Trump’s first appearance after election defeat: Says he will not replace Hegseth, and will destroy the Democratic Party if impeached.

According to reports from NBC News, ABC News and other outlets, U.S. President Donald Trump made his first public appearance since the Republican Party’s midterm election landslide defeat, bringing reporters to the construction site of the White House’s ballroom to review progress and sign the final steel beam. He spent significant time praising the venue as "one of the most beautiful in the world," stressing the White House "must be perfect," and rarely discussed the election results unprompted; his remarks on the loss came mostly in response to reporters’ questions. When asked about the defeat, Trump addressed Vice President J.D. Vance’s claim that "we lost because of this war," saying: "I largely think that’s true, because it pushed up oil prices in the short term." But he added that if he could redo the decision, "I’d still do it, because in the long run it’s the only answer—we can’t let Iran have nuclear weapons." He twice emphasized: "If I were on the ballot, we would have won." He also said support from his campaign rallies "didn’t translate to other candidates." On personnel matters, Trump said he would not interfere in the House Republican leadership race, nor had he asked the current speaker to step down. When asked about possibly replacing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, he flatly denied, stating: "No, I think he’s doing a fantastic job." ABC noted this stands in contrast to post-election rumors of personnel reshuffles, and a Pentagon spokesperson also confirmed Hegseth would serve out his current term. When discussing a potential impeachment push by Democrats, Trump said: "If they do that, it will destroy the Democratic Party," insisting there is no basis for impeachment. He also mentioned Democrats have reached out to him by phone hoping to communicate, saying "maybe we can get along," but warned of the consequences of impeachment.