CNN's chief data analyst, Harry Enten, delivered a stark assessment on Tuesday, revealing that U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has failed to register a positive net favorability rating in any public poll over the past year.
A Year of Zeroes for the Defence Secretary
In a segment that highlighted the unprecedented nature of these findings, Enten emphasized the consistent negativity surrounding Hegseth's public image. "Zero, zero, zero, zero, zero!" Enten exclaimed, summarizing the defence secretary's poll results. He noted that Hegseth has never been a widely popular figure, pointing to a poll from last year where a plurality of Americans believed the Senate should not confirm the former Fox News host for the cabinet position.
The analysis comes amid growing backlash against Hegseth and the Trump administration. The controversy stems from a Washington Post report detailing a September incident where Hegseth allegedly gave a directive to "kill everybody" on a boat suspected of drug smuggling. Following an initial strike that left two survivors clinging to wreckage, U.S. Navy Admiral Frank Bradley reportedly followed Hegseth's command and ordered a second attack, which resulted in no survivors.
Unusual Public Scrutiny in Peacetime
Despite the negative ratings, Enten clarified to CNN's John Berman that public interest in Hegseth is remarkably high. According to data from the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research, at least ten polls have recently focused on his popularity, a level of attention far exceeding that given to recent defence secretaries.
"This is extremely unusual for a defence secretary to be generating this much interest, especially when we're not at a time of war," Enten stated. He added that such concentrated polling interest in a Pentagon chief hasn't been seen since Robert Gates held the post, serving from the second term of President George W. Bush into the first term of President Barack Obama.
Political Fallout and Future in Cabinet
The political repercussions are becoming quantifiable. Enten highlighted that according to data from the prediction market Kalshi, the perceived chance of Hegseth being the first member to leave Trump's Cabinet has jumped significantly. His odds increased from 18% on Friday—when The Washington Post published its report on the September 2 strikes—to 35% by Tuesday.
The incident has also sparked a blame game. Hegseth and President Trump have publicly faulted Admiral Bradley for authorizing the second strike. This is despite the survivors' vulnerable position on the wreckage, an act that, according to the U.S. Defence Department's own Law of War manual, would make such an attack illegal.
The combination of severe controversy and intense public scrutiny paints a precarious picture for Secretary Hegseth, whose tenure is now marked by both operational controversy and historically poor public perception.
