Pete Hegseth to No Longer Be Secretary of Defense Odds Get Boost at Kalshi

Pete Hegseth leaving his role as defense secretary is looking more and more likely and the folks betting at Kalshi seem to agree.

The defense secretary is under fire after revelations that he shared classified information in a group chat with his wife, brother and lawyer, according to the official.

The news resonated with the betting markets as his chances of being the first cabinet official to leave jumped from 14.9 percent heading into this past weekend to 53.7 percent by Monday.

NPR reports that a source said Hegseth used the Signal messaging app on his personal smartphone, detailing minute-by-minute classified information about airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen. It happened at about the same time in March that Hegseth shared similar details with top White House officials in a different Signal chat group that accidentally included a journalist. That leak, hours before air strikes hit, could have endangered U..S. pilots if that information about the timing of strikes was intercepted by U.S. adversaries. Already the Houthis have twice shot down American predator drones.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt denied that there's an effort to replace Hegseth, posting on X that President Trump "stands strongly" behind him. Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump backed Hegseth and said concerns over the Signal chats are a "waste of time."

"He's doing a great job — ask the Houthis how he's doing," Trump said.

Hegseth had denied any wrongdoing.