White House denies Hegseth and Rubio are leaving after Republican election losses

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has denied reports that he is considering leaving his post to prepare for a 2028 presidential run. The reports emerged after this week's midterm elections, in which Republicans suffered losses and Democrats gained full control of both the US House of Representatives and the Senate.

In an interview with The New York Times, Rubio said that working for President Donald Trump until the end of his term has "always been my plan". He said he loves his work, and added that he laughs when people say he will leave his job, asking: "Which one?" Both the White House and the US State Department called the reports "fake news".

Hegseth's position is less clear

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth faces a more uncertain political future. Trump and Vice-President JD Vance have both blamed the Iran war, now in its ninth month, for the Republican losses.

In a telephone interview with ABC News, Trump said he had received "calls about" Hegseth, but added that he had "every intention" of keeping him in the job. Later on Thursday, Trump told reporters at the White House that Hegseth "has done a fantastic job". He then listed what he sees as achievements, including the January arrest of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and the Iran war.