WASHINGTON (AP) — Pete Hegseth faces a big test Tuesday — but he won’t just have to prove himself to senators who immediately started training regarding his appointment as Secretary of Defense. His confirmation hearings are also an opportunity for Hegseth to make his case to a large portion of Americans who do not know him or do not approve of the president-elect. that of Donald Trump decision to recruit him for this key role in his administration.
A new poll finds that only about 2 in 10 Americans approve of Hegseth’s nomination for defense secretary, a position that would put the 44-year National Guard veteran and former Fox News Channel weekend host in charge. to supervise American troops. The investigation of Associated Press-NORC Public Affairs Research Centerwhich was conducted before the start of Hegseth’s confirmation hearings, reveals that about a third of American adults disapprove of Trump’s choice, and about 1 in 10 say they neither approve nor disapprove of him. About a third of Americans say they don’t know enough about Hegseth to have an opinion.
Hegseth’s experience in the Army National Guard is seen by the new administration and its supporters in Congress as an asset to the job, but he also brings a shocking record of past statements and actionsincluding allegations of sexual assaultexcessive alcohol consumption and derisive views towards women in military combat roles, minorities and “Woke” generals. He swore not to drink alcohol if he is confirmed as head of the Pentagon. He is among Trump’s most endangered cabinet picks, but GOP allies are determined to make him a cause celebre for Trump’s approach to governing amid the nation’s culture wars.
Republican men more likely to have an opinion on Hegseth and approve of his nomination
More Republicans approve than disapprove of Trump’s nomination of Hegseth — about 4 in 10 approve, and only about 1 in 10 disapprove. But many Republicans, about a third, still have no opinion on him.
About half of Republican men approve of Hegseth for defense secretary, compared to about a third of Republican women. Either way, Republican women are less likely to express their opinion on his nomination. About half of Republican women have no opinion of him.
Hegseth was criticized for stating that he opposes women holding combat positions. He echoed those comments since his appointment, saying: “If we have the right standards and women meet those standards, Roger. Let’s go.” Two veterans, the Republican senator. Joni Ernst of Iowa and the Democratic senator. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, are among those who will question him.
Older Republicans are also more likely to approve of Hegseth’s nomination. About half of Republicans over 45 approve, compared to about 3 in 10 Republicans under 45. Younger Republicans are also less likely to have formed an opinion about him.
Only a quarter of them consider the lack of government experience to be an asset.
Hegseth acknowledged during his Tuesday hearing that he lacked the traditional experience of past defense secretaries, promising to be a “change agent” for the branch.
The poll found, however, that the lack of government experience is not a positive thing for many Americans. About half of Americans say it is a “very” or “somewhat” bad thing that the president relies on people with no government experience for advice on government policy, and only about a quarter say it is “very” or “rather” a good thing. About a quarter of them are neutral, calling it neither good nor bad.
Republicans, however, are more likely than Democrats and independents to say it is good for the president to rely on people without government experience to contribute to policy. About 4 in 10 Republicans say that’s a good thing, compared with about 2 in 10 independents and about 1 in 10 Democrats.
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Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro, Tara Copp and Matt Brown contributed reporting from Washington, D.C.
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The AP-NORC poll of 1,147 adults was conducted Jan. 9-13, using a sample drawn from NORC’s AmeriSpeak probability panel, designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for all adults is plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.
