Majority Approve of Trump’s Transition, Polls Find

With just under two months until his inauguration, Donald Trump’s construction of his transition team is in full swing, including assembling members and developing a plan for policy when he retakes office. In response to nominations already announced, a majority of Americans approve of Trump’s transition – an even larger percentage of people than those who voted for him.

The latest poll from CBS News/YouGov, conducted Nov. 19-22 with 2,232 U.S. adults, found that 59% approve of how Trump has handled the presidential transition, while only 41% disapprove. This is especially notable, as in November 2016, Trump’s transition had only a net 1-point approval rating; it now stands at +18. Furthermore, even though Trump received only 49.9% of the popular vote in the current count, 55% of respondents said they felt “happy” or “satisfied” that Trump won the election.

Looking at the specific people Trump has nominated for his Cabinet, the nominee with the highest net favorability was Sen. Marco Rubio for secretary of state, with 44% of respondents saying he was a good choice and only 25% saying he was not a good choice. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., nominated for secretary of health and human services – who in 2023 started his presidential campaign as a Democrat before becoming an independent and eventually endorsing Trump – had 47% of respondents say he was a good pick, while 34% said he was not.

The least popular of Trump’s cabinet picks, at the time the survey was conducted, was Rep. Matt Gaetz as attorney general. Gaetz has since withdrawn his name from consideration for attorney general after meeting with senators and hearing reports indicating he would not have enough support to be confirmed.

If Gaetz had lacked sufficient support in the Senate, there remained the possibility of a recess appointment, a process in which the president temporarily appoints the nominee while the Senate is in recess. This potential move was supported by 45% of Republicans and 24% of Democrats. However, the majority – 55% of Republicans and 76% of Democrats – said the Senate should hold regular confirmation hearings for Trump’s appointments.

The survey also asked respondents how much influence they wanted Elon Musk to have in Trump’s administration. Overall, 48% said they wanted Musk to have “a lot” or “some” influence, while 42% said they wanted him to have “not much” or “no influence.” Although Musk will not hold a formal Cabinet position, he, alongside former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, will co-lead the Department of Government Efficiency, which Trump has tasked with “driving out the massive waste and fraud which exists throughout our annual $6.5 Trillion Dollars of Government Spending.”

The most important trait for all of Trump’s appointees and administration team members, according to respondents from both parties, was that they “will speak their minds, even if they disagree with Trump.” Among Republicans, 81% also said it was important for appointees to “be loyal to Donald Trump,” compared to only 27% of Democrats who said the same.

Regarding the issues deemed most important for the next administration, respondents overwhelmingly ranked lowering the cost of goods and services as the top priority, with 79% saying it should be a high priority. The second-highest priority, identified by 59% of respondents, was cutting individual taxes, followed by deporting immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally, with 45% identifying it as a high priority.