Poll: half of veterans and military families disapprove of Trump and Hegseth

President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth are underwater with veterans and military members, according to a poll by the veterans group Common Defense. About 50 percent of respondents said they disapprove of both men ¹².

The survey was conducted by Change Research and covered 731 active-duty troops, veterans and military family members. It was fielded online Sept. 15-28 and released Oct. 19. The margin of error is 4 percentage points, and it is larger for smaller subgroups ².

What the survey found

Sixty-seven percent said decisions affecting service members are being made for political gain, not mission readiness ¹². Seventy-nine percent said veterans and military families are being left behind by politicians and society ².

Among active-duty respondents, 53 percent said politicization makes them want to leave the military sooner. Only 5 percent said it makes them want to stay longer ¹². Forty-five percent said policy changes or uncertainty under Trump made them want to exit sooner ¹.

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On the Iran war, called Operation Epic Fury, 48 percent of active-duty respondents opposed it ²³. Overall, 49 percent opposed it and 44 percent supported it. Veterans were the most supportive group, with 53 percent in favor ³.

Fifty-five percent want Congress to investigate deployments and the troops' health, safety and welfare during the war ¹². Almost three-fourths disapproved of Congress itself. The poll also found 55 percent oppose using the military to monitor polling sites, and 38 percent support it ².

Limits of the poll

Common Defense is a veteran-led group that endorses Democratic candidates ³. The group says its online sample "skews older, whiter, more male, and more Republican." Republicans made up 47 percent of respondents and Democrats 35 percent ¹.

The sample is not a count of all troops. Only 156 respondents were active-duty, 431 were veterans and 144 were family members, so subgroup numbers are less precise ³.

Republicans were not uniformly negative. Forty-seven percent of all respondents said the Republican Party does a better job communicating with the military ¹. Among Republicans in the sample, 77 percent supported the Iran war and 16 percent opposed it ³.

Why it matters

That matters because the survey points to trouble for Republicans in districts with many veterans and military families, even in a sample that leans Republican. Military voters may also weigh the war and the Pentagon's direction as they cast ballots Tuesday.

Common Defense's political director, Naveed Shah, said the poll shows that two-thirds of military voters say the decisions affecting our troops are about politics, not readiness ³. The Hill's account describes Hegseth's changes to readiness standards, which often touch on culture war issues, and his push for a "warrior ethos" ¹.

Common Defense's executive director, Jose Vasquez, said military voters will judge candidates by "what they've actually done for those who serve" and not by how loudly they praise the military ¹. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.

The Record

1. Sep 15, 2026Change Research began fielding the Common Defense survey of 731 troops, veterans and military families; fieldwork ended Sept. 28 ².
2. Oct 19, 2026Common Defense released the poll results, including 50% disapproval of Trump and Hegseth ².
3. Nov 2, 2026The Hill reported the findings on the eve of the midterm election ¹.

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<h2>Poll: half of veterans and military families disapprove of Trump and Hegseth</h2> <p><em>By The GOP Files National Desk. This article first appeared on <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/poll-half-of-veterans-and-military-families-disapprove-of-trump-and-hegseth">The GOP Files</a> on Monday, November 2, 2026.</em></p> <p>President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth are underwater with veterans and military members, according to a poll by the veterans group Common Defense. About 50 percent of respondents said they disapprove of both men .</p> <p>The survey was conducted by Change Research and covered 731 active-duty troops, veterans and military family members. It was fielded online Sept. 15-28 and released Oct. 19. The margin of error is 4 percentage points, and it is larger for smaller subgroups .</p> <h2>What the survey found</h2> <p>Sixty-seven percent said decisions affecting service members are being made for political gain, not mission readiness . Seventy-nine percent said veterans and military families are being left behind by politicians and society .</p> <p>Among active-duty respondents, 53 percent said politicization makes them want to leave the military sooner. Only 5 percent said it makes them want to stay longer . Forty-five percent said policy changes or uncertainty under Trump made them want to exit sooner .</p> <p>On the Iran war, called Operation Epic Fury, 48 percent of active-duty respondents opposed it . Overall, 49 percent opposed it and 44 percent supported it. Veterans were the most supportive group, with 53 percent in favor .</p> <p>Fifty-five percent want Congress to investigate deployments and the troops&#39; health, safety and welfare during the war . Almost three-fourths disapproved of Congress itself. The poll also found 55 percent oppose using the military to monitor polling sites, and 38 percent support it .</p> <h2>Limits of the poll</h2> <p>Common Defense is a veteran-led group that endorses Democratic candidates . The group says its online sample &quot;skews older, whiter, more male, and more Republican.&quot; Republicans made up 47 percent of respondents and Democrats 35 percent .</p> <p>The sample is not a count of all troops. Only 156 respondents were active-duty, 431 were veterans and 144 were family members, so subgroup numbers are less precise .</p> <p>Republicans were not uniformly negative. Forty-seven percent of all respondents said the Republican Party does a better job communicating with the military . Among Republicans in the sample, 77 percent supported the Iran war and 16 percent opposed it .</p> <h2>Why it matters</h2> <p>That matters because the survey points to trouble for Republicans in districts with many veterans and military families, even in a sample that leans Republican. Military voters may also weigh the war and the Pentagon&#39;s direction as they cast ballots Tuesday.</p> <p>Common Defense&#39;s political director, Naveed Shah, said the poll shows that two-thirds of military voters say the decisions affecting our troops are about politics, not readiness . The Hill&#39;s account describes Hegseth&#39;s changes to readiness standards, which often touch on culture war issues, and his push for a &quot;warrior ethos&quot; .</p> <p>Common Defense&#39;s executive director, Jose Vasquez, said military voters will judge candidates by &quot;what they&#39;ve actually done for those who serve&quot; and not by how loudly they praise the military . Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.</p> <p><em>Read the original, with every source linked, at <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/poll-half-of-veterans-and-military-families-disapprove-of-trump-and-hegseth">thegopfiles.com</a>. Republished under The GOP Files' <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/republish">free republishing terms</a>.</em></p> <img src="https://thegopfiles.com/api/rp/poll-half-of-veterans-and-military-families-disapprove-of-trump-and-hegseth.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border:0;width:1px;height:1px">

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Sources

1. The Hill, “Trump, Hegseth underwater on approval from military members, veterans: Poll” (2026-11-02). thehill.com/homenews/administration/6190005-trump-hegseth-mi
2. Common Defense, “Common Defense Poll: 79% of Veterans & Active Duty Military Say Government, Society Are Leaving Them Behind Ahead of the Midterms” (2026-10-19). commondefense.us/news/common-defense-poll-79-of-veterans-act
3. Responsible Statecraft, “Plurality of active-duty service members oppose Iran war: poll” (2026-10-21). responsiblestatecraft.org/military-poll-iran-war/

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