President Donald Trump’s administration is publicly standing by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth despite new revelations in the ongoing “Signalgate” scandal. However, behind the scenes, officials suggest his future in the role may be hanging by a thread, Politico reports.
Hegseth initially came under fire after reports revealed he had shared sensitive military operational strategies in an unsecured Signal messaging chat with a journalist. Now, the situation has escalated further, with new information emerging over the weekend that he continued to share similar sensitive material—this time in Signal messages to his wife and brother, even after the scandal first broke.
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While the Associated Press reported that Trump is already planning to replace Hegseth, the claim was quickly dismissed by the former president and his allies as false. Yet, political insiders suggest the Defense Secretary’s standing remains uncertain.
“While Trump and Hegseth have been aligned in brushing aside leaks to the press from former Pentagon officials, two people close to the White House suggested on Monday that he’s not out of the woods, because the turmoil inside the Defense Department is real,” wrote reporters Dasha Burns, Eli Stokols, and Jake Traylor for Politico.
One source close to the administration claimed Hegseth may “implode on his own,” suggesting internal fractures are becoming more difficult to contain. Another insider noted that although Trump still favors Hegseth for his “vitality and youthfulness,” even the president may view him as increasingly risky, especially now that key figures in Hegseth’s handpicked team have begun to abandon him.
“Central Casting can become problematic if all they’re doing is generating questions of instability,” said the second source. “What’s so troubling about it is — it’s not like these were people that were forced upon Pete. They were his own guys he had to get rid of.”
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The scandal comes at a delicate time for the Trump administration, as it attempts to project unity and strength ahead of the upcoming election season. The instability within the Defense Department has reportedly raised concerns among both allies and critics who fear that leadership distractions could impact national security.
For now, Trump continues to publicly back Hegseth, but as pressure mounts from within and questions continue to swirl about the Defense Secretary’s judgment, the situation may soon force Trump’s hand, regardless of personal loyalty.
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