Poll Finds Trump and Hegseth Fall Short as Male Role Models

WHO:

Alternet - The Bulwark and Pablo Torre Finds Out commissioned the national poll; YouGov conducted it.

The Bulwark - The survey covered 1,417 American adults and asked about public figures in politics, sports, and entertainment.

Alternet - Respondents rated Donald Trump, Barack Obama, Pete Hegseth, Matthew McConaughey, LeBron James, and California Governor Gavin Newsom as male role models.

The Bulwark - The survey article described Hegseth as secretary of defense and Trump as his boss.

WHAT:

Alternet - Fifty-nine percent of adults viewed Obama as a stronger male role model, compared with 37 percent for Trump. Fifty-five percent said Trump was not a strong male role model; his net rating was −18 points, versus Obama’s +28, a 46-point difference.

Alternet - Twenty-three percent of people who voted for Trump identified Obama as the stronger male role model.

The Bulwark - Hegseth was viewed as a strong male role model by 28 percent of adults; 39 percent disagreed. Among adults aged 18–29, 18 percent viewed him as a strong role model and 34 percent did not.

Alternet - Hegseth finished ahead of Trump but near the bottom of the nine men surveyed; Trump ranked last.

The Bulwark - McConaughey had a +33 net rating, Obama +28, and James +25. Newsom’s rating was −2: 35 percent considered him a strong male role model and 37 percent disagreed.

Alternet - Hegseth has promoted testosterone-related screening or programs, physical-fitness tests and training with military personnel, and opposition to beards; he has also criticized people he considers overweight.

The Bulwark - Hegseth calls his department the “Department of War,” showcases workouts with troops, mocks overweight people as “fatties,” and has expressed disapproval of women in leadership roles.

Alternet - Trump has called Obama a “weak leader” and recently complimented Obama’s ability to walk down White House stairs.

The Bulwark - The poll also covered sports betting, prediction markets, transgender athletes, sports commentators, and possible 2028 vice-presidential nominees.

WHERE:

Alternet - The poll surveyed U.S. adults.

The Bulwark - The survey was conducted nationally in the United States.

WHEN:

The Bulwark - YouGov fielded the survey online between “October 10 and 14, 2026.”

HOW:

Alternet - YouGov weighted the online poll to reflect the adult population; the reported margin of error was 3.6 percentage points.

The Bulwark - Respondents came from YouGov’s opt-in panel. Results were weighted by gender, age, race, education, region, 2024 presidential vote choice, party identification, and current voter registration; the full-sample margin of error was ±3.6 percentage points.

(UPDATED October 27, 2026 19:10 UTC)

A national YouGov poll found that 59 percent of American adults viewed Barack Obama as a stronger male role model than Donald Trump, compared with 37 percent who favored Trump, and Trump ranked last among nine men surveyed. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth finished ahead of Trump but near the bottom, with 28 percent calling him a strong role model and 39 percent disagreeing; Matthew McConaughey had the highest net rating, followed by Obama and LeBron James. The online survey of 1,417 adults was weighted to reflect the U.S. population and had a margin of error of 3.6 percentage points.