Nearly all of President-elect Donald Trump’s staff picks have received positive approval ratings, with the selection process earning widespread approval from the American public, according to a new survey. The most popular among Trump’s Cabinet and senior staff nominees is Senator Marco Rubio, the Florida Republican tapped to serve as Secretary of State. According to a new Morning Consult survey, 45% of respondents approve of Rubio’s nomination, compared to 34% who disapprove, the Washington Examiner reported.
Following Rubio in popularity are billionaire adviser Elon Musk, who is set to lead a blue-ribbon government efficiency team, Mike Huckabee, nominated as ambassador to Israel, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., chosen to head the Department of Health and Human Services. Senior staff members Stephen Miller, slated to serve as the new president’s policy chief, and Susie Wiles, the incoming chief of staff, also hold positive approval ratings in the Morning Consult survey.
The only nominee with a net-negative approval rating is Matt Gaetz, the former Florida congressman selected as Attorney General. Gaetz has a disapproval rating of 41%, exceeding his 34% approval rating. Since his nomination, he has faced significant criticism from the media and congressional Democrats, but his defenders — including the president-elect, who said Monday he isn’t reconsidering Gaetz’s nomination — insist he’s being targeted by deep state and Old Guard figures because of his commitment to draining the Justice Department swamp.
Overall, the public likes what it has seen from Trump. The survey found 54% approve of the transition so far. Just 38% disapprove, the Examiner reported. “A majority of voters like the way President-elect Donald Trump is handling his transition, according to a new Morning Consult survey that also found little resistance to — or even awareness of — even the more controversial of the people he’s named to fill out his incoming administration,” the analysis said. It added: “President Joe Biden’s numbers were only slightly better than Trump’s at the same point four years ago, when 60% approved and 28% disapproved.”
The poll showed that Trump is in the driver’s seat when it comes to deciding who to pick for his top team and what his agenda will be. It suggested that foes, especially in the Republican Party, should stand down. “The president-elect is enjoying some initial deference from the American people about the way he’s handling his transition and the names he’s choosing to fill his government,” the survey said. The analysis added: “For Republican senators, Trump’s standing and the popularity of his nominees with the Republican base they’re so focused on leaves little political incentive to defy the incoming president.”
