The White House denies that Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio will leave their jobs after Republican losses in the 2026 midterms. Both the White House and the State Department called Rubio-exit reports “fake news”, according to BBC News, while President Donald Trump said he had “every intention” of keeping Hegseth.
The denials came as Democrats took control of both chambers of Congress. For the seat results, read our report on historic firsts in the 2026 US midterms. Trump and Vice-President JD Vance have blamed the war with Iran for the Republican setback.
Key points
- White House and State Department denied Rubio-exit reports as “fake news” (BBC)
- Trump told ABC he had “every intention” of keeping Hegseth and later said Hegseth had done a “fantastic job”
- Rubio told the New York Times that working for Trump to the end of his term has “always been my plan”
- The State Department called a Bloomberg report that Rubio was weighing leaving “totally made up” (France 24)
- A Washington Post report that Trump might oust Gen. Dan Caine or Adm. Brad Cooper has not been confirmed
- Hegseth’s interest in a Tennessee Senate seat remains only a rumour
What the White House denies about Hegseth and Rubio
BBC reported that the White House denied talk of a post-midterm shake-up that would remove Hegseth or Rubio. Rubio, who also serves as national security adviser, told the New York Times that working for Trump until the end of his term has “always been my plan”. “I love the work I’m doing,” he said, and joked “Which one?” when asked about leaving “his job”.
France 24, citing the same New York Times interview, said Rubio declined to discuss 2028: “I literally will not talk about 2028 anymore.” France 24 also reported that Bloomberg had said Rubio was weighing whether to leave and had spoken to White House officials about stepping down. State Department spokesman Dylan Johnson called the Bloomberg article “totally made up” and labelled a report in The Independent about a 2028 bid “completely baseless fake news”.
“Working for Trump until the end of his term has always been my plan.”
Marco Rubio, to the New York Times (via BBC / France 24)
Trump backs Hegseth as Massie moves to impeach him
In a telephone interview with ABC News, Trump said he had received “calls about” Hegseth but had “every intention” of keeping him. Later at the White House he told reporters: “Pete Hegseth has done a fantastic job.” Trump listed among Hegseth’s achievements the arrest of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in January and the Iran war, now into its ninth month, according to the BBC.
Republican Representative Thomas Massie told Politico he will introduce an impeachment resolution against Hegseth early next week. On X he urged Trump to replace Hegseth before Democrats take full control of Congress in January so the Senate can still confirm a replacement: “He should do it while he can still get the replacements confirmed in the Senate.” The resolution has not been put to a vote yet.
Hegseth posted a video defending his record: “You see, they attack me. They attack us because we get things done. It’s not going to work. We will not back down.” He called the effort “sham articles of impeachment” from a “disgruntled, defeated congressman”. The BBC also noted a rumour that Hegseth is interested in an open Tennessee Senate seat; that has not been confirmed.
“Pete Hegseth has done a fantastic job.”
Donald Trump, at the White House (via BBC)
Unverified reports about Caine and Cooper
The BBC, citing the Washington Post, reported that Trump might consider replacing General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, or Admiral Brad Cooper, the Centcom chief. Both played a prominent role in the Iran war, which the BBC said started eight months ago. The report has not been confirmed by other sources.
For more on White House changes, read our report on Karoline Leavitt leaving the White House. On the Iran file that Trump and Vance blame for the midterm losses, read Trump on an Iran deal.
So far, the White House and State Department’s official position is a denial that Hegseth or Rubio will leave, with Trump confirming he intends to keep his defence secretary. Talk of an imminent departure, a Tennessee run, or changes at the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Centcom comes from other media and has not been confirmed by the White House.
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