President Donald Trump turned to Truth Social on Monday night with a direct message to Congress about Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The post arrived hours after outgoing Rep. Thomas Massie filed eight articles of impeachment against the Pentagon chief.
Trump called Massie a “total loser” in the message. He wrote, “Defeated Republican Congressman Thomas Massie, a total loser, is trying to Impeach perhaps the most popular and successful military official in the Country, Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth.”
The president pointed to recruitment numbers that he said had reached an all-time high after an all-time low under former President Joe Biden. He continued, “With recruitment at an ALL-TIME HIGH, from an all-time low under Sleepy Joe Biden, and TWO VICTORIES, Venezuela and Iran, Pete Hegseth should be praised, not Impeached.” Trump then added, “Congress, stand up for Pete!!!”
Massie lays out the case for impeachment at a Monday press conference
Massie, who lost his Republican primary earlier this year to Trump-backed Ed Gallrein, addressed reporters on Capitol Hill the same day. According to Mediaite, he said the articles centered on alleged legal violations rather than questions of job performance.
“The reality is, we’re not indicting him for being bad at his job,” Massie told reporters. He went on, “In fact, he was very effective at killing schoolchildren in Iran. He was very effective at extrajudicial killings.”
Massie stressed that the articles made no claim Hegseth had been ineffective. “The argument here is that he’s broken laws and he’s violated the Constitution,” he said.
The eight articles accuse Hegseth of waging an illegal war without congressional approval. They also allege violations of civilian protections and extrajudicial killings.
Trump had already addressed the issue earlier Monday in the White House briefing room. CNN’s Kaitlan Collins asked whether he would continue to support Hegseth if the defense secretary faced impeachment. Trump answered, “Yeah, I’ll stand by him.”
Collins then raised the allegations of illegal conduct. Trump replied, “Massie’s a loser. Just like you’re a loser at CNN. Just like your ratings are a loser.” He followed with, “Massie is a loser – a stone-cold loser!” The last time Massie pushed for Hegseth’s impeachment, it faced immediate fallout, as the House abruptly went into early recess.
Even though Trump expressed his support for Hegseth publicly, he has reportedly had his doubts. According to CBS News, Trump asked aides whether he should stick with Hegseth after the midterms.
Published: Nov 10, 2026 09:00 am