Last week, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth summoned U.S. generals and admirals from across the globe to come to Virginia. Hegseth and President Donald Trump addressed the group. Some commentators and defense experts expressed concern that gathering all of the U.S. military's leadership in a single place could pose a risk to national security. The security requirements and international travel pushed total military costs over $1 million.
During the meeting, Hegseth defended his decision to fire several generals who he believed had advanced previous administrations' policy priorities, including efforts to promote diversity in the military. Trump said his administration would continue firing officials if it doesn't believe they are fit to serve. Trump and Hegseth also used the opportunity to announce a planned increase in military spending, to criticize the physical fitness and appearance of generals, and to declare that there is a war underway in American cities.
YouGov polling in the days after the meeting finds that Americans are more likely to disapprove than approve of the decision to summon the generals. More Americans say the meeting was a bad use of military spending than a good use, and a majority believe it posed a national security risk. Majorities of Americans say the government should not fire generals over policy disagreements and that generals and enlisted service members should not follow orders they believe to be unconstitutional. Americans largely do not think that military spending needs to be increased or that there is a war in any U.S. cities, though a majority do believe that soldiers' physical fitness and appearance are very important for military effectiveness.
Many Americans have concerns about Trump and Hegseth summoning the generals
Americans are slightly more likely to disapprove of the decision to summon all U.S. generals and admirals to Virginia than to approve of it (39% somewhat or strongly disapprove vs. 34% who approve). This gap is much larger among Americans who say they have heard a lot about the meeting, a group that is disproportionately Democratic: 59% of Americans who have heard a lot about the meeting say they disapprove of it, while only 39% approve. In contrast, Americans who have heard a little or nothing at all about the meeting are roughly evenly divided.
A majority of Democrats disapprove of summoning the generals (68% vs. 8% who approve). Independents are also more likely to disapprove than to approve (43% vs. 24%). In contrast, a majority of Republicans approve (7% disapprove vs. 70% who approve).
Americans are about twice as likely to say that summoning the generals to Trump and Hegseth's meeting was a bad use of military spending than to say it was a good use (41% vs. 18%). A majority (59%) of Americans who have heard a lot about the meeting say it was a bad use of spending and 27% say it was a good use. Those who have heard a little or nothing at all about the meeting are also more likely to say it was a bad use of funds than a good one (45% vs. 22% of those who have heard a little and 26% vs. 8% of those who have heard nothing at all).
About three-quarters (73%) of Democrats say the meeting was a bad use of spending. Independents are also more likely to say it was a bad use of funds than a good use (45% vs. 12%). Republicans are more likely to say it was a good use, though only a minority (40%) take this view. Few Republicans (6%) say it was a bad use, with the majority saying either that it was neither a good nor bad use (36%) or that they are not sure (18%).
About half (52%) of Americans believe that summoning all U.S. generals and admirals to Virginia posed a major or moderate risk to national security. Only 23% believe it posed no risk. Majorities of Americans who have heard a lot (69%) or a little (56%) about the meeting believe it posed a national security risk. Those who have heard nothing about it are more likely to think it posed a risk than to think it did not (38% vs. 16%).
A majority (76%) of Democrats believe the meeting posed a national security risk, as do half (50%) of Independents. Only 6% of Democrats and 19% of Independents believe it posed no risk. Republicans, on the other hand, are more likely to believe the meeting posed no risk (44%) than to believe it posed a major or moderate risk (32%).
Most Americans care more about generals' experience than about their policy preferences
Since Hegseth's firing of several high-ranking generals, many leadership roles have been taken over by new replacements while some have been left vacant. We asked Americans if it is better for the military to keep the most experienced staff of generals, even if some disagree with current policies, or to fire generals who disagree with current policies, even if it means military leaders have less experience. About two-thirds (65%) of Americans say it is better to prioritize experience at the cost of policy disagreement. Only 15% say generals who disagree with current policies should be fired if it means leaders will have less experience.
Majorities of Democrats (85%) and Independents (62%) say the military should focus on keeping the most experienced staff of generals. Republicans are also more likely to pick this option than to say that military leaders should be fired for policy disagreements (48% vs. 28%).
