Secretary Pete Hegseth 'Has Slashed Bureaucracy,' Pentagon Says as New Poll Reveals His Approval Rating at Record Low

The Pentagon is trying to gas up Pete Hegseth while Americans overwhelmingly voice their distaste for the defense secretary.

Faced with a poll that saw Hegseth score a dismal -25 approval rating, the Pentagon said, "Secretary Hegseth has slashed bureaucracy, unleashed innovation, and delivered for our warfighters every step of the way. By every measurable metric, the Department of War is better under Secretary Hegseth’s leadership than before."

The poll, conducted by Quinnipiac University, found the 46-year-old Defense Secretary with his lowest numbers ever recorded. Only 32 percent of respondents approved of Hegseth, while 57 percent disapproved.

Furthermore, only 39 percent of respondents said they were confident in the U.S. military under Hegseth's direction, while 56 percent of respondents said they were not so confident or not confident at all.

The brutal numbers come as Hegseth is reportedly considering a run for president in 2028, where he'll likely square off against Trump administration colleagues including Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Texas Senator Ted Cruz has also hinted that he'll be among the candidates for the 2028 Republican nomination.

Despite the abysmal figures, the Pentagon tried to defend the embattled secretary with a statement touting positive developments for the U.S. military under Hegseth's direction.

The Pentagon's statement, written by Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson and given to Newsweek, said that under Hegseth, "standards and merit are back, our arsenal is stronger than ever before, and morale and recruitment across every service are at all-time highs."

"By every measurable metric, the Department of War is better under Secretary Hegseth’s leadership than before," Wilson continued. "The entire Department is unified behind the Secretary’s vision and will continue working to put our warfighters and America first.”

Unfortunately for the Pentagon, much of Hegseth's "achievements" that Wilson touted are easily disprovable.

Regarding its claim about the return of "standards and merit," Hegseth infamously fired top general Randy George because he would not drop a probe into an inane stunt where military pilots conducted a flyby near the house of MAGA rocker Kid Rock.

America's arsenal is not "stronger than ever before" — the U.S. is facing a depleted stockpile of munitions due to the costly and unpopular war in Iran.

Morale, rather than being at an "all-time high," is reportedly cratering among soldiers on U.S. war ships due to extended deployments, supply shortages, blocked toilets and plummeting mental health.

The controversies surrounding Hegseth and the state of the U.S. military may be contributing to his awful approval ratings.

Hegseth has long been one of the more controversial figures in Trump's cabinet, due in part to both his bizarre appearance demands for the military and seemingly hawkish actions.

Previous Hegseth scandals include his announcement that U.S. soldiers get testosterone replacement therapy if their T-levels are below his standard, blowing up ships from Venezuela on the unconfirmed suspicion that they were drug boats from cartels and including the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic on a group text discussing military plans.