It appears that "unnamed sources" are trying to oust Department of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and President Donald Trump and the White House are not happy about the situation. 

This is according to a new report from the Daily Mail.

This comes following the leak of a letter calling for Hegseth's removal.

President Trump, for his part, has stood firmly behind Hegseth.

The call for Hegseth's removal

The letter, calling for Hegseth's removal, has been circulating around the Pentagon.

The Daily Mail reports:

An effort is under way among some Pentagon officials to denounce Pete Hegseth as unfit to serve as Defense Secretary, DailyMail.com can reveal. Since May, drafts of a letter have been circulating among high and mid-level military brass and civilian workers to 'Let the American public know this guy has no clue what he's doing,' one of them told DailyMail.com.

It appears that part of the motivation, here, for the letter writers is self-preservation.

The outlet goes on to report:

Three Pentagon officials — two military and one civilian, and each with at least 20 years in the department — spoke on the condition of anonymity. Aside from losing their jobs, they fear prosecution by Donald Trump's administration, and being replaced by people with less experience who would be less apt to challenge some of Hegseth's decisions.

The chief spokesman of the Pentagon has described this as "sensationalized mainstream media gossip."

White House aide "p***** off"; Trump's happy

Separately, the Daily Mail reports that a White House aide is not happy about the situation.

Per the outlet:

A White House aide to President Trump is reportedly enraged with Secretary Defense Pete Hegseth and wants the former Fox News host out of his job, according to sources. Two sources close to the White House confirmed to NOTUS that a Trump aide is 'p***** off' about Hegseth's performance and thinks it's 'time for him to go.'

Trump, however, stands fully behind Hegseth.

In a statement, the White House said:

President Trump is extremely pleased with the work of the secretary, who has taken decisive action this week to protect DOD information technology and was crucial to the success of Operation Midnight Hammer.

I love this clip.

Trump looks so pleased with Pete.

What a difference it makes for Trump to have true fighters on his side.

Pete Hegseth, Marco Rubio, and JD Vance are the future of the GOP.

And thank God for it. pic.twitter.com/daqzV3fPu1

— Mila Joy (@MilaLovesJoe) July 25, 2025