Majorities say generals and enlisted military members should not follow unconstitutional orders
Members of the military take an Oath of Enlistment, in which they swear to support and defend the Constitution and to obey orders from the president and from higher-ranking officers. But what happens if those come into conflict, such as if a military member receives an unconstitutional order?
Majorities of Americans say that generals (59%) and enlisted service members (53%) should not follow orders if they believe they violate the constitution. Only 18% of Americans say generals should follow such orders, and 19% say the same of enlisted members.
Majorities of Democrats and Independents say that generals and enlisted members of the military should not follow orders they believe are unconstitutional. Republicans, in contrast, are split. Republicans are about as likely to say that generals should not follow such orders than to say that they should (35% vs. 33%). Republicans are less likely to trust the consciences of enlisted members: 36% of Republicans say an enlisted member of the military should follow an order that they believe violates the constitution, while 29% say they should not.
More Americans approve of generals' job handling than of Trump's and Hegseth's handling of the military
The U.S. military's generals and admirals, the audience for last week's speeches by Hegseth and Trump, are rated more positively by Americans than Hegseth or Trump for their handling of the military. Half (50%) of Americans somewhat or strongly disapprove of Trump's handling of the military, while only 38% approve. Americans are also more likely to disapprove than approve of Hegseth's job handling (41% vs. 32%). In contrast, about half (48%) of Americans say they generally approve of how generals and admirals handle their jobs, while only 23% generally disapprove.
Majorities of Democrats (89%) and Independents (57%) disapprove of Trump's handling of the military. Democrats are also more likely to disapprove than to approve of Hegseth's job handling. On the other hand, more Democrats and Independents say they generally approve of the job done by U.S. generals and admirals than say they generally disapprove. In contrast to Democrats and Independents, majorities of Republicans approve of the way Trump (83%), Hegseth (68%), and U.S. generals and admirals (63%) handle the military.
Would a department by any other name smell as sweet?
Asking about approval of Hegseth's job performance has become tricky since the Trump administration gave the Department of Defense a secondary title, the Department of War. Since the change, Hegseth has referred to himself as the Secretary of War but many major media outlets still refer to him as Secretary of Defense. Before asking Americans what they thought of Hegseth's job handling, we asked them how they generally refer to the department, and used their preferred terminology when asking about Hegseth.
Americans are more likely to refer to the department as the Department of Defense than as the Department of War by a wide margin: 72% are more likely to use "Department of Defense" while only 18% are more likely to use "Department of War." While there are significant partisan differences, Department of Defense is the preferred term for majorities of Democrats (90%), Independents (72%), and Republicans (55%). Men are much more likely than women to use the term "Department of War," though this represents a minority of both groups (26% of men and 12% of women).
Americans who prefer the term "Department of War" are more likely to approve of Hegseth's job handling than those who say "Department of Defense" (80% vs. 21%). This trend holds true among Independents: A majority (64%) who say "Department of War" approve of Hegseth but only 16% who say "Department of Defense" approve of him. It is also true of Republicans: Republicans who say "Department of War" are much more likely than those who say "Department of Defense" to approve of Hegseth (96% vs. 52%). (There is not a large enough sample to make a comparison among Democrats, because only 3% tend to say "Department of War.")
This raises a question. We asked respondents who prefer the term "Department of War" about Hegseth's job as "Secretary of War" and those who prefer "Department of Defense" about Hegseth's job as "Secretary of Defense." Is the difference in job approval occurring because we asked a slightly different question or because different types of people use the two terms? In other words, do Americans think Hegseth makes a better Secretary of War than Secretary of Defense, or are Americans who support Hegseth's work more inclined to say "Department of War"?
One way to disentangle these two possibilities is to look at the relationship between preferences on the department's name and attitudes other than approval of Hegseth, such as approval of Trump's military handling. If the gap in approval of Hegseth can be explained by question wording, we should not see a similar gap in approval of Trump. On the other hand, if the gap is explained by general support for the administration on military issues, we should see a similar gap in approval of Trump's handling of the military.
Americans who prefer the term "Department of War" are more likely to approve of Trump's handling of the military than those who say "Department of Defense" (84% vs. 27%). This 57-percentage-point gap is nearly identical to the gap in approval of Hegseth (59 points). We also see similar gaps among Independents (69% who say "Department of War" approve of Trump's handling of the military vs. 20% who say "Department of Defense") and among Republicans (rounded to 100%, vs. 74%).
