The names that Donald Trump has been dropping to shape his next Administration have set off all kinds of alarms: Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an anti-vaccine as Secretary of Health; Elon Musk, the richest man in the world in charge of a government efficiency department; Matt Gaetz, an attorney general accused of sexual abuse… But despite the concern that the signings generate within the Democratic Party or even among the moderate Republican ranks, the reality is that the majority of voters approve of almost all of them. Specifically, 54% agree with the way Trump is managing his transition, compared to 38% who disapprove. The favorites? Marco Rubio as Secretary of State and Musk. Only one of the appointments did not convince voters: that of Gaetz, who announced this Thursday that he was withdrawing from consideration to lead the Department of Justice.
This is demonstrated by a survey carried out between November 15 and 17 by the consulting firm Morning Consult and published this week. Broken down by party affiliation, 93% of Republican voters support the appointments made by the president-elect, compared to just 20% of Democrats. It should be noted that independents also lean in their favor, with 46%. The overall approval rating of 54% is just six percentage points below what President Joe Biden had during his transition four years ago.
Although none of Trump’s hires garnered the support of a majority of voters surveyed, only Gaetz’s appointment as attorney general earned a higher disapproval rating than his approval rating: 41% of voters were against him, compared to to the 34% who supported it. It is a fact that was expected; The election of the former Florida congressman to serve as the nation’s next attorney general turned out to be the most controversial and also the most short-lived. Gaetz withdrew this Thursday as a candidate for the position that Trump had appointed him due to the sexual scandals surrounding him. The Republican is accused of having sex with women in exchange for money, including with two minor girls.
Gaetz was investigated for three years for sexual abuse and trafficking by the same Justice Department he was running to lead, although he never faced any criminal charges and the case was closed. He has also been investigated by the House Ethics Committee for allegations of sexual misconduct, drug use and attempting to obstruct government investigations into his conduct. Gaetz himself tried to put an end to this investigation by resigning as representative after Trump nominated him for the position of attorney general. With this maneuver, he intended to stop the disclosure of a report with the Commission’s findings, since the committee usually ends its investigations when it involves a former member of Congress because they consider that it goes beyond its powers. At the moment, the document has not come to light, but the controversy has been enough for it to have to be set aside.
On the opposite side, the most popular appointments among voters were those of Marco Rubio, for secretary of State, and Elon Musk, to co-lead the new Department of Government Efficiency. Both obtained 45% approval. However, Rubio, a senator from Florida, had the lowest disapproval rating of the two: 34% compared to the technology magnate’s 40%. In fact, the owner of the space agency SpaceX and the social network
These two are followed by former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, appointed to be the United States ambassador to Israel, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., chosen to be the next Secretary of Health, both with 44% approval. Regarding the latter, the survey emphasizes the fact that it is the appointment about which voters have heard and read the most in the media: 39% say they have seen his name many times in the news, compared to 34% which says the same thing about Gaetz, for example. And yet that coverage has done little to dissuade the public from supporting him, the poll concludes.
Completing the list of the five most supported positions are Vivek Ramaswamy, who will accompany Musk in the new agency for government efficiency, and Tulsi Gabbard, appointed National Director of Intelligence, both tied with 39%.
The survey only includes two of the three positions that Trump has appointed to be in charge of his immigration agenda, an issue that defined his campaign to return to the White House: Kristi Noem, Secretary of Homeland Security, with 37% support, and Stephen Miller, Deputy Chief of Staff of the White House, with 36%. The designation of Tom Homan as the next “border czar” was not included in the survey.
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