Two days after Republicans lost control of Congress in the 2026 midterms, the political fight over the war in Iran has landed squarely on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. President Donald Trump has publicly said he has “every intention” of keeping Hegseth in the job, even as critics blame the Pentagon’s leadership for the party’s losses and Democrats prepare to investigate. This article summarizes reporting from The Washington Post, The Hill, CBS News and the New York Post as of Friday morning, November 6.

Why Hegseth is under pressure

According to The Washington Post’s national-security reporting earlier this week, knives are out at the Pentagon after an unpopular Iran war and a midterm rout for Republicans. The Post’s Friday “7 things to know” rundown led with Hegseth posting a defiant video as he faces calls for his removal, and noted that some critics have blamed him and the Iran conflict for the party’s losses.

CBS News reported that Trump has been asking advisers whether Hegseth should stay after the midterms, citing people familiar with those conversations. That reporting sits alongside public statements of support, a mix that leaves Hegseth’s long-term status less settled than a single quote might suggest.

What Trump said

The Hill and the New York Post both reported that Trump voiced support for Hegseth and said he has “every intention” of keeping him, praising him as someone who is doing a “very good job.” The Straits Times, in a November 6 world roundup, similarly noted that Trump has stood by Hegseth so far and insisted he is doing a very good job.

Those comments matter because they set a public baseline. Even if private conversations continue, Trump has made clear he is not ready to dump his defense secretary in the immediate aftermath of the election.

Hegseth’s response

The Washington Post reported that Hegseth posted a defiant video defending his performance and lavishing praise on Trump. CNN separately described a “fight, fight, fight” video that poured fuel on impeachment talk among Democrats newly empowered by the midterm results. Exact wording of every line varies by outlet, so readers should treat paraphrases as summaries of the reporting rather than a full transcript.

What Democrats can do now

PBS NewsHour’s November 5 broadcast noted that a Democratic majority in the House gives the party control over powerful committees that could investigate the president’s family business dealings and other topics. With Congress flipping, oversight of the Iran war and Pentagon leadership is expected to intensify once the new Congress convenes in January.

For now, Hegseth remains in place. The open questions are whether Trump’s public backing holds through the next few weeks of advice and finger-pointing, and how aggressive House Democrats will be once they hold the gavels.

What to watch next

  • Private advice vs. public praise: whether Trump’s “every intention” line survives further midterm post-mortems.
  • Committee plans: which House panels prioritize Iran-war and Pentagon oversight first.
  • Personnel signals: any quiet sounding-out of alternative defense secretaries, which outlets have flagged as a background possibility.
  • Hegseth’s messaging: whether more defiant videos or briefings follow.

Markets and the wider midterm hangover

The Straits Times’ November 6 roundup also noted sharp market nerves tied to expectations of tougher AI regulation under a Democratic Congress. That is a separate thread from Hegseth’s job security, but it shows how quickly midterm results are reshaping multiple policy fights at once. Hegseth’s fate sits inside the national-security lane; investors are watching a different set of committees. Both stories start from the same election night.

CNN also framed Hegseth’s defiant video as pouring fuel on impeachment talk among Democrats newly empowered by the midterms. Whether that talk becomes formal action is a January story; the November story is that Trump’s public backing and Hegseth’s public defiance are now on the record together.

The bottom line

The midterms did not remove Pete Hegseth from the Pentagon, and Trump has said he intends to keep him. That does not end the argument. It starts a new phase in which Democratic oversight, Republican blame and White House loyalty tests will all run at once. We will keep following the story as confirmed reporting develops.

Image: United States Capitol – west front by Architect of the Capitol via Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain Mark 1.0