State Department denies Rubio leaving amid speculation about resignations

The stinging rebuke from voters that Republicans received on Tuesday has prompted speculation about whether Trump might course correct.

By Andrew Bernard, JNS

The U.S. State Department denied a report on Thursday that Secretary of State Marco Rubio intends to resign and announce a 2028 presidential run, as U.S. President Donald Trump faced questions about a staff shakeup in the wake of his party’s severe losses in the midterm elections.

Dylan Johnson, assistant U.S. secretary of state for global public affairs, called the report in the Independent that Rubio would launch his bid for the presidency a “completely fabricated hoax.”

“This is completely baseless fake news from made-up anonymous ‘sources,’” Johnson wrote. “We look forward to revisiting this ‘report’ in the coming weeks.”

It is common for a presidential administration to see substantial turnover after midterm elections, though Trump is unusual for having won non-consecutive terms.

Harmeet Dhillon, U.S. assistant attorney general for civil rights, became the first senior Trump administration official to resign on Thursday when she announced her departure from the Department of Justice.

The stinging rebuke from voters that Republicans received on Tuesday has prompted speculation about whether Trump might course correct, particularly given U.S. Vice President JD Vance’s statement on Wednesday blaming the electoral defeat on the administration’s decision to launch a war against Iran.

During a signing ceremony in the Oval Office on Thursday, reporters asked Trump if he intended to replace Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.

“I think he’s doing a fantastic job,” Trump said.

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) said on Wednesday that unless Hegseth resigns, he would trigger the articles of impeachment that he introduced in September when Congress returns for the lame-duck session next week.

“If Trump’s going to replace appointees like Hegseth, he should do it while he can still get the replacements confirmed in the Senate,” Massie wrote on Thursday.

“Also, my Hegseth impeachment resolution is a much gentler version of what’s coming when Dems control Congress.”

“They’ll have hearings and trials,” the congressman wrote.

Hegseth described the measure as “sham articles of impeachment” from a “disgruntled, defeated congressman” and “his Democrat allies” in a video that he recorded in front of the Pentagon and released on Thursday.

“It’s all about the politics of personal destruction,” Hegseth said. “Didn’t work against President Trump and it won’t work with me.”