THE DAILY BS: HOW MUCH CAN YOU HANDLE?

SPARE ME THE BS (I’ve got things to do)

• CBS reports Trump has privately asked advisers whether Pete Hegseth should remain at the Pentagon.
• Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is reportedly being floated as a potential replacement.
• Trump publicly denied considering a change and defended Hegseth’s performance.

LAY IT ON ME (I’ve got time)

Here’s a political development that ought to get some attention in Florida.

President Donald Trump is reportedly asking questions about Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s future, and one of the names being floated as a possible replacement belongs to a fellow Republican who knows a thing or two about political combat.

Ron DeSantis. The Florida governor, former presidential rival and occasional thorn in Trump’s side is reportedly being mentioned as a potential successor at the Pentagon.

According to CBS News, Trump has been asking advisers whether Hegseth should remain in his position as the administration confronts mounting criticism over the war with Iran.

Some sources told CBS the president has not decided to remove him.

And Trump himself was quick to throw cold water on the speculation.

Asked Wednesday whether he was considering replacing Hegseth, the president said, “No, I think he’s doing a very good job.”

The White House echoed that position, saying Trump maintains full confidence in his defense secretary.

So how did DeSantis get into the conversation?

One source told CBS that the outgoing Florida governor was being floated as an alternative, with a potential timetable involving confirmation during the current Congress’s remaining session and his assumption of the Pentagon position after his gubernatorial term ends January 5.

That’s an interesting bit of political scheduling.

DeSantis has military experience as a Navy judge advocate and served in Iraq. He also has executive experience governing one of the country’s largest states.

His relationship with Trump, of course, has been anything but boring.

The two Republicans went from political allies to presidential rivals during the 2024 campaign, exchanging attacks that gave conservative talk radio enough material to fill several months of programming.

Now the possibility of DeSantis serving in Trump’s Cabinet is being discussed.

Washington politics really is the only business where yesterday’s rival can become tomorrow’s personnel solution.

But there’s a larger story here than the possibility of an unexpected Cabinet appointment.

Hegseth has become a focal point in the growing argument over the administration’s military operations against Iran.

Some Republicans have criticized the war’s direction and questioned whether the administration had an adequate plan for ending the conflict.

CBS reports that some White House aides expect scrutiny to reach other senior military leaders as well, including Admiral Brad Cooper of U.S. Central Command and General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

And the pressure isn’t coming exclusively from Democrats.

Republican Rep. Thomas Massie has already introduced impeachment articles against Hegseth over the Iran war, accusing him of misconduct that the defense secretary and his supporters reject.

Democrats have filed their own impeachment allegations and are preparing to expand congressional oversight.

That means Hegseth faces more than another round of unpleasant cable-news appearances.

He could be confronting congressional hearings, document demands and renewed impeachment proceedings while attempting to manage a complicated overseas military campaign.

For now, the Pentagon is standing behind him.

Spokesman Sean Parnell told ABC News that Hegseth is fully committed to serving through the end of Trump’s presidency and would not be deterred by what the department considers politically motivated investigations.

That makes the situation particularly intriguing.

The president says Hegseth is doing a good job. The Pentagon says he’s staying. Yet multiple news organizations report that Trump has privately sought opinions about his performance.

Those statements are not necessarily contradictory. Presidents routinely ask advisers to evaluate Cabinet members without deciding to fire them.

But the DeSantis possibility adds another dimension.

The Florida governor’s term is ending. He has defense-related experience. And his return to Washington in one of the government’s most important national-security positions would be a significant political development.

There is one more fascinating historical parallel.

After Republicans suffered major election losses during the Iraq war in 2006, President George W. Bush announced the departure of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

Now another Republican president faces questions about a defense secretary during a controversial Middle Eastern war.

Trump, however, is not George W. Bush, and anyone who has spent the past decade trying to predict his next personnel decision should probably have learned the dangers of that particular hobby.

The most revealing development may be what happens inside the Pentagon before any Cabinet change occurs.

If congressional investigators begin demanding testimony about war planning, military decisions and the administration’s use of force, Hegseth could find himself fighting battles on Capitol Hill while still overseeing operations abroad.

As for DeSantis, the governor has not been announced as a nominee, and no replacement decision has been confirmed.

But somebody has apparently put his name into circulation.

And somewhere in Tallahassee, one imagines the governor understands perfectly well that in Washington, even a job opening that doesn’t officially exist can become the biggest story in town.

DBS WIRE SOURCES (I have all day)

• CBS News via ClickOrlando — Trump considers Ron DeSantis to replace Pete Hegseth at Pentagon, source says
• ABC News — Trump dismisses replacing Hegseth amid Iran war fallout
• Reuters — Trump says Hegseth is doing a very good job
• CNN via KESQ — Republicans turn against Hegseth over Iran war
• CBS News — GOP Rep. Thomas Massie introduces impeachment articles against Hegseth