Trump Rules Out Cabinet Shake-Up After GOP Losses

President Donald Trump (Getty Images) President Donald Trump said he does not expect to make changes to his Cabinet following Republicans' midterm election performance. During a late Tuesday night TV interview after Democrats captured control of both chambers of Congress, Trump dismissed suggestions that his administration's top officials were responsible for the GOP's sweeping midterm defeats.

"No, I don't think so. Had nothing to do with my Cabinet," Trump told Fox News, according to The Hill . The president characterized the election results as a temporary setback.

"I've been doing a lot of great things for a long time," Trump said. "It's just a point in time. Just a point in time.

Just the way it is. There was a mood in the air, I guess." Despite Trump's public defense of his Cabinet, questions reportedly are swirling about War Secretary Pete Hegseth's future following voter dissatisfaction with the war in Iran. CBS News reported Wednesday that Trump has asked advisers whether Hegseth should remain in his position, citing multiple sources familiar with the discussions.

Some White House aides reportedly expect Hegseth, U.S. Central Command chief Adm. Brad Cooper, and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen.

Dan Caine to face scrutiny over their roles in the military campaign. One source told CBS that Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has been floated as a possible replacement for Hegseth.

However, White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said Trump continues to support his war secretary. Trump "has full confidence in Secretary Hegseth," Kelly said. Vice President JD Vance also pointed to the Iran conflict as a major factor in the Republican losses.

"The reason we lost is the war," Vance wrote Wednesday on X . Trump acknowledged to The Wall Street Journal that the war "was a piece of" the election defeat but defended his administration's handling of the conflict. The president also cited the historical difficulty facing the party controlling the White House during midterm elections.

"I shouldn't feel guilty," Trump said, arguing that presidents routinely lose congressional seats regardless of their performance. He additionally blamed Republican candidates for failing to win over voters. Earlier Tuesday, Trump insisted his presence on the ballot would have produced a dramatically different outcome.

"If I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE!" he wrote on Truth Social . The election setbacks leave Trump facing a Democrat-controlled Congress during the final two years of his presidency, threatening his legislative agenda and opening the door to congressional investigations. The Associated Press contributed to this report. © 2026 Newsmax.

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