Trump, Hegseth underwater on approval from military members, veterans: Poll

President Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth are underwater in their approval ratings with veterans and military members , according to a poll conducted by Common Defense.

In a survey of 731 active-duty service members, veterans and military families, 67 percent of respondents said they believe military decisions under Trump are being made for political gain. About 50 percent said they disapprove of Trump and Hegseth.

“Right now, nearly 8-in-10 veterans and military families say they’re being left behind, and active-duty troops are telling us that politicization is pushing them toward the exit. That’s not a talking point; it’s a readiness crisis,” said Jose Vasquez, U.S. Army veteran and executive director of Common Defense .

Fifty-three percent of respondents said they want to separate from the military sooner because of politicization, while 45 percent said policy changes or uncertainty under Trump made them want to exit sooner.

Still, 47 percent of respondents said the Republican Party does a better job at communicating with the military. The poll’s sample consisted of 47 percent Republicans and 35 percent Democrats.

Common Defense found 67 percent of respondents felt decisions that affect service members were being made for political gain and not mission readiness.

Hegseth has moved to reform the Pentagon through changes to readiness standards that often regard culture war issues and the implementation of a “warrior ethos.”

“Veterans know what real leadership looks like: you take care of the people under your command and you keep politics out of the mission,” Vasquez said.

Almost three-fourths of respondents expressed their disapproval of Congress. Forty-eight percent of active-duty respondents said they want the U.S. to pull out of Iran, while 55 percent want Congress to investigate the “deployments and troops’ health, safety, and welfare” during Operation Epic Fury in the Middle East.

Vasquez said military voters will consider candidates based on “what they’ve actually done for those who serve” and not on how emphatically they speak about supporting the military.

Common Defense reached respondents online and said the sample “skews older, whiter, more male, and more Republican.” The poll, taken in September and released in October, has a 4-point margin of error.