“It did not succeed against Trump before.” The US Secretary of Defense responds to the Democrats’ efforts to isolate him

- US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth published a video clip on the “X” platform (formerly Twitter), on Thursday, in which he expressed a defiant stance in light of reports of the possibility of him being subjected to impeachment measures by Congress, likening his situation to what President Donald Trump faced previously. Hegseth said, in a video clip he filmed in front of the Pentagon: “The matter is not related to me personally, but the other party - as you have noticed - is completely obsessed. A member of Congress, feeling dissatisfied and defeated, in cooperation with his Democratic allies, put forward false articles of impeachment against me, just as they tried to do that with President Trump twice...

It is a policy aimed at personal destruction. It did not work for President Trump, and it will not work for me either. Republican Representative Thomas Massie told the Ofoq News network that he intends to put the issue of Hegseth's impeachment to a vote in Congress next week, while other Republican sources expected this move to be approved.

In the wake of a historic defeat in the 2026 midterm elections, Republican lawmakers and their allies began looking for someone to blame for the loss, and many of them chose Hegseth. Republican sources told Ofoq News that Hegseth played a major role in convincing Trump to launch an attack on Iran, without a clear strategy for withdrawal.

Asked Wednesday about Hegseth's status, Trump defended the war effort and denied any intention of firing him, noting that the defense secretary was "doing a very good job." In the nearly 6-minute video, Hegseth said, “Regardless of people’s opinions about war” with Iran — a war he sees as “a courageous and historic effort that will ensure that Iran never has a nuclear weapon” — “we must continue to work on rebuilding our military, just as President Trump did during his first term.”

He also spoke at length about the Pentagon's policies against "diversity, equity, and inclusion" policies, and praised "strong young people who believe in a cause higher than themselves." He stressed that "the faith of the founding fathers" must be present "within our military formations," stressing that "terrorists linked to the drug trade deserve death," and that "mass deportations fall within military missions."

He continued: "Why do the Democrats and extremists in the deep state hate us because we overthrew their sanctities one by one, and without any apology?"