Pete Hegseth stares down impeachment vote in days as Republicans demand Trump fire him: Live updates

Updated: 09:43 EDT, 5 November 2026 After the Democrats shattered Republican hopes across the country with a midterm 'bluenami' handing them control of Congress, Donald Trump is facing increasing pressure to reshuffle his cabinet.It did not take long until calls for a scapegoat to take the blame for one of the most bruising midterm defeats in modern political history got loud – reaching the highest circles of Republican Washington.On Wednesday morning, Trump took questions at the construction site of his new White House ballroom.He said, again, that he had not been on the ballot – even though he had asked voters to pretend he was – and that he had no plans to change his Cabinet because the result had nothing to do with them.But behind the ballroom bravado, Trump was working the phones – and he was looking for a scalp.While Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and even Secretary of State Marco Rubio found themselves under pressure, another name quickly dominated headlines.Pete Hegseth might be the one to take the heat, after a White House insider familiar with the President's phone calls told the Daily Mail that Trump had been canvassing a handful of close advisers whether to get rid of his Defense Secretary.And those sources now expect Hegseth gone before the new Congress is sworn in next January. As of Thursday morning, Trump insisted he has 'every intention to keep him.'But he also acknowledged it would be easier to confirm a new Defense Secretary before the Democrats take over the Senate in January. Follow the Daily Mail for more updates...Republicans turn on Pete Hegseth after midterms blitzRepresentative Jason Crow of Colorado, who serves on the House Armed Services Committee, told CBS News' Face the Nation on October 25 that pushing Hegseth out of the Pentagon was his 'priority number one' if Democrats retake the House, and at least three other Democrats have already filed articles seeking Hegseth's impeachment.A Democrat aide told CNN in the days before the vote that Hegseth was seen by the party as the 'lowest hanging fruit, because of the animosity that seems to be both from Republican and Democratic senators and staff.'However, no Cabinet member has ever been successfully forced from office by the House.When asked about Hegseth and if he's considering firing him, Trump insisted he wasn't. 'I have every intention to keep him,' the president told ABC News on Thursday. 'I get these calls, you know, about him. I don't understand why.'Michigan's soon-to-be Democratic Senator El-Sayed threatens to investigate Robert F Kennedy JrAbdul El-Sayed, who was elected to be Michigan's new Democratic Senator, told CNN Thursday morning that he plans to investigate Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr.El-Sayed's probe intends to look into layoffs at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as Elhe wants to look into the 'decision-making that's gone on and what we need to do to solve the problem.'Trump purge BEGINS: Insiders name scapegoat who the president has already decided will take blame for midterms... as Susie Wiles' devious plot that will ignite Cabinet civil war leaks... and JD Vance sparks a West Wing squabble Donald Trump managed to conceal his rage for the cameras.Hours after Democrats seized both chambers of Congress in one of the most bruising midterm defeats in modern political history, the President called into Fox News late Tuesday night and did something totally out of character: He praised the opposition.'Democrats did a good job,' he said. 'They fought hard.'He told the New York Times he was absolutely willing to accept the result, and said he would rather cut deals with Democrats than spend his last two years in office vetoing their bills.Breaking:Melania furiously turned Trump against his own deportation chief Stephen Miller after her own friends were removed by ICEFirst Lady Melania Trump is the reason Donald Trump turned on the man who built his mass deportation operation. The first lady complained earlier this year to the president that people she knew were being arrested and deported from the country, according to the Wall Street Journal. Soon after, Trump began telling aides that Stephen Miller had gone too far.Miller, the deputy White House chief of staff and one of Trump's longest-serving aides, has orchestrated the most expansive immigration crackdown in modern American history in the West Wing, with the president’s full backing – until now.Michigan's Abdul El-Sayed describes Trump as 'big monster'Michigan's soon-to-be Democratic Senator Abdul El-Sayed lashed out against the president in a talk show on MS NOW: 'People have always seen Donald Trump as this big monster that's unbeatable.''It turns out, you just stand up to him, and he can read the tea leaves. I'm willing to work with anyone,' El-Sayed added. 'It should never be about retribution.''It's about enforcing the rule of law and most importantly delivering for the American public.'Trump slams Decoy Dan in Alaska election scandal Trump took to Truth Social on Thursday morning to blast 'Decoy Dan' over Alaska's midterm election, following revelations of an alleged 'ballot scheme' scandal.Democrats in the state have been accused of recruiting a similarly named candidate to run against GOP Senator Dan Sullivan, allegedly intending to confuse voters and help Democratic nominee Mary Peltola.'The vote totals for the Fake Dan Sullivan, plus the other "slug" that he Dems put on the Ballot, should be immediately given to the REAL Dan Sullivan, and the Election is over - He easily wins,' Trump wrote in a post.'There is no other fair solution! President DJT.'Alaska has traditionally been a conservative stronghold, but polls show the state may be set to elect its first Democrat to the senate since 2008 as Peltola has drawn Sullivan into a tight race.WATCH: Midterm victories that made historyTrump downplays midterms horror show in first public appearance focused on his White House vanity projects Donald Trump focused on his lavish White House ballroom in his first public appearance since Democrats seized control of the House and Senate.The President largely ignored the disastrous midterm results that have left his political legacy in jeopardy, instead showing off the construction of his $600million vanity project to reporters on Wednesday morning.Just hours earlier, Trump had admitted that the Iran war and soaring gas prices had contributed to the Republicans' crushing defeat.As Republicans blamed Trump for devastating losses across the country and questioned whether the MAGA era was coming to an end, he chose to sign a steel beam destined for what he claims will be the most 'beautiful' ballroom in the world.Trump invited the press to view his ongoing construction efforts and spoke at length about the progress on his personal vanity projects.The REAL winners and losers of the midterms: Bitter humiliation for Trump with Hegseth in danger from bloodthirsty Democrats... who may have found their new leader The president's party has lost control of the House and Senate, setting the scene for a slew of investigations, political battles and perhaps his own impeachment.Many of his allies have lost their own election fights, and been forced from office: among them Texas Governor Greg Abbott; his much-admired friend from Ohio, Jon Husted; and his hand-picked candidate for South Carolina, Lindsey Graham's sister Darline.It is a damning indictment of his two years in power, and portends trouble ahead.Here is a look at some of the biggest winners and losers from Tuesday's vote.