US President Donald Trump has defended secretary of war Pete Hegseth amid calls for his resignation and impeachment, praising his work and backing the US military operations in Iran and Venezuela.When asked whether he was considering changes to his administration, particularly at the Pentagon, Trump dismissed criticism of Hegseth and said the defence chief had performed “a fantastic job”.“United States Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, has done a fantastic job. Now, it’s got some interesting things. You know, we had more generals than we did in World War II. Everybody was a four-star general. I never saw anything like it. And many of those people were woke. I don’t like a woke general, and so he probably has opposition. I think he’s done a fantastic job,” Trump said.The president also sought to defend his administration’s military record, citing operations involving Venezuela and Iran as evidence of the Pentagon’s performance. He claimed the operation in Venezuela was completed in 48 minutes without any American fatalities, describing it as one of the greatest attacks witnessed.He also claimed Iran could take 25 to 30 years to recover from the military campaign, while keeping open the possibility of further strikes.The pressure on Hegseth comes in the aftermath of the November 3 midterm elections, in which Republican losses are expected to strengthen Democratic oversight of the Trump administration.Hegseth faces impeachment pressureTrump’s public endorsement comes as Hegseth faces growing scrutiny from lawmakers over the administration’s handling of the Iran conflict, with members of Congress calling for his removal.Republican Congressman Thomas Massie said on November 4 that he would not reintroduce impeachment articles against Hegseth if the Pentagon chief resigned.“There is one contingency in which I won’t reintroduce the articles of impeachment: Hegseth resigns,” Massie said in a post on X, according to CNN.Democratic Congressman Jason Crow has also demanded Hegseth’s removal, alleging that his leadership has put American military personnel at greater risk.Meanwhile, Hegseth posted a video on X Thursday defending the war against Iran.Hegseth described the Iran war as a “courageous and historic effort” that he said would “ensure Iran never gets a nuclear weapon.” He dismissed the impeachment articles against him as a “sham,” accusing political opponents of trying to destroy their rivals.