White House Not Looking for Hegseth Replacement: Press Secretary

She was responding to reports citing anonymous sources that the White House was looking for a replacement for the secretary of defense.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in Washington on April 21, 2025. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

The White House said on April 21 that it has not been looking for a replacement for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

“This ⁦NPR ⁩story is total FAKE NEWS based on one anonymous source who clearly has no idea what they are talking about,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote on the social media platform X. “As the President said this morning, he stands strongly behind [Heseth].”