After midterm losses blamed on the Iran war, the president is asking aides whether his defense secretary should go. Florida's outgoing governor is the name in play, and a House impeachment vote is expected next week.
By Joseph Jackson | TAMPA (Nov. 6, 2026)
The short version
President Trump is asking advisers whether to fire Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has been floated to replace him, CBS News reports.
Trump says Hegseth "has done a fantastic job." But he told ABC News it would be easier to confirm a new defense secretary while Republicans still hold their majorities.
One source says DeSantis is not interested. Nothing has been announced.
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., plans to force a House impeachment vote the week of Nov. 9. The Iran war has cost $47.1 billion and 18 American lives.
The latest
President Trump has been asking aides, in person and by phone, whether Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth should keep his job after Tuesday's Republican losses, multiple sources told CBS News. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has been floated as a replacement.
What Trump has said publicly:
Wednesday: Asked whether he was considering replacing Hegseth, Trump said, "No, I think he's doing a very good job." White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said the president "has full confidence in Secretary Hegseth." (CBS News)
Thursday: Trump again said Hegseth "has done a fantastic job." But in a phone interview with ABC News, he noted it would be easier to confirm a new defense secretary while Republicans still hold their majorities, before the new Congress arrives in January. (The Hill)
The reported plan: According to one CBS source, DeSantis would be confirmed by the Senate during the current lame-duck session, then take over at the Pentagon after his term as governor ends on Jan. 5, 2027. The Orlando Sentinel reported the same scenario. (WTSP, USA Today Network)
DeSantis may not want it. One source told The Hill that DeSantis is not interested in the job. DeSantis has not commented publicly. No one has announced that he was offered the position.
Where Hegseth could land: Trump has said Hegseth would do a good job as a U.S. senator from Tennessee, in the seat Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn will leave when she becomes governor. (TNND)
The Pentagon is circling the wagons. On Thursday, the Pentagon's press team began posting messages on social media backing Hegseth, and Hegseth told service members to stay focused on the mission. Two sources told The Hill he is in "a lot of trouble"; one said it was unclear how much danger he is in.
This has happened before. In December 2024, Trump weighed replacing Hegseth with DeSantis when Hegseth's nomination was in trouble. Hegseth hung on and was confirmed in January 2025, with Vice President JD Vance breaking a tie. (NBC News, USA Today Network)
Who is Ron DeSantis?
Florida's governor since January 2019. He is term-limited and leaves office Jan. 5, 2027.
Former Navy JAG officer. Served at Guantanamo Bay in 2006–07 and in Iraq, and left the Navy as a lieutenant commander. (NBC News)
Three-term U.S. congressman before becoming governor.
Ran against Trump for the 2024 Republican nomination, then dropped out and endorsed him.
Has publicly backed the Iran war. When the strikes began in March, he said Iran's late supreme leader "deserved to face justice." (Tampa Bay Times)
The impeachment vote
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., says he will force a House vote on impeaching Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth the week of Nov. 9, the first week of the lame-duck session. He told Roll Call it is a "week one" issue and put the odds of passage at better than 50%. He expects every Democrat to vote yes and is counting on a handful of Republicans. (Roll Call)
Massie first introduced the resolution in September. Speaker Mike Johnson sent the House home early to campaign, and the vote never happened. Massie lost his May primary to a Trump-backed challenger and is not returning next term. (ABC News 4/TNND)
How it works: Massie plans to file it as a "privileged" resolution, which skips committee. If the parliamentarian agrees, the Speaker must schedule a vote within two legislative days. Leadership can try to kill it with a motion to table.
The eight articles accuse Hegseth of:
Violating the 1973 War Powers Resolution by starting the Iran war without a declaration of war or congressional authorization
Continuing the war without authorization
Continuing hostilities after Congress directed that forces be withdrawn
Disregarding laws meant to limit civilian casualties
Ordering extrajudicial killings in strikes on suspected drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific
Retaliating against Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., for his speech
Directing the seizure of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, without legal authority
Starting military operations in Yemen without congressional authorization
Democratic Reps. Yassamin Ansari and Shri Thanedar have filed separate impeachment resolutions. In April, House Democrats introduced six articles over the Iran war.
What impeachment can and can't do: Impeachment by the House plus conviction by two-thirds of the Senate can remove Hegseth from office and bar him from future office. Arrest and prison would require separate criminal charges by prosecutors. No criminal charges against Hegseth have been filed.
Why Hegseth is in trouble
Critics inside the administration blame Hegseth for helping push Trump into a war that contributed to Tuesday's losses, The Hill reported. GOP Sen. Thom Tillis told CBS Hegseth "has a reckoning." Vice President JD Vance wrote that "the reason we lost is the war." Democrats, who take the House majority in January, have said they will run Hegseth "out of town," and Senate Democrats have quietly floated his removal as leverage in defense spending talks.
