Meanwhile, Rubio is denying reports he is considering leaving his post ahead of a 2028 presidential run.

Working for Trump until the end of his term has “always been my plan,” Rubio told The New York Times in an interview.

“I love the work I’m doing,” Rubio said. “And plus I always laugh when they say he’s going to leave his job. I go, ‘Which one?'”

Both the White House and US State Department also shut down reports that Rubio might be leaving after this week’s midterm losses, with both calling it “fake news”.

The defence secretary, though, faces a more uncertain political future.

Trump and Vice-President JD Vance have both blamed the Iran war for Republican losses that allowed Democrats full control of the US House of Representatives and the Senate.

In a telephone interview with ABC News, Trump said that he had received “calls about” Hegseth, but added that he had “every intention” of keeping him.

Later on Thursday, he told reporters at the White House that “Pete Hegseth has done a fantastic job”, and went on to list what he sees are some of his achievements, including the arrest of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro in January and the Iran war, now into its ninth month.