Pete Hegseth Releases Defiant Message to U.S. Troops | WATCH

War Secretary Pete Hegseth released a defiant video message to U.S. troops on Thursday, urging them to “ignore the noise” as he faces a Republican-led impeachment push and questions about his future after the party’s sweeping midterm losses.

“We don’t back down,” Hegseth said in the video. “We will stand. We will fight. And we will defend this republic from all enemies, foreign and domestic.”

Addressing the Iran war, he said the military must keep rebuilding “regardless of how people feel about the war.” He closed with a message to service members: “Don’t blink. Ignore the noise. Never hesitate.”

The video came after Republicans lost control of both the House and the Senate in Tuesday’s elections, and amid reports that President Donald Trump was weighing whether to replace Hegseth.

Trump has since said he has “every intention” of keeping Hegseth and has called his performance “very good.”

Vice President JD Vance has blamed the defeat squarely on the war with Iran. “The reason we lost is the war,” he wrote after the election. Trump called that assessment “largely true,” but defended the decision to strike Iran. “If I had it to do again, I’d have to do it again because long term, it’s the only answer,” he said.

Meanwhile, outgoing Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) has renewed his push to impeach Hegseth with a resolution containing eight articles of impeachment. Among other things, it alleges that Hegseth continued the Iran conflict without congressional authorization and approved operations that violated the law. Massie said the only scenario in which he would not reintroduce the articles is if Hegseth resigns, and he has warned that an impeachment effort by the incoming Democratic majority would be far harsher than his.

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer said there are “a lot of questions” about Hegseth.

Hegseth dismissed the resolution as “sham articles” and called Massie a “disgruntled, defeated congressman.” He said impeachment “didn’t work against Trump” and won’t work against him.