Trump Defends Hegseth After Midterm Loss

President Donald Trump appointed Stephen Miller as White House chief of staff on Friday. This move came as the incoming Democratic leadership signaled an immediate push to investigate the administration's top officials. The appointment was made one day after Republicans lost control of Congress in the midterm elections held on Tuesday.

Trump entered the final two years of his term with a weakened legislative position. Democrats now hold the majority in both chambers of Congress. This shift allows them to summon witnesses, request documents, and hold public hearings. The new committee structure opens the door to inquiries into the President's family business, cryptocurrency dealings, and government contracts involving Elon Musk.

On Sunday, Trump posted on Truth Social that America had taken a giant step back in history. He noted that the stock market lost value following the vote. He declared, But have no fear, we will be back, BIGGER AND STRONGER THAN EVER BEFORE! The President also claimed the Justice Department should examine Democratic threats to impeach his aides, a move he described as extortion.

Incoming House Speaker Hakeem Jeffries said he would support an effort to remove Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth from his post. Jeffries stated that Hegseth abused his power and engineered a reckless war in Iran. A Republican lawmaker reportedly plans to introduce an impeachment motion as early as Monday.

"The so-called secretary of defense has abused his power, undermined our national security and engineered this reckless and costly war of choice in Iran, which has skyrocketed prices on the American people and made the country less safe. Pete Hegseth has got to go," Jeffries told ABC.

Trump defended Hegseth during a conversation with reporters on Sunday. The President said Hegseth was guilty of winning two wars. He referred to the U.S. raid on Venezuela in January, which removed President Nicholas Maduro, and the ongoing conflict with Iran. Trump told reporters, We won in Venezuela. We've taken out hundreds of billions of dollars. We won in 48 minutes. And we won in Iran. It's just a question of closing it out now or later.

Attorney General Todd Blanche, a former personal lawyer for Trump, vowed to protect administration officials from legal challenges. Blanche told CNN that the Justice Department would defend Stephen Miller if Democrats attempted to target him. He argued that the department must be present to defend officials instead of just conducting oversight.

Robert Garcia, the ranking Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, criticized Blanche's stance. Garcia said that protecting the executive branch is not the sole job of the Attorney General. He stated, All he wants to do is protect Donald Trump, is protect Donald Trump's cabinet and administration officials. That is not his job. Garcia added that Democrats would investigate those committing crimes against the American public and that they would not be intimidated.

The election results have left Trump politically constrained during the lame duck period. Many Republicans, including Vice President JD Vance, have discussed why the party lost support at the ballot box. Analysts have identified the administration's tough immigration policy, which Miller helped design, as a contributing factor to the Republican defeat.