Defence Secretary Peter Hegseth has only been in the job a few weeks but is already widely disliked by voters, according to a new poll. He's underwater even with Republicans, with only 38% of them wanting him to stay in the job. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz isn't too popular, either. The topical problem: Waltz inviting a journalist to a backchannel chatroom in which Hegseth then posted details of a forthcoming air strike in Yemen.
It found 54 percent thought the Pentagon chief should resign, while 22 percent backed him to stay, and 24 percent were not sure. Crucially, 38 percent of Republicans said Hegseth should go, with only 33 percent saying he should stay in the job. The rest said they did not know. A majority of Independents – 54 percent – also said he should resign, while 20 percent said he should not. Among Americans aged over 65 from all parties 83 percent said Hegseth should resign. Meanwhile, 47 percent of voters in the poll said Waltz should hand in his resignation, with only 21 percent backing the National Security Advisor. Republicans narrowly agreed, with 33 percent saying Waltz should go, and 32 percent saying he should stay.
83% of U.S. seniors wanting Hegseth gone is an outlier statistic even among the general negativity (the same group wasn't that bothered by Waltz, for example). If there were something specific about Hegseth that upsets older folks, that would explain why even partisans have had enough.
Hegseth wrote on social media: 'So, let me get this straight. The Atlantic released the so-called "war plans" and those "plans" include: No names. No targets. No locations. No units. No routes. No sources. No methods. And no classified information. Those are some really sh***y war plans.'
He always sounds like someone reacting to an intervention.
Previously: Polls reveal Republicans want Musk out of politics
