Rubio denies plans to leave post, Trump defends Hegseth

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has dismissed reports that he was planning to leave the Trump administration while the US president swatted away questions about whether he might fire Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth in the wake of Republican losses in midterm elections.

According to The New York Times, Mr Rubio dismissed reports yesterday that he was planning to leave the Trump administration as he weighs his next moves after the midterms.

It has "always been my plan" to work for US President Donald Trump until the end of his term, Mr Rubio told The Times in an interview.

Mr Rubio, who also serves as Mr Trump's national security adviser, is widely considered a potential successor to Mr Trump in the 2028 presidential race.

Just days before Tuesday's midterm elections, he made an unusual appearance alongside the US leader on the campaign trail, briefly stepping up on the podium to address a cheering crowd at a rally.

Mr Rubio declined to answer questions about his political future yesterday, however, saying: "I literally will not talk about 2028 anymore."

On reports that he was considering an exit from the Trump administration, he told The New York Times: "I don't know where these things come from, to be honest with you."

Earlier yesterday, Bloomberg News reported that Mr Rubio was weighing whether to leave the administration.

The report added that Mr Rubio spoke to White House officials about stepping down, and was asked to stay.

But the State Department has hit back sharply against reports that Mr Rubio might leave.

Dylan Johnson, Assistant Secretary of State for global public affairs, called the Bloomberg article "totally made up".

He also called a report by news outlet The Independent, which said Mr Rubio was planning to launch a bid for the 2028 Republican presidential nomination, "completely baseless fake news".

Mr Rubio has previously said that he would support Vice President JD Vance if he ran for president.

Mr Vance is also widely considered a possible 2028 candidate.

Hegseth vows to fight impeachment efforts

Meanwhile, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a video message yesterday vowing to fight efforts in Congress to impeach him and defending the Iran war as "courageous and historic" after voters punished Republicans ⁠over it in this week's midterm elections.

Mr Hegseth's remarks, posted on social media, came as taunts from his foes in Congress intensified and Mr Trump swatted away questions about whether he might fire Mr Hegseth. Mr Trump has commended his Pentagon chief.

The top Democrat in the House of Representatives, Hakeem Jeffries, asked in a post: "Why is Pete Hegseth still around?"

Mr Hegseth, a former Fox News host, has been a polarising figure who has made enemies even within his own Republican Party.

Critics in Congress are targeting: his conduct of the Iran war, which Mr Vance has said cost Republicans control of Congress; his firing of top military officers; and strained relations with politicians as the administration seeks a $1.5trn defence spending package.

Democrats, who won control of Congress in Tuesday's elections, have promised to investigate Mr Hegseth and his handling of the Pentagon, and congressional aides say that would include the firing of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, among other issues.

Republican Representative Thomas Massie promised to reintroduce articles of impeachment against Mr Hegseth next week, warning that ‌impeachment would be "much gentler" than what's in store for him once ⁠Republicans cede control of Congress next year to Democrats.

"They’ll have hearings & trials," Mr Massie wrote on X.

Mr Hegseth defended his stewardship of the Pentagon in a more than four-minute video that boasted about firing senior Pentagon leaders, ending diversity initiatives and banning transgender individuals from the military.

"You see, they attack me - they attack us - because we are effective. It's not going to work. We will not back down," Mr Hegseth said to the camera.

Calling the impeachment effort a "sham," Mr Hegseth said that Mr Trump himself was impeached twice.

"It's all about the politics of personal destruction. It didn't work against President Trump, and it won't work with me. You can rest assured of ‌that," he said.

Yesterday, Mr Trump praised Mr Hegseth when asked whether he expected any staffing changes, saying his defence secretary had "done a fantastic job" and suggesting that the opposition to him was tied to his firing of generals.

"We had so many generals. Everybody was a four-star general. I ⁠never saw anything like it. And many of those people were woke. I don't like a woke general. And so, he probably has opposition," Mr Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.

Mr Trump ‌also praised Mr Hegseth's role in US military operations in Venezuela and Iran. "Venezuela has been unbelievable ... and in Iran, we are there for seven ⁠months and we control ‌everything that we've wanted to control," he said.

Sources have said Mr Trump could still replace Mr Hegseth as Republicans assess their election losses.

On Wednesday, Vice President JD Vance publicly questioned whether the Iran war was worth it and said it cost Republicans control of Congress, in extraordinary remarks that raised questions about whether Mr Trump might still go ahead with a threatened resumption of major combat operations against Iran.

One Trump adviser said Mr Hegseth "could be on the chopping block" because of ⁠the Iran war.

The Defence Department has said Mr Hegseth is "100% committed" to leading the Pentagon until the end of Mr Trump's term.