Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has vowed “not to back down” in pushing out President Donald Trump’s agenda as his seat gets warmer after massive midterm losses.
“Just like the president, we don't back down, and that especially applies now. The next few months and years are critical for our department and our republic,” Hegseth said on the steps of the Pentagon Thursday in a video shared on social media. “This is about the president's ‘America First’ agenda. This is about our department's ‘Peace Through Strength’ agenda.”
Hegseth celebrated his dismantling of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives inside the department.
“Why do the Democrats and the deep state radicals really hate us? Because we tore down their sacred cows one by one and without apology. DEI is a Marxist ideology built to destroy us, so we crushed it,” he claimed. “Diversity is not our strength; our unity is men and women. They're not the same thing, but in the military, they must be held to the same standard.”
Hegseth’s spiel came hours after news broke that a Republican lawmaker will soon file articles of impeachment against the Pentagon chief.
Congressman Thomas Massie from Kentucky, who has become a vocal critic of Trump, told Bloomberg News that he will “definitely” reintroduce articles of impeachment when his colleagues return to the House next week.
Massie had introduced articles of impeachment against Hegseth in September, alleging that he had illegally started the Iran war without the consent of Congress. But House Speaker Mike Johnson, a staunch Trump ally, recessed the House early without a vote on the articles.
The Iran war that Trump started with Israel at the end of February is considered a major factor in Republicans’ crushing defeat Tuesday. The conflict caused gas prices to surge, giving Americans already struggling to afford everyday necessities another headache.
A defiant Hegseth stood by the unpopular war in Thursday’s video, telling Americans, “Regardless of how people feel about the war, which I believe is a courageous and historic effort that will ensure Iran never gets a nuclear weapon, we need to continue, as President Trump did in his first term, to rebuild our military.”
“That requires funding, and the Department of War must be funded to meet the moment right now. That includes a generational investment, a reconciliation bill of at least $350 billion, to keep this department, our country, way ahead in a dangerous world.
“We need every vote from every patriotic member of Congress. You see, they attack me. They attack us because we are effective. It's not going to work. We will not back down,” he said.
But now Democrats, who have strongly opposed the war, are poised to take control of the House and the Senate. This not only spells trouble for future funding that the Trump administration hopes to push through, but for Hegseth’s own future at the Pentagon.
The issue with Massie’s current push to impeach Hegseth is that Republicans still have control of Congress until January. Once the newly elected Democrats are sworn in, they can try to oust Hegseth, but Massie won’t be there to see it. The Kentuckian is on his way out of Congress after losing his primary election earlier this year to Trump-backed opponent Ed Gallrein, who then beat his Democratic challenger in the midterms.
Hegseth dismissed Massie’s efforts to impeach him, saying in Thursday’s video, “A disgruntled, defeated congressman, along with all his Democrat allies, has also dropped sham articles of impeachment against yours truly, just like they tried against President Trump twice.”
“You see, their policies don't work, so their obsession with political theater disguised as power drives them to try to destroy their opponents,” Hegseth continued. “Didn't work against President Trump, and it won't work with me. You can rest assured of that.”
But it might not take an act of Congress to fire Hegseth — Trump just may do it himself.
The president has been asking advisers whether Hegseth should keep his job after what is being dubbed a “blue tsunami” at the polls Tuesday, multiple people familiar with the matter told CBS News.
Even before the midterms, Hegseth was viewed unfavorably by the public after complaining about women in combat roles, pushing for testosterone decency screenings in male soldiers and calling for “no fatties” in the military.
Just 28 percent of Americans viewed Hegseth as a strong role model for men, while 39 percent didn’t, according to an October poll conducted by YouGov for the anti-Trump news outlet The Bulwark and the sports and culture show Pablo Torre Finds Out.
But Hegseth remains defiant, telling Americans in Thursday’s video, “We have only just begun to fight. We are more determined than ever, more resolute than ever to finish what we have started. We will stand. We will fight, and we will defend this republic from all enemies, foreign and domestic. Godspeed, and keep going.”
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