Trump weighs Hegseth's Pentagon future after GOP midterm drubbing

Pete Hegseth's grip on the Pentagon job is looking shaky. President Donald Trump is consulting advisers about whether his defense secretary should stay, CBS News reported Wednesday, with Republicans still nursing sweeping midterm losses.

The electoral damage came with a scapegoat hunt attached. Vice President JD Vance pinned the GOP's bruising night on the war in Iran, according to the report, while other officials floated US Central Command chief Admiral Brad Cooper and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine as possible names to blame.

If Trump does pull the trigger, a familiar Florida face could slide into the chair. Governor Ron DeSantis is among the replacements the president would reportedly consider, per CBS News.

Democrats were already circling. They had been prepping an impeachment vote against Hegseth before the election, but the House slipped into an early recess and the move stalled out.

For now, Hegseth is still in the job and no decision has been announced. Kept in the dark or not, Washington will be watching whether Trump makes a move — and who gets the nod if he does.