Defiant Pete Hegseth lashes out in fiery video saying impeachment 'won't work with me' as ouster chatter reaches climax

Pete Hegseth broke his silence on impeachment threats in a fiery new video following chatter that he could be ousted from the Trump administration after the GOP suffered historic losses in the midterm elections.

President Donald Trump admitted after Tuesday's bloodbath for Republicans that voters did not agree with the war in Iran - largely orchestrated by Hegseth, the Secretary of War.

Now insiders say that Hegseth could take the fall for the 'bluenami' that handed Democrats control of Congress.

And he's facing two potential impeachment efforts - the first orchestrated by anti-Trump Republican Thomas Massie, who plans to force a vote in the House - and a second by incoming Democrats with subpoena power.

And there's also chatter that Trump could fire him from his Cabinet, which the president has denied.

But a very defiant Hegseth posted a video on X standing in front of the Department of War claiming he's not going anywhere.

'We don't back down,' the Secretary of War said in his address. 'And that especially applies now.'

'The next few months and years are critical for our department and our Republic.'

He went on to claim that the president's war against Iran was a 'historic and courageous effort,' regardless of 'how people feel' about it.

In his address, Hegseth also accused Democrats of being 'obsessed' with leading a personal vendetta against him and calling for his impeachment but insisted it 'won't work' with him.

After his Chief of Staff Susie Wiles (right) and even Secretary of State Marco Rubio had been named by GOP operatives hungry for a scapegoat, it seemed Trump had settled on a different name

Vance wasted no time, blaming the Iran war in a lengthy statement posted to X on Wednesday morning for the Republican loss in the midterm elections

This follows news that the White House is being rattled by calls from GOP operatives who are hungry for a scapegoat to blame for the midterm humiliation.

After Trump's Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and even Secretary of State Marco Rubio were floated as potential victims, Hegseth's name was quickly in the mouths of many Republicans as most likely to be let go.

According to White House insiders who talked to the Daily Mail, Trump himself has been canvassing a handful of close advisers, asking whether Hegseth should keep his job or be let go.

'Trump is making phone calls, contemplating it,' said a senior Republican. But on early Thursday, Trump insisted he has 'every intention to keep him.'

He conceded the Pentagon chief has critics in his ear. 'I get these calls, you know, about him. I don't understand why,' Trump told ABC News.

However, the president also acknowledged that it would be easier to confirm a new Defense Secretary before Democrats take control of the Senate in January.

Republican sources further alleged that Trump is ‘encouraging’ Governor-elect Marsha Blackburn to appoint Pete Hegseth to her Senate seat.

If Blackburn resigned, Governor Bill Lee appointing Hegseth could allow Trump time to confirm a new Pentagon chief before the new year.

The case against Hegseth is not the Iran war itself – now being blamed in many conservative quarters, including by the Vice President JD Vance, for Tuesday's drubbing – but what the President was told about it, according to one source, who described Trump repeatedly learning of important operational updates from the Persian Gulf after the fact.

Vance wasted no time, blaming the Iran war in a lengthy statement posted to X on Wednesday morning.

JD Vance listens to President Trump as he hosts Stephen Hubbard in the Oval Office on October 30

Trump spoke on the day the final steel beam goes into the ballroom at the White House on Wednesday

Trump, confronted with the post at the White House hours later, broadly agreed with Vance's diagnosis but refused to concede the war was a mistake.

'I think it's largely true because it drove the gasoline up... but at the same time if I had it to do again, I'd have to do it again,' he said.

Trump launched the conflict in February despite his deputy's private misgivings and Vance's carefully worded statement all but laid the midterm defeat at the president's feet.

At the same time, the fight for the 2028 Republican presidential nomination is engaged in full force.

Just over a year before the first nominating contests, Republicans are shopping for their first presidential nominee who isn't Trump since 2012.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are to visit Brussels next week as they resume public appearances in the wake of child sexual abuse image allegations facing Meghan's father.

Prince Harry and Meghan will deliver a joint keynote address at the opening of the Lost Screen Memorial in the European Parliament on Tuesday.

It is expected to be the first time the pair will have been seen in public since Thomas Markle Sr was reported to police in the Philippines and the FBI over a haul of suspected child abuse images.

