While Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is reportedly considering a run for president, polls show no one else really wants him around.
A new poll from Quinnipiac University places Hegseth's approval ratings at record lows. Only 32% of likely voters approve of the job he is doing at the Department of Defense, while 57% of voters disapprove. Sitting 24 percentage points underwater marks a low point in the pollster's tracking of Hegseth's popularity.
While 39% of voters express some degree of confidence in Hegseth's leadership as President Donald Trump's Pentagon leader, 13% were "not so confident" and 43% said they had no confidence at all.
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This means the Defense Secretary has an even lower rating than President Donald Trump, who on the same poll clocked in at a 33% job approval rating. He's also less popular than Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has the approval of just 36% of voters right now.
Hegseth's new nadir in polling may well center on his handling of the Iran war; the poll shows only 22% support a military escalation while 30% would leave the country without a peace deal negotiated.
But the plunging to new depths of unpopularity also comes after Hegseth made news for a bizarre push for a more testosterone-injected military force. His push to hunt down transgender people in the ranks to separate them while failing to pay severance to those who volunteered for honorable discharge has also earned negative headlines.
Related: Democratic congresswoman calls out Pete Hegseth's 'intense, homoerotic feelings towards men'
Meanwhile, top military officials have made an exodus from the Pentagon in protest of Hegseth's decision-making , with the departure of Army Secretary Dan Driscoll drawing particular attention. That fueled calls to resign from both Democratic and Republican leaders in Congress.
"If we had a (Secretary of War) who maintained the same priorities and forward-thinking, he would be fighting to retain talented leaders like Dan and the many flag officers he has forced into retirement," Republican Sen. Thom Tillis posted on X. "Instead, he is creating a leadership void at the top of our military ranks."
Related: 'High T' Pete Hegseth hurls anti-trans slur at Iowa State Fair campaign stop while Iran war rages on
And if Hegseth doesn't resign, Democrats in Congress have made clear they will try and force him out if they win majorities in the Midterm elections. Rep. Pat Ryan, a New York Democrat, told Politico he expects Hegseth to be the target of congressional investigations next year. Several Democratic sources told the outlet Hegseth could end up impeached.
"Hegseth and crew better buckle up and lawyer up because we are coming at them full on," Ryan said. "It's incredibly aggressive oversight because this is by far the most corrupt and least transparent Pentagon, I think, we've ever had."
This article originally appeared on Advocate: 'High T' Pete Hegseth's approval rating hits embarrassing low
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