Ron DeSantis Claims He's 'Never' Spoken With Trump About Replacing Pete Hegseth — as Defense Sec. Continues to Hang on to Job
Ron DeSantis denies the possibility of joining the Trump Administration.
Nov. 13 2026, Published 7:05 p.m. ET
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has denied that he has discussed replacing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth with President Donald Trump, RadarOnline.com has learned.
During an appearance on The FOX News Rundown podcast, Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy asked DeSantis whether he would be interested in replacing Hegseth, noting that his name had surfaced multiple times as a potential successor.
Ron DeSantis Denies Discussing Pete Hegseth's Job
DeSantis denies being up for Secretary of Defense.
"I see President Trump frequently now that he's back in Florida. I've never discussed it with him. It's never been anything I've asked," DeSantis responded.
DeSantis also defended Trump's decision to stand by Hegseth following an unsuccessful congressional effort to impeach the defense secretary.
Trump Publicly Backs Pete Hegseth
Trump hasn't budged on Hegseth keeping his position.
The speculation intensified after Republicans lost control of both chambers of Congress in the November 3 midterm elections, prompting questions about whether Trump would make changes to his administration.
However, Trump publicly rejected suggestions that he intended to fire Hegseth.
"I have every intention to keep him," Trump told ABC News correspondent Jonathan Karl.
Pete Hegseth Survives House Impeachment Effort
Hegseth faced eight articles of impeachment on November 10.
Hegseth's immediate political future became clearer on Tuesday, November 10, when House Republicans blocked an effort to impeach him over his handling of military operations.
The House voted 211-204 to refer eight articles of impeachment to the Judiciary Committee, effectively preventing a separate impeachment vote during the current Congress.
Hegseth rejected the allegations during a Pentagon news conference, arguing that his critics were treating disagreements over military policy as impeachable offenses.
"This is not patriotism," Hegseth said. "This is sabotage."
Ron DeSantis Faces Questions
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DeSantis and JD Vance both weighed in on the state of the GOP.
DeSantis is preparing to leave the Florida governor's office after serving two consecutive terms. Republican Rep. Byron Donalds won the gubernatorial election and will succeed DeSantis on Jan. 5, 2027.
DeSantis, who unsuccessfully challenged Trump for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, has not announced his next political move.
Following the midterm elections, he sharply criticized the Republican Party's losses and warned about the consequences for its future.
"This is as close to an extinction-level event for Republicans in many parts of the country, as we have seen probably in the last 100 years," DeSantis said.
Similarly, Vice President JD Vance, who is also considering a 2028 presidential run, broke ranks and shared his own conclusions publicly about why he thought Republicans lost in the midterms.
"The reason we lost is the war," Vance said. "The president himself said so last night."
