How impeachment could help Hegseth’s political future

The prospect of another impeachment attempt could bode well for Secretary of War Pete Hegseth‘s political future, should he decide to run for president.Hegseth, who faced an impeachment vote this week, has remained mum on ambitions for higher office more than a year before the first votes are expected to be cast in the next presidential election’s primary process.But the former Fox News personality’s approach to his high-profile position in President Donald Trump’s Cabinet points to aspirations beyond the Trump administration. That approach includes his public-facing interpretation of his role atop the Pentagon, including his slick direct-to-camera videos. He’s also used his position to appeal directly to Trump’s MAGA base with reforms, such as his policy that there be “no fatties, no tr***ies, no beardos, no weirdos, no wimps, no radicals” at the department.“Impeachment may help in a primary if it’s completely partisan,” one Republican strategist told the Washington Examiner.A second GOP strategist, Cesar Conda, was more confident it would help: “Democrats have impeached so often, for so political a purpose, that it’s stopped meaning anything. To the MAGA base, impeachment is a badge of honor.”An impeachment trial, therefore, could give Hegseth the shot in the arm to take him from a dark horse to a serious contender.Using impeachment to drum up political support is straight from Trump’s own playbook after the president did exactly that in 2019 and 2021.Trump’s second impeachment over his attempts to stop the certification of the 2020 Electoral College results was more divisive than his first over his separate attempts to pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate his political opponents, including former President Joe Biden’s family.Although impeachment may help Hegseth, it may not be enough should he desire to be a serious contender for the 2028 Republican presidential nomination.At the moment, Hegseth, a Princeton University graduate and Army veteran, does not appear in RealClearPolitics’s top 10 candidates, according to aggregated polling data.Vice President JD Vance has the most support, with 38% of the vote, compared to current runner-up Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has 27%. Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) is third with 8%.At the same time, Hegseth’s political aspirations took a separate hit this week when sources close to Gov.-elect Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) told the Associated Press she would not appoint the secretary to her seat in the Senate after she won her election last Tuesday to succeed term-limited Gov. Bill Lee (R-TN).The Senate seat had been perceived as the perfect landing spot for Hegseth should the politics surrounding an impeachment become too problematic for the White House, particularly after his participation in Signalgate, in addition to criticism for his promotion of Christianity and testosterone in the military and his purge of generals and admirals.Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN), who has expressed interest in the appointment, threw cold water on the idea Hegseth could be the next senator from Tennessee, where Hegseth moved in 2022.“If she did, he wouldn’t be bona fide according to [Tennessee Republican] state party rules and D.C. won’t make the decision for her,” Burchett told the Washington Examiner.Hegseth may have emerged stronger from this week’s unsuccessful impeachment attempt in the House, undermined, ultimately, by poor attendance by Democrats, had he not been caught on camera being chastised by the sentinel guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on Veterans Day after the people he was with started laughing following a group photo.But Hegseth has proven himself to be a savvy politician able to withstand the onslaught of negative headlines that have come his way as war secretary.For example, he worked quickly to counter the negative press from the Veterans Day incident, awarding Army Spc. Thomas Iglesias with the Joint Service Commendation Medal for the “execution of his duties.”That is not to mention problems he overcame during his high-stakes confirmation, including dismissed allegations of sexual and substance misconduct, as well as financial mismanagement.The failed vote, with some Democratic lawmakers claiming to have gotten stuck in traffic, was also a win for Hegseth and the White House, a week after the Democrats’ own wins in the 2026 midterm elections — a 255-seat majority in the House and a 55-seat majority in the Senate in the next Congress.“The Democrats’ attempt to impeach Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has miserably FAILED!” Trump posted on Truth Social. “Every single Republican, except Thomas Massie, a major LOSER, voted in favor of Pete. Again, Victories in Venezuela and Iran, the Best Recruitment Numbers in the History of the Military (Long waiting lists to get in!), and Spirit like rarely seen before, led to the EXONERATION of a Great American Patriot. The Democrats continue to weaponize and abuse the United States of America. They must be stopped!”Hegseth also rebutted his impeachment vote with a rare press conference, which was praised by Trump and the White House, adding more clips to his showreel of public appearances, including a campaign-style video defending himself from the impeachment charges.The eight articles of impeachment introduced by outgoing Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) included allegations that Hegseth initiated and waged war against Iran without congressional authorization, continued hostilities past the 60-day statutory limit, defied congressional directives to withdraw U.S. forces, and disregarded legal protections to minimize civilian casualties.Additionally, there were articles related to the administration’s actions in the Caribbean, Venezuela, and Yemen.PETE HEGSETH DOESN’T DESERVE TO BE IMPEACHEDMeanwhile, House Democrats are considering their next move for impeaching Hegseth after Jan. 3, with Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), who is poised to chair the Armed Services Committee, encouraging his conference to “think for a minute instead of just shooting from the hip.”Simultaneously, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’s (D-NY) office was adamant that they “will not hesitate to impeach the so-called Secretary of Defense if he is still around next year.”