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By Sam Stevenson
Associate News Editor
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President Donald Trump said Friday that he may make “a few changes” to his administration after Republicans’ midterm defeat, while expressing confidence in Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
The president has already replaced White House chief of staff Susie Wiles with longtime adviser Stephen Miller as Democrats prepare to control both chambers of Congress.
Turnover in Trump’s core Cabinet has remained relatively limited during his second term, although Kristi Noem, Pam Bondi and Lori Chavez-DeRemer have left their posts as homeland security, justice and labor secretaries, respectively.
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Former Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who held a Cabinet-level position, has also departed.
The post-midterm departures have extended below Cabinet level. Harmeet Dhillon formally resigned as assistant attorney general for civil rights on November 5, although Dhillon said the decision preceded the Republican defeat and was not requested by the White House.
“I wasn’t asked to resign,” Dhillon told Fox News Digital. “I resigned three weeks ago, and Susie asked me to please wait until after the midterms.” Dhillon said she wanted to return to private practice after concluding that she had accomplished what she came to Washington to do.
Further departures could reshape the team responsible for confronting congressional investigations, managing economic discontent and rebuilding a Republican coalition fractured at the ballot box.
Newsweek emailed the White House for further comment on Saturday morning outside of regular working hours.
Why It Matters
Republicans’ losses have forced an early reckoning inside the White House, where questions about personnel now sit alongside a more fundamental choice over political direction.
Wiles, who managed Trump’s successful 2024 campaign before becoming the first woman to serve as White House chief of staff, was associated with a comparatively disciplined operation.
Miller, an architect of the administration’s hard-line immigration program, enters the role with a reputation for driving policy and embracing conflict.
That contrast offers the clearest indication yet that Trump intends to respond to defeat by intensifying his agenda rather than moving toward the incoming Democratic majorities.
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What To Know
- Trump told 60 Minutes that he did not want to identify officials who might leave, preserving uncertainty across the administration.
- Miller is due to begin as chief of staff Monday after serving as deputy chief of staff for policy since January 2025.
- Democratic control of the House and Senate will restrict the president’s legislative options and increase the likelihood of investigations into senior officials.
- Immigration enforcement, executive action and resistance to congressional oversight are likely to become central tests of the new chief of staff’s influence.
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Trump Signals Further Changes
During an interview scheduled to air Sunday, 60 Minutes correspondent Ross Douthat asked Trump whether he expected to fire members of his team following the Republican losses.
“You do a little bit,” the president replied. “I love my Cabinet. I think they’re good, but I’ll be doing maybe a few changes. I don’t want to mention who.”
Hours after the preview clip was released, Wiles was out of the West Wing’s most powerful staff position. Trump subsequently said he had “wanted to make a change,” adding that “sometimes in life, you have to make moves.”
The timing immediately turned a general warning about turnover into a question hanging over every senior figure whose portfolio has attracted criticism.
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Hegseth Receives A Public Reprieve
Hegseth appeared to receive protection when Douthat asked whether the president retained confidence in the Pentagon chief.
“I do,” Trump said before pointing to the administration’s military record and asserting that the United States had “won two wars.”
Pressed on whether Hegseth deserved credit, the president answered: “He was a part of it.”
The exchange amounts to a defense, but not an unconditional guarantee of job security.
It places Hegseth outside the immediate line of fire without resolving how long that protection will last as the administration assesses the causes of its electoral losses.
Prediction Markets Make Hegseth Among Leading Exit Contenders
Traders had already identified Hegseth as one of the administration officials most at risk of leaving before Trump publicly defended him.
As of 4 a.m. ET on Saturday, Kalshi priced a 36 percent chance that Hegseth would be out before January 1, rising to 50 percent before February 1 and 67 percent before April 1.
A broader contract covering departures before July put Hegseth at 73 percent, behind Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at 75 percent but ahead of FBI Director Kash Patel at 67 percent and Secretary of State Marco Rubio at 54 percent.
Traders on Polymarket were more doubtful about an imminent exit. The platform gave Hegseth a 20 percent chance of leaving by November 30 and a 34 percent chance of departing by December 31.
The year-end contract had attracted about $1.86 million in trading volume, compared with roughly $586,600 for the November market.
The figures are not opinion polls or evidence that the White House has decided to remove Hegseth. They reflect prices set by traders, fluctuate with new information, and cannot be compared directly where contracts use different deadlines or settlement rules.
Miller Takes Command
Announcing the appointment on Truth Social, Trump described Miller as “one of my most trusted advisors.”
The promotion moves a policy strategist into a job that also demands control of access to the president, coordination across government and the authority to reject proposals before they reach the Oval Office.
Republican strategist Matt Klink told Newsweek that the choice showed Trump “plans to fight,” contrasting Wiles’ disciplined organization with Miller’s more aggressive approach.
Stephen Farnsworth, a political scientist at the University of Mary Washington, said the appointment demonstrated little interest in compromise, arguing that Miller fits a White House preparing for combat with Congress rather than extensive legislative bargaining.
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The Midterm Warning
The Democrats’ gains exposed weaknesses throughout the coalition that returned Trump to office in 2024.
Democrats carried Latino voters by 30 points in the midterms, compared with Trump losing the group by only 5 points two years earlier, CNN exit polling showed.
Affordability concerns and the administration’s immigration policies were identified as pressures behind that shift.
The Iran war also became an electoral liability as fuel costs rose.
Vice President JD Vance said the conflict contributed significantly to the Republican defeat, an assessment Trump described as largely accurate while maintaining that he would make the same decision again.
Miller must now help an administration preserve its core supporters without further alienating voters concerned about prices, community disruption and overseas conflict.
What Happens Next
Miller’s first challenge will be organizational rather than ideological: imposing a clear message on a White House facing hostile congressional majorities, limited room for legislation and growing pressure to show voters that daily costs are receiving as much attention as political confrontation.
The full 60 Minutes interview is scheduled to air Sunday at 7 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.
Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here.
Contact Newsweek editor on this story: Edward Pearcey.
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