Maggie Haberman, the veteran New York Times political reporter and Trump biographer, says President Trump has an obvious candidate if he wants someone in his Cabinet to take the fall for the GOP's midterm drubbing: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the civilian head of the Pentagon. Cabinet secretaries serve at the president's pleasure, and removing one requires no congressional approval — which is why a personnel change is among the few unilateral moves available to a White House after an electoral setback.

Appearing on a morning panel with MS NOW's Stephanie Ruhle, Haberman noted that the military is operating with far less money than most voters likely realize, even as multiple global crises pile up. Against that backdrop, she explained why the defense secretary could make an easy scapegoat for the Iran war.

"And getting rid of Pete Hegseth and putting the blame on him for the Iran war, which… To be clear, there are many, many valid criticisms of the defense secretary, and he certainly was the most optimistic about the war in Trump's circle, but this was ultimately President Trump's decision by a wide mile, and his advisors just went there with him, even though most of them had reservations," Haberman said.

"This might be an easy move for him to make: to get rid of Pete Hegseth and try to propel some kind of a comity with Democrats."

Trump's own record offers a template for that kind of move: the day after the 2018 midterms, he asked for Attorney General Jeff Sessions's resignation.

Haberman warned that Trump will face "a very different reality come January." Unlike the period after the 2018 midterms or his 2020 defeat, when he was on his way out of the White House, the president still has two years left in power, and she said his next moves are hard to predict. She added that voters sent an unmistakable message on Tuesday about the kind of overreach they do not want to see. Whether any Cabinet changes actually follow is among the most immediate storylines to watch as Washington turns toward the new year.

Haberman was skeptical that Republicans would suddenly begin openly criticizing the president, noting that such predictions have been made many times before and rarely come true. Still, she expects GOP lawmakers to feel pressure to focus on delivering results and to lean into a more populist message.

As for the Supreme Court, Haberman suggested it is largely off the table for Trump unless he takes a different approach — and that assumes any justice even retires while he is in office. Justices hold lifetime appointments, so any vacancy depends on a departure rather than a presidential timetable.

When Fox News anchor Bret Baier asked Trump late Tuesday whether he planned to shake up his Cabinet after the losses, the president brushed off the idea.

"No, I don't think so. Had nothing to do with my Cabinet," Trump said. "It was just a point — honestly, look — I've been doing a lot of great things for a long time. It's just a point in time, Bret. The way it is. There was a mood in the air, I guess."