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The President of the United States, Donald Trump, continues to assure reporters that the Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, still has his trust, despite the war on Iran being considered by everyone, including Vice President JD Vance, to be the main reason for the Republican collapse in the midterms. For days, however, according to CBS, Trump has been discussing with his staff the fate of the head of the Pentagon, unwelcome to many senior officers of the armed forces for his campaign of ideological purges.
The former Fox News commentator’s stock appears to be even further down after today’s statements from the president, who opened up to possible “changes” in his government and defined a return to war as “unlikely” if negotiations continue. And the negotiations, according to what emerges from journalistic reconstructions, are indeed continuing: Vance is said to have even opened a personal diplomatic channel with Qatar and Pakistan to avoid a re-opening of hostilities at all costs, whereas Hegseth is apparently pushing for new raids.
The face of a conflict that has just been rejected at the polls, Hegseth has already been in the sights of the Democrats for some time, who next week are expected to initiate impeachment proceedings in Congress against the man who has long been seen as the weakest link in the Trump administration. Further worsening the position of the Secretary of Defense was an investigation by government supervisory authorities for violations of federal laws on propaganda and lobbying activities. Hegseth is in fact accused by the body of having used Pentagon funds and personnel to shoot a video in which he attacks the Democrats and defends his actions.
According to CBS, Hegseth could be replaced by Ron DeSantis, governor of Florida, among the few bastions of the ‘Gop’ who survived the blue avalanche that swept away historic Republican strongholds such as Texas. The mandate of DeSantis, who according to the Washington Post is already preparing a new run for the White House, expires on January 9 and cannot be renewed. It seems difficult, therefore, that one of the rare Republican bigwigs who emerged from the midterm defeat with their heads held high will not be offered a prestigious position.
As a consolation prize, more than one US commentator claims, Hegseth could run for the Senate seat left vacant by Marsha Blackburn, elected governor of Tennessee. Washington’s ambassador to the UN, Mike Waltz, and senator Joni Ernst are two other names that, according to The Intercept, Trump is considering. However, these would be ‘plan B’s if DeSantis rejects the offer. The governor of Florida is aiming to become the next president and will have to evaluate how much it suits him to be associated with an administration that has become so unpopular.