Pete Hegseth has seemingly built his public persona around toughness, military grit, and an unapologetic alpha male swagger. A new survey now suggests that brand isn’t winning over most Americans, and young adults are the least impressed.
The Bulwark’s survey measured Pete Hegseth’s role-model image
The Bulwark and the Pablo Torre Finds Out podcast commissioned a poll testing how the public rates several prominent men as role models. Hegseth, the Pentagon chief, landed underwater. Only 28 percent of respondents call the alpha male defense secretary a “strong” male role model.
A larger share, 39 percent, rejects that label outright. Younger Americans prove even tougher on Hegseth. Among 18-to-29-year-olds, a mere 18 percent rate him a good role model, while 34 percent say he is not.
The survey did offer Pete Hegseth one small consolation. His net score of -11 beats President Donald Trump’s, since 55 percent of Americans say Trump is not a strong role model, compared with 37 percent who say he is.
Other names in the poll performed far better. Actor Matthew McConaughey posted +33, former president Barack Obama +28, and LeBron James +25. Travis Kelce reached +16. Only California Gov. Gavin Newsom (-2) and podcaster Joe Rogan (-4) joined Hegseth and Trump on the negative side.
Since joining and then steering the Pentagon, Hegseth has waged cultural fights against what he describes as “woke” military policy. He also posts workout videos with troops, seemingly to reinforce his warrior image.
Brendan Hartnett, rapid-response editor at The Bulwark, questioned why that effort hasn’t translated into public respect. He wrote that Hegseth’s heavy investment in “demonstrating his manhood” should make him a model for struggling young men, yet the data shows “exactly the opposite.” Hartnett described the results as evidence of the “limitations of Hegseth’s alpha-male preening.”
For a defense secretary who leans hard on the alpha male image, the poll gave a blunt verdict: voters see the performance, and most aren’t buying it.