The brief trip abroad will see Harry and Meghan listen to addresses by European Parliament president Roberta Metsola and MEP Antonio Lopez-Isturiz, the first vice-chairman of the Child Rights Intergroup, before delivering their own speech.

The Sussexes will have between 15 and 20 minutes for their rare dual-address, which they will use to speak about the importance of children's digital safety.

Harry and Meghan will also be shown the memorial exhibition, which remembers children who have lost their lives as a result of the harm they suffered on social media.

The Duke will later join a panel discussion called Beyond Promises: Building A Digital Future That Works For Children to discuss how to protect children online.

Prince Harry and Mehgan arrive for a visit to Himmah Hub in Nottingham on October 15

The Philippine National Police (PNP) has said videos of alleged child sexual abuse and exploitation were among files found in four storage boxes that allegedly belonged to Mr Markle Sr, after he was reported by his son Thomas Markle Jr last month.

Major General Wilson Asueta of the PNP said it had yet to be confirmed who owned the devices, which included nine mobile phones, three memory cards, five hard drives and a camera.

The 82-year-old was reported to police in the Philippines and the FBI last month by Mr Markle Jr, who handed over a haul of alleged child abuse images he said he found in his father's belongings in Cebu City.

A second hoard was discovered last Friday in a storage unit Thomas Markle Sr is said to have rented near his former home in Rosarito, Mexico, during a raid by Mexican police.

Reports have since claimed Mr Markle Sr was moved into a care home for dementia patients in Florida, described as a specialist 'memory care' facility.

It has raised concerns the FBI may never be able to interview Meghan's estranged father because of the legal barriers over interrogating suspects with cognitive issues in care homes.

Meghan was left 'deeply distressed' at the allegations and revealed she was sent a letter via the Metropolitan Police and Royalty and Specialist Protection seven years ago which made 'troubling and disturbing allegations' about her father, but that she was given assurances these were being investigated.

Harry and Meghan are set to be seen in public for the first time since her father Thomas Markle was reported to police over a haul of alleged child sexual abuse images

The Metropolitan Police has admitted it never shared the details with other law enforcement agencies, with the police watchdog, the Independent Office for Police Conduct, now investigating the force's conduct.

The Duchess had wanted to 'speak out' immediately after reading the letter but police advised her against this, sources said.

Meghan has been estranged from her father since the run-up to her 2018 wedding when he was caught staging paparazzi photographs and then had a heart attack, meaning the King, then-the Prince of Wales, stepped in to walk Meghan down the aisle.

When former TV lighting director Mr Markle Sr had his leg amputated in the Philippines last year, he made pleas for the duchess to contact him, saying he did not want to die while they were still estranged.

A spokesperson for the duchess confirmed at the time she had 'reached out to her father'.

Last week, it emerged Meghan wrote in this final letter that she knew he was an abuser and that he would never see his grandchildren Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

Mr Markle Sr, who returned to the US in May, has admitted to paying for sex in the Philippines but denied ever possessing child abuse imagery.

Blake Lively looked as if she had some new pep in her step when she was spotted out in New York City on Tuesday night in a stunning little black dress.

The 39-year-old Gossip Girl star was spotted out in Manhattan's Upper East Side for an event celebrating the launch of jeweler Brent Neale's new holiday collection, according to E! News.

Although Lively was reportedly joined by friends, her husband Ryan Reynolds, 50, didn't appear by her side.

The Daily Mail has reached out to Lively's representative for comment but hasn't yet heard back.

Lively – who recently revealed her over-the-top beauty regimen – channeled classic glamour in her skimpy black dress, which was decorated with glittering sequins.

The off-the-shoulder minidress featured a playful black bow that covered her cleavage for a touch of modesty.

Blake Lively looked as if she had some new pep in her step when she was spotted out in New York City on Tuesday night in a stunning little black dress

The 39-year-old Gossip Girl star was spotted out in Manhattan's Upper West Side for an event celebrating the launch of jeweler Brent Neale's new holiday collection, according to E! News

Lively – who recently revealed her over-the-top beauty regimen – channeled classic glamour in her skimpy black dress, which was decorated with glittering sequins

Lively's short skirt showcased her toned legs, which culminated in clear Louboutins that strapped around her ankles and featured black-tipped toes.

The It Ends with Us star, who is stepping out in the wake of her bruising legal drama with her former costar and director Justin Baldoni, wore her long blond hair in dramatic waves cascading down her shoulders.

