Trump hints at more Cabinet firings after replacing Wiles, but says he backs Hegseth

President Trump said he may make "a few changes" to his administration after Republicans lost the midterm elections. He also said he has confidence in Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, according to Newsweek's account of a preview of his CBS interview ¹.

The comments came in a 60 Minutes interview with correspondent Ross Douthat. The full interview is scheduled to air Sunday at 7 p.m. Eastern on CBS ¹³.

On tapeCNN · Nov 7

▶10:20

A warning, then a shake-up

Douthat asked whether Trump expected to fire members of his team. Trump did not say who might go. "I don't want to mention who," he said ¹.

I love my Cabinet. I think they're good

Hours after the preview clip came out, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles was out of her job ¹. Trump named longtime adviser Stephen Miller to replace her and called him "one of my most trusted advisors" ¹. Wiles will move to Trump's political operation, and Miller starts Monday, Nov. 9 ²³.

From Channel GOPTrump's 'find 11,780 votes' call played at hearingDonald Trump · 235 plays · captioned, with the source named

Trump later said he had "wanted to make a change." He added that "sometimes in life, you have to make moves" ¹.

Hegseth gets support, with limits

Douthat asked whether Trump still had confidence in Hegseth. "I do," Trump answered. He pointed to what he called the administration's military record ¹.

On tapeNBC News · Nov 6

▶0:32

When pressed on whether Hegseth deserved credit, Trump gave a narrower answer ¹.

He was a part of it.

Newsweek called that a defense, but not an unconditional guarantee of job security ¹. Online betting markets show doubt. As of 4 a.m. Eastern Saturday, the Kalshi market priced a 36 percent chance Hegseth leaves before Jan. 1. Polymarket put it at 34 percent by Dec. 31 ¹. Those are traders' bets, not polls, and they do not show what the White House has decided ¹.

Who else has left

Turnover in Trump's core Cabinet has been fairly limited in his second term. Still, Kristi Noem, Pam Bondi and Lori Chavez-DeRemer have left as homeland security, attorney general and labor secretaries ¹. Harmeet Dhillon formally resigned as the Justice Department's civil rights chief on Nov. 5. She said she was not asked to leave and had decided three weeks earlier ¹.

What it signals

Miller is an architect of the administration's hard-line immigration program ¹. Republican strategist Matt Klink told Newsweek the choice showed Trump "plans to fight" ¹. Stephen Farnsworth, a University of Mary Washington political scientist, said it shows little interest in compromise with Congress ¹.

That matters because Democrats are preparing to control both chambers of Congress ¹. Newsweek's reading is that Trump may answer defeat by pushing his agenda harder, not by working with the incoming majorities ¹. The pattern to watch is who goes next, and whether Hegseth's backing lasts past January.

The Newsweek, Anadolu Agency and TheWrap reports reviewed here did not include a Democratic response to the personnel moves ¹²³.

The Record

1. Nov 5, 2026Harmeet Dhillon formally resigned as assistant attorney general for civil rights, saying she was not asked to leave ¹.
2. Nov 6, 2026Trump announced on Truth Social that Stephen Miller would replace Susie Wiles as chief of staff, hours after a 60 Minutes preview clip ¹³.
3. Nov 7, 2026Newsweek reported Trump's comments on 'a few changes' and his confidence in Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth; the full interview airs Sunday ¹.

