US: Hegseth becomes a political millstone for Trump – Fierce Republican fire: "He is incompetent"

Pete Hegseth, the US Secretary of Defense, is under siege. Recent developments involving high-level resignations at the Pentagon, the poor image projected by the US military and navy, and the widespread perception of failure in the war against Iran weigh heavily against the American Defense Secretary. Indeed, Hegseth stands at the center of an accumulating political failure that is becoming difficult to ignore even within the Republican Party itself, especially as this failure coincides with clashes with top party figures and a plummeting personal approval rating. And the more Donald Trump insists that Hegseth is doing an "outstanding job," the wider the gap grows between the official White House line and the reality described by members of the administration's camp: a Pentagon suffering from leadership problems, continuous turmoil, and a secretary who, for an increasing number of allies, is turning from a political asset into a liability.

Reservations

When Republican Senator Mitch McConnell voted last year against Pete Hegseth’s confirmation as Defense Secretary, he avoided major controversies surrounding Hegseth’s personal life and focused instead on his lack of experience. The former Senate Republican leader characterized the position of Pentagon chief as a "daily test with immense consequences for the security of the American people and our global interests." He noted that Hegseth "so far, has not demonstrated that he will pass this test." Those words carry increasingly heavy weight as Hegseth's tenure unfolds with persistent turbulence, an analysis by CNN points out. A growing sequence of controversies has tested the willingness of Republicans to continue backing him, potentially leaving them wondering what comes next.

Political problem

And it appears increasingly likely that Hegseth could evolve into a political problem for the Trump administration as well. The major news item of recent days was yet another shake-up at the Pentagon—this time the resignation of Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll, which drew intense focus toward Hegseth's leadership style and his obsession with so-called "culture wars." This development even prompted two prominent Republicans retiring from politics to demand Hegseth’s removal. Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who cast a key confirmation vote for the Defense Secretary last year, stated that he had "never witnessed a more incompetent administration of the brave men and women serving our country." He added that Hegseth "feels threatened by competence." Representative Don Bacon of Nebraska agreed with Tillis, telling CNN's "AC360" on Wednesday night that Hegseth "has not been a particularly good leader in many respects."

Pentagon concern

Other Republicans did not explicitly demand Hegseth’s departure, but they voiced severe concerns over developments at the Pentagon. House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers stated he was "tired of all these constant changes" at the Defense Department, adding: "I want to see some stability over there." House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Ken Calvert also expressed frustration with "a series of shake-ups at the department" and signaled that they must come to a halt. Although Republican reactions to Driscoll’s departure have not yet expanded universally, this represents merely the latest instance of Republicans voicing serious concerns regarding Hegseth.

Continuous errors and… missteps

These concerns have frequently originated from notably high-ranking officials, including the chairs of the Armed Services Committees in both the Senate and the House, chairmen of other key committees, the former House Intelligence Committee chairman, and several senators who originally voted to confirm Hegseth:
• Barely weeks into Hegseth’s tenure, Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker called his comments regarding potential territorial concessions by Ukraine a "rookie mistake." Hegseth subsequently walked back his statements.
• Wicker also stated that Hegseth's attempt to initiate disciplinary measures against Democratic Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona—for participating in a video advising service members not to obey illegal orders—was entirely inappropriate.
• Former House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner questioned the administration's strikes against maritime vessels, which killed suspected drug traffickers without due process, while also raising concerns over the intelligence shared by the Pentagon regarding the war in Iran.
• Senator Rand Paul, who chairs the Homeland Security Committee, stated that the way Hegseth handled questioning regarding the vessel strikes indicates he is either "lying to us… or he is incompetent."
• Other Republican senators recently voiced concern over the Pentagon excluding Democrats from briefings, including classified intelligence briefings. "Democratic members need to be fully informed," Senator Mike Rounds of South Dakota stated last month.

A new era at the Pentagon

This represents a lengthy list of grievances. And it does not even encompass the fact that Hegseth shared highly sensitive information regarding imminent military strikes via the unclassified messaging app Signal. An inspector general report last year determined that Hegseth could have compromised both the mission in Yemen and the safety of US combat troops. The Pentagon, for its part, has defended Hegseth’s leadership, maintaining that under the president's directive, he is ushering in a new era for the department.

The least popular

However, the relentless succession of controversies appears to be taking a toll on American public opinion. Polls conducted in recent months by Quinnipiac University and Marquette Law School show Hegseth standing roughly 20 percentage points in the red regarding net favorability ratings. In the first poll, 56% of registered voters expressed disapproval compared to 34% who approved, while in the second, 46% of Americans held a negative view of him versus 27% holding a positive view. Both surveys indicate he is among the least popular members of the Trump cabinet—and quite possibly the single least popular. His net approval rating of -22 proved worse than that of Vice President JD Vance (-17), Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (-9), and Secretary of State Marco Rubio (-8), according to recent polling by Quinnipiac and Fox News.

Lacking strong support even among Republican voters

The Marquette poll from May also highlighted that support for Hegseth among rank-and-file Republicans is far from robust. While 46% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independent voters held a very favorable view of Rubio, and 43% felt similarly toward Vance, Hegseth's figure stood at a meager 29%. Nearly 1 in 5 Republican-leaning Americans expressed an outright negative opinion of Hegseth. Furthermore, merely 1% of independent voters held a strongly favorable view of Hegseth, compared to 35% holding a strongly negative view.

Trump sees an outstanding job

For the time being, President Donald Trump refuses to entertain such criticisms. He declared this week that Hegseth is "doing an outstanding job." Nevertheless, amid a chain of controversies and an unpopular war in Iran that shows no signs of concluding anytime soon, Hegseth is visibly drifting toward becoming a politically embattled minister under siege.

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