WHITE HOUSE DENIES PLANS TO REPLACE HEGSETH AND RUBIO

The White House has denied that Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio could leave their jobs following Republican midterm election losses. President Donald Trump said he had “every intention” of keeping Hegseth, while acknowledging that he had received calls about him. Rubio said working for Trump until the end of his term had “always been my plan”. White House spokesperson Danielle Alvarez said Trump had “a strong, united team singularly focused on delivering for the American people”.

Democrats won control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate in Tuesday’s elections. Trump and Vice-President JD Vance blamed the Iran war for Republican losses, while Trump also faulted Republican candidates. On Thursday, Trump praised Hegseth’s performance and cited the January arrest of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and the Iran war, now in its ninth month, among his achievements. The White House and US State Department both called suggestions of Rubio’s departure “fake news”.

An outgoing congressional Republican has threatened to force an impeachment vote against Hegseth as early as next week. Hegseth defended his record in a video statement, saying: “It's not going to work. We will not back down.” Rubio also denied that he was considering leaving ahead of a 2028 presidential run. Cabinet changes followed the 2006 midterm elections, when George W. Bush dismissed Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld after Republican losses amid opposition to the Iraq war.