The $47.1 billion
The Pentagon told Congress the Iran war cost $47.1 billion through Oct. 16, according to an unclassified U.S. Central Command estimate reported by The New York Times, AP and Reuters. (NYT via Philadelphia Inquirer, Just the News/AP)
Where it went (Al-Monitor):
Munitions: about $29 billion to $30 billion, more than 60% of the total
Air Force combat air operations: $7.6 billion
Army sustainment in the region: $2.1 billion
Navy blockade (about 20 warships): $1.5 billion
How the official number grew:
First six days (March): $11.3 billion
April 29 (under oath to Congress): $25 billion
July 21 (Hegseth to the Senate): $37.5 billion (Fortune)
Sept. 3: $43.6 billion, plus $1.5 billion in fuel, for $45.1 billion (CNN via Egypt Independent)
Oct. 16: $47.1 billion
What's not in it: repairs to U.S. bases hit by Iranian missiles and drones. Congressional officials told the Times the Pentagon's numbers are "almost certainly on the low side." The Center for International Policy's Stephen Semler estimated $71.8 billion in just the first 60 days using broader accounting. (Truthout) The administration is asking Congress for up to $70 billion more in emergency war funding.
By FMNN's math, $47.1 billion over roughly 230 days is about $205 million a day.
The losses
People: The Pentagon says 18 U.S. service members have been killed and more than 860 injured. (NYT via Philadelphia Inquirer) Six Iowa-based soldiers died in an Iranian drone strike on a Kuwaiti port shortly after the war began, working in a container-style building with no defenses. Six more died when a KC-135 tanker crashed in Iraq in March. (AP via Audacy)
Aircraft: The Congressional Research Service counted at least 81 U.S. aircraft, helicopters and drones lost or damaged as of Oct. 5, nearly double its May count. (Gulf News) That includes:
45 MQ-9 Reaper drones
12 F-15E Strike Eagles. Four were destroyed: three by friendly fire over Kuwait and one shot down over Iran.
7 KC-135 tankers
1 E-3 AWACS radar plane, 1 F-35A and 2 A-10s
2 MC-130Js and 4 AH-6 Little Birds destroyed by U.S. forces during the April rescue mission so they wouldn't fall into Iranian hands
Equipment losses alone run $1.9 billion to $3.3 billion, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Some damaged aircraft have returned to service. (KUTV/TNND)
Leadership: As FMNN has reported, citing AP, nearly two dozen generals, admirals and senior leaders have been pushed out under Hegseth.
The claims vs. the record
FMNN uses "contradicted by the record" here. Whether any statement was a knowing lie is for Congress to establish.
The claim: Iran has "no air defenses," and the U.S. has "complete control" of Iranian skies. The record: Iran shot down an F-15E on April 5, forcing a rescue mission. Administration officials told The Washington Post that Hegseth's war messaging misled Trump, who repeated it. The White House denied Trump was misinformed. (The Deep Dive, citing the Post)
The claim: Strikes were coming in "more and larger waves." The record: Officials told the Post that internal military data showed lower-activity days in March, and that "documents sent around internally contradict Hegseth's claims." (Daily Beast, citing the Post)
The claim: The war cost $25 billion (Pentagon testimony, April 29). The record: Officials told CBS the true cost was then closer to $50 billion. The official number has since nearly doubled to $47.1 billion, without counting base repairs. (CBS News)
The claim: The June 2025 strikes "obliterated" Iran's nuclear program. The record: An early Defense Intelligence Agency assessment found a setback of only months. The DIA director, Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse, was later removed. (NewsNation)
What $47.1 billion could have funded
These are estimates from budget research groups, scaled where noted. They show scale. They are not a claim that all defense spending should go elsewhere.
The National School Lunch Program for about 2.7 years. The program cost about $17.7 billion in fiscal 2024. (FMNN math: $47.1 billion ÷ $17.7 billion.) (Boing Boing)
Health coverage for about 3 million people and Head Start for about 1.5 million kids. The National Priorities Project at the Institute for Policy Studies calculated this for $50 billion. (Common Dreams/NPP)
Medicaid for more than 3 million people, free school lunches for nearly 30 million children, or housing help for more than 3 million people. The Center for American Progress found that each of those costs just $25 billion. $47.1 billion is nearly double that. (Center for American Progress)
The other side
Trump says Hegseth "has done a fantastic job" and "a very good job," and the White House says he has the president's "full confidence." The White House also praised the military operations in Iran and Venezuela and credited Hegseth with reversing what it called the Biden Pentagon's focus on "DEI and woke ideology."
Hegseth has said Iran's defense industrial base is "effectively gone" and that the war is about stopping Iran's missile and nuclear threats.
On the purge of top officers, Hegseth points out that 197 general officers were removed under President Obama, and calls the overhaul accountability.
The Pentagon has suggested Middle East partners may share the cost of rebuilding damaged bases. (Jerusalem Post)
What to watch
Any White House announcement on Hegseth or a nomination. If DeSantis is nominated, the Senate Armed Services Committee would need to hold a hearing before the lame duck ends.
