WASHINGTON, Nov. 5 — President Donald Trump said Thursday that he plans to keep Pete Hegseth as defense secretary, even as he conceded that people are phoning him to complain about the Pentagon chief.

“I have every intention to keep him,” Trump told ABC News. Asked about the discontent, Trump said he gets calls about Hegseth and does not understand why.

The comments came in a conversation with ABC News chief Washington correspondent Jonathan Karl, according to The Daily Beast. They arrive as pressure builds on the White House. Outgoing Rep. Thomas Massie is moving forward with articles of impeachment against Hegseth, and is also urging Trump to act before Democrats take the majority.

The political calendar adds urgency. Trump acknowledged that confirming a replacement would be easier over the next two months, while Republicans still control the Senate. The remarks follow bruising midterm losses for Republicans, which Trump himself attributed to fallout from the war against Iran. 

The president’s backing is not new, but it has been tested. On Wednesday, Trump dismissed reports that he was weighing a replacement, saying Hegseth was “doing a very good job.” The defense secretary has weathered controversy before, including the 2025 Signal controversy, when Trump told ABC News he hoped Hegseth would become a “great” secretary.