President Trump told ABC News he has “every intention” of keeping Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, while Rep. Thomas Massie urged him to replace Hegseth now while the Senate can still confirm a successor.
Trump tells ABC he intends to keep Hegseth
On Thursday morning, Nov. 5, 2026, ABC News chief Washington correspondent Jonathan Karl reported on X that Trump spoke with him and said he intends to keep Hegseth.
“I have every intention to keep him,” Trump told Karl, according to Karl’s post and later accounts by Just The News and Mediaite.
Trump also said he has received calls from people unhappy with Hegseth. “I get these calls, you know, about him. I don’t understand why,” he told Karl, per those same reports.
Karl wrote that Trump acknowledged it would be easier to confirm a new defense secretary before Democrats take over the Senate in January.
A day earlier, Trump had publicly said Hegseth was doing a “very good job,” and the White House had expressed full confidence — remarks HISARAK covered separately.
Massie: act now, or face tougher Democratic probes
About 90 minutes after Karl’s post, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) quote-tweeted it on X. He argued that if Trump plans to replace appointees such as Hegseth, he should do it while replacements can still win Senate confirmation.
Massie also said his Hegseth impeachment resolution is “a much gentler version of what’s coming when Dem’s control Congress,” adding that Democrats will hold “hearings & trials.”
Axios reported that Massie’s impeachment effort could move as early as next week and noted the lame-duck window for confirmations before a Democratic Senate.
At the time of writing, neither the White House nor Hegseth had replied publicly to Massie’s Thursday morning post.
Democrats keep pressure on
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries posted earlier Thursday: “Why is Pete Hegseth still around?”
Axios quoted a Hegseth spokesperson saying the secretary will “not back down or be deterred by politicians seeking to score partisan points” and that the department followed the law.
Timeline (Eastern)
- Wednesday: Trump said Hegseth was doing a “very good job”; White House voiced full confidence.
- ~7:01 a.m. Thursday: Jeffries posted “Why is Pete Hegseth still around?”
- ~7:33 a.m. Thursday: Karl reported Trump’s “every intention to keep him” comments.
- ~8:57 a.m. Thursday: Massie quote-tweeted Karl, urging replacement while confirmations are still possible and warning of tougher Democratic hearings and trials.
What each side is saying
- Trump / White House lane: Keep Hegseth; Trump says he does not understand the criticism and has every intention to retain him.
- Massie (Republican): Replace now if a change is coming; impeachment resolution is milder than what Democrats may pursue after January.
- Jeffries / Democrats: Public pressure for Hegseth to leave.
- Hegseth’s office: Will not be deterred by partisan attacks; says the department followed the law.
No outcome is settled. Confirmation fights, any impeachment vote, and January’s Senate change all still lie ahead.
Sources: Massie on X · Karl on X · Jeffries on X · Just The News · Mediaite · Axios
