CNN senior data reporter Harry Enten argued Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has more worries than just the current Signalgate drama, as data shows he’s already the least popular defense secretary since Donald Rumsfeld.
In a Thursday report, Enten joined CNN anchor Kate Bolduan to discuss the public’s reaction to attack plan leaks out of the White House. The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg released texts this week from a Signal group chat he was accidentally invited to that included administration officials like Hegseth discussing a then-upcoming attack on Houthis in Yemen.
Enten noted that the bombshell report from Goldberg has pushed Google searches for The Atlantic up more than 900%, the highest since tracking began in 2004. Similarly, Google searches for Signal have jumped more than 1000%.
“There’s a lot of interest in this story,” Enten said.
Hegseth has become one of the figures central to the controversy, and according to Enten, it’s likely to only make his already-bad numbers even worse. The reporter said Hegseth’s numbers are the worst for a defense secretary since Rumsfeld, who served under two presidents, Gerald Ford and George W. Bush. Rumseld’s tenure under Bush was highly controversial, mainly thanks to the Iraq War, as well as the Abu Ghraib prisoner torture scandal. He resigned in 2006.
Enten cited February data from Marquette Law showing Hegseth’s favorable rating is 30% compared to his 42% unfavorable rating. He also noted that, according to polling, the public is more disappointed in President Donald Trump’s Cabinet picks than they were in nominations by former Presidents Joe Biden, Barack Obama, Bush, and Bill Clinton.
Enten said about Hegseth:
What you see here is the most unpopular defense secretary going all the way back, you have to go all the way back to Donald Rumself who was basically kind of forced out a little bit back in 2006. The unfavorable rating for Pete Hegseth, 42%, compared to his favorable rating, only 30%. Many more Americans disliked Pete Hegseth coming into this scandal than liked him. Again, skeptical, skeptical, skeptical public, they’re only probably going to become more skeptical.
Watch above via CNN.
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