President Donald Trump on Thursday called Secretary of War Pete Hegseth “a great warrior” and said he is “the best at his job in many, many years,” defending him before boarding Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews as Republican Rep. Thomas Massie plans to force a lame-duck House vote to impeach Hegseth and Democrats talk of ousting him if they take the House.
Asked whether he was worried about Democratic rhetoric about trying to impeach Hegseth if Democrats win the midterms, Trump said during the Oct. 29 departure gaggle, “I think it’s terrible. All they do is they talk about impeaching everybody. I mean, honestly, if we wanted to play that game, we could play it just as well, but they’re talking about Pete Hegseth. He’s doing a great job. He’s a great warrior; I think he’s the best at his job in many, many years and a lot of people agree with that.”
Hegseth leads the Department of War. Congress has not declared war on Iran or passed a specific authorization for the use of military force for the campaign that began with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Feb. 28. Trump told Congress in a July 10 War Powers letter that he “acted pursuant to my constitutional authority as Commander in Chief.” The Defense Casualty Analysis System counted 22 U.S. deaths in the Iran operations as of Oct. 28. A New York Times report published Oct. 21 said the United States and Israel had drawn up plans for renewed strikes on Iran after the Nov. 3 midterm elections, citing anonymous U.S. officials.
Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican who is leaving Congress after losing his primary to a Trump-backed challenger, told Roll Call on Monday that he plans to force a House vote on his Hegseth impeachment resolution the week of Nov. 9, after the midterm recess. “I’m not sure if I would do it the night we get back, but it would be soon after we return — if he’s still in the job,” Massie said. He gave the measure “better than a 50 percent chance of passing” if Democrats unite and “a handful of Republicans” join in the lame duck.
Massie read a draft of eight articles on the House floor on Sept. 15, according to the Congressional Record. His House office announcement and the full resolution text summarize charges including waging war in Iran in contravention of War Powers Resolution provisions, ignoring laws meant to minimize civilian casualties, maritime strikes Massie says produced at least 221 deaths, retaliating against Sen. Mark Kelly, directing the seizure of Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro without legal authority, and an unlawful war in Yemen.
Speaker Mike Johnson said on Sept. 16 that Massie’s effort was “a publicity stunt by someone who wants attention” and that Hegseth “has done an extraordinary job at the Department of War,” the Washington Examiner reported. Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson, responding to that September push, told Military.com reporters: “Secretary Hegseth has been a transformative leader for the Department of War. Standards and merit are back, our arsenal is stronger than ever before, and morale and recruitment across every service are at all-time highs.”
Democrats have framed Hegseth’s removal as a priority if they take the House. Rep. Jason Crow, a Colorado Democrat and former Army Ranger, said on CBS News’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday that “Pete Hegseth remains incompetent and is not doing what’s necessary to protect our service members, which is why he’s my priority number one if we retake the majority, to make sure we oust him from the Pentagon,” according to the network’s interview transcript. Later Thursday, Crow wrote in a post on X that “Pete Hegseth is failing at his job,” that he has “politicized our military, put our servicemembers in danger by recklessly sharing classified info, and started new forever wars,” and that “He’s got to go.”
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said after a Saturday campaign stop in Peekskill, New York, that Hegseth “needs to be pushed aside by the president, or we’re going to have to deal with that situation if he is not,” MS NOW reported. Asked about Massie’s resolution, Jeffries said he was “inclined to” act consistently with his call since spring 2025 for Trump to fire Hegseth as “deeply unqualified,” rather than endorsing the articles. Rep. Pat Ryan of New York said on CNN on Oct. 21 that Hegseth “is the most incompetent and immoral secretary of defense we’ve had in 250 years,” according to the CNN transcript.
Cabinet impeachment is rare. The House has voted to impeach a Cabinet member only twice: Secretary of War William Belknap in 1876, according to the House history office, and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in 2024 by 214-213 on House Roll Call 43 on H.Res. 863. The Senate dismissed the Mayorkas charges without a trial. Conviction of Hegseth would require a two-thirds Senate vote even if the House impeached him.
Trump’s description of Hegseth as “the best at his job in many, many years” and “a great warrior” is the president’s assessment, which Wilson and Johnson share; Crow, Ryan and Jeffries describe Hegseth as failing, incompetent or unqualified. Massie’s eight articles, including his 221-death maritime figure, are allegations that have not yet received a House vote. Crow called for ousting Hegseth and Jeffries stopped short of endorsing Massie’s articles. Trump’s remark that Republicans “could play” an impeachment “game” “just as well” was not tied to any filed resolution.