Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth lambasted Rep. Thomas Massie 's (R-KY) push to oust him, likening the impeachment effort to Democrats' successful impeachments of President Trump .

The big picture: As the possible first impeachment of a Cabinet secretary during the second Trump era and a Democratic-led Congress loom, Hegseth isn't going down without a war of words.

Hegseth's news conference was less than 30 minutes long, including the questions he fielded from generally friendly outlets.

The conference clearly pleased Trump, who gave Hegseth "an 'A' PLUS, PLUS, PLUS" in a Truth Social post.

Driving the news: "They impeached President Trump over a perfect phone call. They impeached him again in his final week in office," Hegseth said, referencing Trump's first impeachment over a phone call where he pressed Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden and his second over the Jan. 6 attack.

"Both times he came back stronger, and the American people sent him back to the White House. Now they're trying a third time.…