What do Americans think about what Trump and Hegseth said?
After last week's meeting, YouGov ran surveys to measure Americans' opinions about some of what Trump and Hegseth said in their speeches.
During the meeting, Trump said his administration would spend more than $1 trillion on the military in 2026. This is higher than the Department of Defense's estimated budget for fiscal year 2025 of about $850 billion. But few Americans say that military spending should be increased. A YouGov poll conducted on the day of Trump's speech found that only 11% of Americans think current U.S. military spending is too low. Instead, 30% say that military spending is about right and 39% say it is too high.
Democrats and Independents are much more likely to say that military spending is too high (58% of Democrats and 44% of Independents) than to say it is too low (6% of Democrats and 10% of Independents). Republicans are much less likely than Democrats and Independents to say that military spending is too high (14%). But Republicans are only slightly more likely to say that military spending is too low (19%). About half (49%) of Republicans say that military spending is about right.
Hegseth announced in his speech that he would institute new fitness standards for the military, while criticizing "fat generals and admirals." He also said that he would increase restrictions on service members' facial hair. Members of the U.S. military are generally not allowed to have facial hair without seeking a religious exemption; Hegseth will make it harder to receive such waivers.
Recent YouGov polling does show that most Americans think soldiers' physical fitness and appearance are very important for U.S. military effectiveness. A majority (58%) of Americans say they are very important and 27% say they are somewhat important. Only 7% say they are not very important or not at all important. Republicans are more likely than Democrats or Independents to say it is important, but majorities of all three groups believe it is at least somewhat important.
While Americans generally say the military's fitness and appearance are important, some aspects of Hegseth's comments draw less public support. Polling from the Economist and YouGov finds that Americans are more likely to say that fat generals and admirals are a minor problem or not a problem (45%) than to say they are a somewhat or very serious problem (36%). A majority (65%) of Democrats say fat military leaders are not a major problem. Independents are also more likely to say this is not a major problem than to say it is a somewhat or very serious one (41% vs. 34%). On the other hand, a majority (55%) of Republicans say fat generals and admirals are a serious problem.
Polling from The Economist and YouGov also finds that half (50%) of Americans believe that military service members should be allowed to have beards. Only 26% believe beards should not be allowed. Democrats and Independents are more likely to say beards should be allowed than to say they should not (66% vs. 14% among Democrats and 51% vs. 21% among Independents). Republicans are more evenly split, but more Republicans say beards should not be allowed than say they should (34% would allow beards and 42% would not allow them).
During his speech, Trump also said U.S. cities are war zones and the military needed to handle the "enemy from within." Most Americans see things differently. A recent YouGov poll found that about one-quarter (27%) of Americans say that there is currently a war happening in any U.S. cities. About half (52%) say there is not. Small shares of Democrats and Independents say there is a war in U.S. cities (19% of Democrats and 24% of Independents); majorities say there is not (64% of Democrats and 53% of Independents). But Republicans are almost evenly split: 37% say there is a war in U.S. cities and 39% say there is not.
— Taylor Orth and Carl Bialik contributed to this article
See the results for this YouGov survey
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- How important do you think soldiers' physical fitness and appearance are for the U.S. military's effectiveness?
- Do you think there is currently a war happening in any U.S. cities?
- How Americans rate Trump's top appointees
- 60% of Republicans think the Trump administration's military leak is a very or somewhat serious problem
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Methodology: This YouGov poll was conducted online on September 30 - October 2, 2025 among 1,131 U.S. adult citizens. Respondents were selected from YouGov’s opt-in panel to be representative of adult U.S. citizens. The sample was weighted according to gender, age, race, education, region, 2024 presidential vote, 2020 election turnout and presidential vote, baseline party identification, and current voter registration status. Demographic weighting targets come from the 2019 American Community Survey. 2024 presidential vote, at time of weighting, was estimated to be 48% Harris and 50% Trump. Baseline party identification is the respondent’s most recent answer given around November 8, 2024, and is weighted to the estimated distribution at that time (31% Democratic, 32% Republican). The margin of error for the overall sample is approximately 4%.
Image: Getty (Andrew Harnik / Staff)
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