In his first appearance since losing the election, Trump said he won't replace Hegseth: 'If I am impeached, I will destroy the Democratic Party.'

November 5 — According to reports from NBC News, ABC News and others, U.S. President Trump made his first public appearance after the Republican Party's crushing defeat in the midterm elections, bringing the media to the White House ballroom construction site to introduce the construction progress and sign the final steel beam. He spent a large amount of time praising the ballroom as being "one of the most beautiful in the world," saying the White House "must be perfect," and rarely took the initiative to discuss the election results; related remarks were mostly given after reporters pressed him with questions.

When discussing the reasons for the defeat, Trump responded to Vice President Vance's statement that "the reason we lost is this war," saying: "I largely think that is true, because it pushed up oil prices in the short term." But he also said that if he could do it over, "we would still have to do it, because in the long run this is the only answer; Iran cannot be allowed to have nuclear weapons." He stressed twice: "If I were on the ballot, we would have won." He also said that support at rallies "did not transfer to other candidates."

On personnel matters, Trump said he would not interfere in the contest for House Republican leadership and did not ask the current Speaker to step aside. When asked whether he was considering replacing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, he explicitly denied it, saying, "No, I think he is doing a great job." ABC noted that this contrasts with post-election rumors about personnel adjustments; a Pentagon spokesperson also said Hegseth will serve out this term.

When discussing the possibility of Democrats initiating impeachment, Trump said: "If they do that, they will destroy the Democratic Party." He insisted there is no reason for impeachment. He also mentioned that Democrats had called hoping to communicate, saying "maybe we can get along," but at the same time warned of the consequences of impeachment.