U.S. President Donald Trump has been discussing with aides whether to replace Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth following the midterm elections, CBS News reported on local time yesterday (Nov. 4).

With the war with Iran cited as a key reason for the crushing defeat in the midterm elections, Secretary Hegseth's future has also come under scrutiny.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican, is reportedly being discussed as a potential successor to Hegseth.

A source reported that a proposal has been raised for Governor DeSantis to be confirmed by the Senate before the new Congress convenes and take over as defense minister after his gubernatorial term ends on January 5 of next year.

Some White House aides are also reportedly bringing up accountability issues for Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine and U.S. Central Command Chief Brad Cooper, who oversees military operations in the Middle East.

However, it is reported that President Trump has not yet made a final decision to replace Secretary Hegseth.

When asked by reporters on this day whether he is considering replacing Secretary Hegseth, President Trump replied, "No. I think he's doing a very good job."

The White House also stated that President Trump has full confidence in Secretary Hegseth.

Even within the Republican Party, however, the war with Iran is being pointed to as the cause of the midterm election defeat.

Vice President JD Vance wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that day, "The reason we lost was because of the war."

The Democratic Party has been pushing for the impeachment of Secretary Hegseth since the midterm elections.

With Democrats securing solid majorities in both the Senate and the House of Representatives in this election, prospects are rising that the push to impeach Secretary Hegseth could gain even more momentum.

Meanwhile, outlooks also suggest that Secretary Hegseth could transition to a U.S. Senate seat after stepping down from his cabinet position.

The idea is that Secretary Hegseth could be placed in the Senate seat left vacant as Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn assumes office as governor.

In Tennessee, if a federal Senate seat becomes vacant before completing its term, the state legislature appoints a successor senator to prevent any vacancy until the next election.

Regarding this plan, President Trump responded, "I haven't heard any talk of that," while adding, "If that were to happen, Pete would be very popular."