles of impeachment unless Mr Hegseth resigns.
Some Republican lawmakers are reportedly prepared to support the move after Democrats’ decisive election gains, which left a number of remaining Republicans facing the loss of their seats.
Sean Parnell, the Pentagon’s chief spokesman, convened a meeting of Department of War political appointees on Wednesday to discuss an “aggressive defence of Secretary Hegseth and the President’s agenda”, according to a department source.
If the Tennessee Senate appointment does not materialise, Mr Hegseth’s next move in the event of a dismissal by Mr Trump remains uncertain. Sources have also said Ms Blackburn is considering Congressman Tim Burchett or Knoxville Mayor Glenn Jacobs for the seat.
