Trump's Cabinet Picks Face Mixed Favorability in Polls

After sweeping the swing states and achieving the largest popular vote margin for a Republican since George W. Bush’s 2004 reelection, Donald Trump is now assembling a Cabinet. As potential appointees are considered, public opinion polls hint at who may bring both popularity and influence to his second administration.

Two of the major names from the end of Trump’s campaign, Elon Musk and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., had similar favorability ratings, with 44% and 45% respectively in the latest Economist/YouGov poll. Support for both fell along party lines, with 81% favorability among Republicans for Musk and 71% for Kennedy.

On Thursday, Trump announced that Kennedy would be appointed as secretary of health and human services. In his announcement, Trump said Kennedy would “restore these Agencies to the traditions of Gold Standard Scientific Research, and beacons of Transparency, to end the Chronic Disease epidemic, and to Make America Great and Healthy Again!”

Musk, along with former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, has been chosen by Trump to lead the (new) department of government efficiency. DOGE, according to Trump’s press release, will advise and help the administration “dismantle government bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure federal agencies.”

One of the appointments that sent shockwaves inside the beltway when it was announced was Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida for attorney general. Gaetz, who has made a name for himself as a firebrand (also the title of his book and podcast) in the House of Representatives, recently led the Freedom Caucus in multiple rounds of voting against Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy in early 2023, later ousting him in October 2023.

At the time, both Gaetz and McCarthy were viewed unfavorably. In an Economist poll taken Oct. 8-10, 2023, only 21% had a favorable opinion of Gaetz, while 41% viewed him unfavorably (the remaining 38% had no opinion). McCarthy’s ratings were only slightly better, with 24% favorable and 38% unfavorable. Despite Gaetz’s unfavorability at the time, a majority on both the left and right approved of his move to remove McCarthy as speaker, with 37% approving and 32% disapproving.

Just a few years ago, Tulsi Gabbard would have been an unexpected choice for director of national intelligence in a Trump administration, given her run as a Democrat for president only four years before. However, after leaving the Democratic Party in 2022 and endorsing Trump in August, her role in this administration was widely anticipated. In an Economist/YouGov poll taken shortly after her endorsement of Trump, 29% held a favorable view of her, 28% were unfavorable, and the remaining 43% had no opinion. Among Republicans, she was much more popular, with 49% favorable.

Three other well-known, influential Cabinet appointees were also in contention for vice president: Marco Rubio for secretary of state, Kristi Noem for secretary of homeland security, and Elise Stefanik for ambassador to the United Nations.

Despite being one of the least outwardly controversial picks, Rubio had only 29% favorability in July before the final VP announcements, with 41% unfavorable. Similarly, Kristi Noem held 19% favorability earlier this year, with 32% unfavorable. Both had higher name recognition among Democrats than Republicans, meaning as they’ve become more prominent as Cabinet picks, their ratings may have shifted closer to 50-50 favorability rating like other Cabinet hopefuls.

One of the most surprising Cabinet announcements was veteran and Fox News personality Pete Hegseth for secretary of defense. Though he was an unexpected choice and public polls about his favorability have yet to be conducted, he is expected to create a stir, as he has previously stated that women should not serve in combat roles in the military and has called for the firing of “any general that was involved, general, admiral, whatever, that was involved in any of the DEI woke s---.”