As President Donald Trump's approval rating on the Iran war sits in the 20s, new polling analysis shows Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is faring even worse than his boss.
CNN's Harry Enten broke down net job approval ratings for several top Trump officials and found all of them underwater, but Hegseth stands out as "the lowest of the low."
Secretary of State Marco Rubio sits at minus-8, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at minus-9, and Vice President JD Vance at minus-17, but Hegseth trails all of them at minus-22, a figure Enten said has held true "in every single poll" he could find throughout Hegseth's tenure. Enten noted the comparison to Rubio is notable since both are closely associated with the Iran war, yet Rubio, eyeing a potential 2028 run, has "come out smelling like roses" by comparison.
Enten also placed Hegseth's numbers in historical context, comparing him to Donald Rumsfeld, the defense secretary who oversaw the start of the Iraq War and was pushed to resign shortly after Republicans suffered heavy losses in the 2006 midterms. At a similar point before midterm elections, Rumsfeld's net popularity was minus 7 — still 15 points better than Hegseth's current standing, making Hegseth's numbers "historically low" for a wartime defense secretary.
"Why is this comparison in my mind so much is because, remember, Don Rumsfeld was essentially forced to resign after those midterm elections, after Republicans got crushed," Enten said.
Enten pointed to two other Trump cabinet officials who were later dismissed after seeing similar approval numbers: former Attorney General Pam Bondi, who was at minus-20 before leaving, and former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who was at minus-16.
"Donald Trump has been defending Pete Hegseth. But I have to ask the question: for how long?" Enten asked.
While Hegseth currently retains his position, Enten suggested that could change depending on how the midterms unfold, drawing a parallel to Rumsfeld's post-midterm ouster.
"There are definitely red lights flashing in the polls when it comes to Pete Hegseth's job security," said CNN's John Berman, reacting to Enten's analysis.
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