Week of Nov. 9: Does Massie file? Does the parliamentarian rule it privileged? Does leadership move to table?
How many Republicans vote against tabling.
Whether DeSantis says anything. So far, nothing on the record.
The $70 billion supplemental, and whether Democrats tie it to Hegseth's exit.
Related reading
Sources
The Hill, Trump to ABC, DeSantis "not interested," Pentagon posts — https://thehill.com/policy/defense/6202854-hegseth-pentagon-future-uncertain/
ClickOrlando/CBS News, aides and White House statements — https://www.clickorlando.com/news/florida/2026/11/04/trump-considers-ron-desantis-to-replace-pete-hegseth-at-pentagon-cbs-news-source-says/
TNND/FOX23, Trump denial and Tennessee Senate seat — https://fox23.com/news/nation-world/trump-is-considering-firing-hegseth-after-devastating-gop-midterm-loss-report-ron-desantis-democrats-kentucky-florida
USA Today Network, Orlando Sentinel scenario and 2024 history — https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/trump-replace-hegseth-could-desantis-155005833.html
WTSP, lame-duck confirmation plan — https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/politics/national-politics/could-ron-desantis-replace-pete-hegseth-defense-secretary-what-president-trump-said/67-51ea4160-163c-4338-ac06-5d81b1646105
NBC News, 2024 episode and DeSantis Navy record — https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-considers-replacing-pete-hegseth-embattled-secretary-defense-pic-rcna182777
Tampa Bay Times via ArcaMax, DeSantis on Iran — https://www.arcamax.com/currentnews/newsheadlines/s-4031158
Roll Call, Massie vows week-one vote, Oct. 26, 2026 — https://rollcall.com/2026/10/26/massie-vows-week-one-vote-in-lame-duck-to-impeach-hegseth/
ABC News 4/TNND, articles of impeachment — https://abcnews4.com/news/nation-world/massie-says-he-will-reintroduce-impeachment-articles-against-hegseth-after-midterms-defense-secretary-congress-mike-johnson-hakeem-jeffries-president-trump-rrt
The Philadelphia Inquirer/NYT, $47.1 billion and 18 killed — https://www.inquirer.com/news/nation-world/iran-war-cost-rises-pentagon-20261028.html
Al-Monitor, CENTCOM cost breakdown — https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2026/10/iran-war-has-cost-pentagon-more-47b-what-know
Just the News/AP, $43.6 billion to $47.1 billion — https://justthenews.com/government/security/iran-war-projected-cost-united-states-471-billion-new-pentagon-estimate
CNN via Egypt Independent, $45.1 billion and CBO — https://www.egyptindependent.com/?p=2834332
CBS News, true cost closer to $50 billion — https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/iran-war-cost-closer-50-billion-us-officials/
Fortune, $37.5 billion, July 21, 2026 — https://fortune.com/2026/07/21/pete-hegseth-donald-trump-defense-iran-war-37-5-billion/
Truthout, Semler's $71.8 billion estimate — https://truthout.org/articles/trumps-war-may-cost-72-billion-nearly-3-times-higher-than-the-admin-said/
Gulf News, CRS count of 81 aircraft — https://gulfnews.com/world/americas/us-lost-or-damaged-81-aircraft-in-iran-war-report-says-1.500701556
KUTV/TNND, CRS details and $1.9 billion to $3.3 billion — https://kutv.com/news/nation-world/81-us-aircraft-lost-or-damaged-in-iran-war-operation-epic-fury-as-equipment-losses-reach-up-to-three-billion-dollars-congressional-research-service-report-fixed-wing-helicopters-destroyed-shot-down-pentagon-replacements
AP via Audacy, Kuwait and KC-135 deaths — https://www.audacy.com/wben/news/world/iran-war-us-deaths-59ecda1ccf1700bb6820b81ae7627bad
The Deep Dive, citing The Washington Post, air defense claims — https://thedeepdive.ca/did-hegseth-lie-to-trump-about-iran/
The Daily Beast, citing The Washington Post, internal documents — https://www.thedailybeast.com/pentagon-pete-hegseth-accused-of-lying-to-trump-in-damning-white-house-leak/
NewsNation, DIA assessment — https://digital-release.newsnationnow.com/?p=3430831
Boing Boing, school lunch cost — https://boingboing.net/2026/04/30/iran-war-has-cost-25bn-so-far-admits-pentagon-the-real-cost-is-closer-to-50bn.html
Common Dreams/National Priorities Project, $50 billion tradeoffs — https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/post-9-11-wars-not-worth-it
Center for American Progress, $25 billion tradeoffs — https://www.americanprogress.org/press/release-the-trump-administrations-war-in-iran-is-costing-tens-of-billions-that-could-fund-major-investments-at-home/
The Jerusalem Post, partners may share costs — https://www.jpost.com/international/article-894732