She completed her glamorous ensemble with a simple black leather hobo handbag, and she added some extra sparkle with dangling earrings and multiple enormous sparkling rings.

Lively looked as if she was on top of the world as she beamed for photographers outside the shindig.

The outing comes after Lively revealed the secrets of the beauty regimen she uses to look as if she's in the 'first trimester of life' last week.

The actress took to her Instagram Story to share a candid clip of the nighttime routine she uses to maintain her 'natural beauty.'

She appeared to be wearing headgear with red-light therapy over her hair, in addition to a sheet mask with extra pieces she had pasted to her bare face.

The Gossip Girl alumna was also bundled up in a brown fleece hoodie while seemingly winding down for the night with her beauty routine.

The off-the-shoulder minidress featured a playful black bow that covered her cleavage for a touch of modesty

Lively's short skirt showcased her toned legs, which culminated in clear Louboutins that strapped around her ankles and featured black-tipped toes

The It Ends with Us star wore her long blond hair in dramatic waves cascading down her shoulders

She completed her glamorous ensemble with a simple black leather hobo handbag

Lively added some extra sparkle with dangling earrings and multiple enormous sparkling rings

Lively looked as if she was on top of the world as she beamed for photographers outside the shindig

The outing comes after Lively revealed the secrets of her beauty regimen last week

She joked that her go-to products make her look as if she's in the 'first trimester of life'

The actress took to her Instagram Story to share a candid clip of the nighttime routine she uses to maintain her 'natural beauty'

Lively gave a glimpse into her cozy wind-down routine shortly after the drama involving her film It Ends With Us and her director and costar Justin Baldoni.

'Natural beauty is effortless,' she quipped at the bottom of her post, which pictured her taking a deep breath while the mask covered her face.

Lively also drew thought bubbles around her face, and in one, she wrote: 'If I don't look like I'm in the first trimester of life after this much effort I quit.'

She continued: 'I miss the 2000s when we just used that handsoap with fish characters on it on our face & called it a day.'

The Gossip Girl star also noted the lights in the background of her room in another thought bubble: 'My kids' star projector that I stole is a vibe tho.'

She set her candid post to the tune of Fergie and Ludacris' 2006 smash hit Glamorous.

The mother of four – who shares James, 11; Inez, ten; Betty, seven; and Olin, three, with her husband Ryan Reynolds – often shares snippets of her hair and beauty routines on social media.

In August, she shared a video of herself getting ready in her bathroom before rushing out the door as a busy mother and businesswoman.

The mother of four – who shares James, 11; Inez, ten; Betty, seven; and Olin, three, with her husband Ryan Reynolds – often shares snippets of her hair and beauty routines on social media; above with Reynolds in April 2025 in NYC

In August, she shared a video of herself getting ready in her bathroom before rushing out the door as a busy mother and businesswoman

Her post comes after she was in a legal battle with Baldoni, and the former costars settled right before their trial was set to begin. Baldoni was ultimately ordered to pay $400,000 of Lively's legal fees earlier this year; pictured together in It Ends With Us

'The look: no time but need to look cute while ALSO raising children,' the movie star, who was seen using products from her Blake Brown haircare brand, wrote over the clip.

'Moment of truth: bun out after running around the city,' she continued, before almost running out the door with her pants unbuttoned.

Her post comes after she was in a legal battle with Baldoni, and the former costars settled right before their trial was set to begin.

Baldoni was ultimately ordered to pay $400,000 of Lively's legal fees.

Lively previously sued Baldoni and his production company Wayfarer in December 2024.

Right before their trial was set to begin earlier this year, Lively was awarded just over $400,000 of the $8 million she sought in legal fees from their dispute due to his countersuit.

In her lawsuit, Lively asserted that she was subjected to sexual harassment as well as retaliation, alleging he orchestrated a smear campaign to harm her reputation after she brought up complaints about his behavior on set.

In response, Baldoni denied harassment and claimed Lively made complaints to seize creative control of the movie.

In June 2025, the countersuit was thrown out. In May of this year, just two weeks before the scheduled trial date, the former costars reached their settlement.

They also released a joint statement, writing that they 'remain firmly committed to workplaces free of improprieties and unproductive environments.'