WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥 Pete Hegseth faced an important test in his fiery confirmation hearing on Tuesday 鈥 but he didn't just have to prove himself to the senators who immediately began sparring over his nomination as defense secretary. The hearing was also an opportunity for Hegseth to make his case to the sizable share of Americans who don't know him or don't approve of President-elect Donald Trump's decision to tap him for this key role in his administration.
A new poll finds only about 2 in 10 Americans approve of Hegseth being nominated as the secretary of defense, a position that would put the 44-year-old Army 好色tv Guard veteran and former Fox News Channel weekend host in charge of overseeing U.S. troops. The survey from , which was conducted before Hegseth's confirmation hearings began, finds that roughly one-third of U.S. adults disapprove of Trump鈥檚 choice, and about 1 in 10 say they neither approve nor disapprove. About one-third of Americans say they don鈥檛 know enough about Hegseth to have an opinion.
Hegseth's experience in the Army 好色tv Guard is seen by the incoming administration and supporters in Congress as an asset for the job, but he also brings a jarring record of , including allegations of , excessive drinking and derisive views about women in military combat roles, minorities and . He has vowed not to if he is confirmed to lead the Pentagon.
Republican men are more likely to have an opinion of Hegseth and approve of his nomination
More Republicans approve than disapprove of Trump nominating Hegseth -- about 4 in 10 approve, and only about 1 in 10 disapprove. But many Republicans, about one-third, still don鈥檛 have an opinion of him yet.
About half of GOP men approve of Hegseth for defense secretary, compared to about one-third of Republican women. Republican women are less likely to express a view on his nomination either way. About half of Republican women do not have an opinion of him.
Hegseth faced some criticism for saying he . He has walked those comments back since his nomination, saying 鈥渋f we have the right standard and women meet that standard, roger. Let鈥檚 go.鈥 Two former female combat veterans, Republican Sen. of Iowa and Democrat Sen. of Illinois, were among those who questioned him.
Older Republicans are also more likely to approve of Hegseth鈥檚 nomination. About half of Republicans over 45 approve, compared to about 3 in 10 Republicans under 45. The younger Republicans are also less likely to have formed an opinion of him.
Only one-quarter see a lack of government experience as a plus
Hegseth acknowledged during his hearing that he does not have the traditional background of past defense secretaries, promising to be a 鈥渃hange agent鈥 for the branch.
The poll finds, though, that a lack of government experience isn鈥檛 a positive for many Americans. About half of Americans say it鈥檚 a 鈥渧ery鈥 or 鈥渟omewhat鈥 bad thing for the president to rely on people without any background in government for advice about government policy, and only about one-quarter say it鈥檚 a 鈥渧ery鈥 or 鈥渟omewhat鈥 good thing. About one-quarter are neutral, calling it neither good nor bad.
Republicans, however, are more likely than Democrats and independents to say it鈥檚 good for the president to rely on people without government experience for input on policy. About 4 in 10 Republicans say this is a good thing, compared to about 2 in 10 independents and roughly 1 in 10 Democrats.
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Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro, Tara Copp and Matt Brown contributed reporting from Washington, D.C.
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The AP-NORC poll of 1,147 adults was conducted Jan. 9-13, using a sample drawn from NORC鈥檚 probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.