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<h2>Trump hints at more Cabinet firings after replacing Wiles, but says he backs Hegseth</h2> <p><em>By The GOP Files White House Desk. This article first appeared on <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/trump-hints-at-more-cabinet-firings-after-replacing-wiles-but-says-he-backs-hegseth">The GOP Files</a> on Saturday, November 7, 2026.</em></p> <p>President Trump said he may make &quot;a few changes&quot; to his administration after Republicans lost the midterm elections. He also said he has confidence in Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, according to Newsweek&#39;s account of a preview of his CBS interview .</p> <p>The comments came in a 60 Minutes interview with correspondent Ross Douthat. The full interview is scheduled to air Sunday at 7 p.m. Eastern on CBS .</p> <h2>A warning, then a shake-up</h2> <p>Douthat asked whether Trump expected to fire members of his team. Trump did not say who might go. &quot;I don&#39;t want to mention who,&quot; he said .</p> <blockquote><p>I love my Cabinet. I think they&#39;re good</p><p>&mdash; Donald Trump, President, Republican</p></blockquote> <p>Hours after the preview clip came out, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles was out of her job . Trump named longtime adviser Stephen Miller to replace her and called him &quot;one of my most trusted advisors&quot; . Wiles will move to Trump&#39;s political operation, and Miller starts Monday, Nov. 9 .</p> <p>Trump later said he had &quot;wanted to make a change.&quot; He added that &quot;sometimes in life, you have to make moves&quot; .</p> <h2>Hegseth gets support, with limits</h2> <p>Douthat asked whether Trump still had confidence in Hegseth. &quot;I do,&quot; Trump answered. He pointed to what he called the administration&#39;s military record .</p> <p>When pressed on whether Hegseth deserved credit, Trump gave a narrower answer .</p> <blockquote><p>He was a part of it.</p><p>&mdash; Donald Trump, President, Republican</p></blockquote> <p>Newsweek called that a defense, but not an unconditional guarantee of job security . Online betting markets show doubt. As of 4 a.m. Eastern Saturday, the Kalshi market priced a 36 percent chance Hegseth leaves before Jan. 1. Polymarket put it at 34 percent by Dec. 31 . Those are traders&#39; bets, not polls, and they do not show what the White House has decided .</p> <h2>Who else has left</h2> <p>Turnover in Trump&#39;s core Cabinet has been fairly limited in his second term. Still, Kristi Noem, Pam Bondi and Lori Chavez-DeRemer have left as homeland security, attorney general and labor secretaries . Harmeet Dhillon formally resigned as the Justice Department&#39;s civil rights chief on Nov. 5. She said she was not asked to leave and had decided three weeks earlier .</p> <h2>What it signals</h2> <p>Miller is an architect of the administration&#39;s hard-line immigration program . Republican strategist Matt Klink told Newsweek the choice showed Trump &quot;plans to fight&quot; . Stephen Farnsworth, a University of Mary Washington political scientist, said it shows little interest in compromise with Congress .</p> <p>That matters because Democrats are preparing to control both chambers of Congress . Newsweek&#39;s reading is that Trump may answer defeat by pushing his agenda harder, not by working with the incoming majorities . The pattern to watch is who goes next, and whether Hegseth&#39;s backing lasts past January.</p> <p>The Newsweek, Anadolu Agency and TheWrap reports reviewed here did not include a Democratic response to the personnel moves .</p> <p><em>Read the original, with every source linked, at <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/trump-hints-at-more-cabinet-firings-after-replacing-wiles-but-says-he-backs-hegseth">thegopfiles.com</a>. Republished under The GOP Files' <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/republish">free republishing terms</a>.</em></p> <img src="https://thegopfiles.com/api/rp/trump-hints-at-more-cabinet-firings-after-replacing-wiles-but-says-he-backs-hegseth.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border:0;width:1px;height:1px">

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Sources

1. Newsweek, “Donald Trump Teases More Firings, Defends Pete Hegseth” (2026-11-07). newsweek.com/donald-trump-teases-more-firings-defends-pete-h
2. Anadolu Agency, “Trump says he plans 'a few changes' to Cabinet after midterm losses” (2026-11-07). aa.com.tr/en/americas/trump-says-he-plans-a-few-changes-to-c
3. TheWrap, “Trump Signals More White House Shakeups Amid Susie Wiles' Exit — But One Cabinet Member Is Safe” (2026-11-06). thewrap.com/media-platforms/politics/trump-teases-more-staff

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