About two in 10 Americans back former Fox News host Pete Hegseth as President-elect Trump’s Defense secretary nominee, according to a new poll.
In the poll from The Associated Press-NORC Research Center, 19 percent of respondents said that they “strongly approve” or “somewhat approve” the selection of Hegseth by Trump. Thirty-five percent said they “strongly disapprove” or “somewhat disapprove” of the selection.
Here’s how the Pentagon could change under Hegseth
During a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Tuesday, Hegseth faced intense questioning from Democrats on the panel, with heated exchanges occurring in which previous allegations of sexual misconduct, excessive drinking and financial mismanagement that Hegseth denies were brought up.
In contrast to Democrats, Republicans on the Armed Services Committee defended Hegseth’s character, as well as his capacity to lead the Defense Department.
Twenty-three percent of respondents in the AP-NORC poll also said it is “very good” or “somewhat good” if people “without any background in government” are being depended upon by the president “for advice about government policy.” Forty-nine percent in the poll said it is “very bad” or “somewhat bad” if those lacking a government background are being depended upon by the president for government policy advice.
The AP-NORC poll took place from Jan. 9 to 13, featuring 1,147 people and a plus or minus 3.9 percentage point margin of sampling error.
