President Donald Trump speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, D.C., on March 26, 2026. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth may already be contemplating his next political move as a longtime Republican strategist predicts he could soon face President Donald Trump’s wrath over the monthlong Iran conflict.
Mark McKinnon raised questions about Hegseth’s future Thursday during a CNN panel discussion about reports that the defense secretary’s staff damaged a historic World War II-era globe at the Pentagon.
“I'm surprised that he hasn't taken more wrath so far for the Iran conflict from Trump,” McKinnon said. “But I think that’s coming. And I think it's going to come hard.”
McKinnon then pointed to recent reports that Hegseth was considering a Senate run in Tennessee.
“So he’s looking at his next chapter already since he broke the world,” the veteran GOP strategist added.
The remarks followed a Washington Post report on Thursday that Hegseth’s staff damaged a globe used by Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower during World War II while attempting to move it into the top Trump cabinet official’s office.
The conversation on CNN’s “The Arena with Kasie Hunt” quickly turned to Hegseth’s political future.
“Is Hegseth the first one out the door?” the host asked, citing expectations of Republican losses in the midterm elections.
Former Republican Rep. Peter Meijer said the answer would depend on the election results.
“If Republicans lose the House, I think that is just the status quo expectation,” Meijer said. “There's not going to be recriminations.”
“If Democrats pick up the Senate, that’s a very different picture,” he added.
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