Americans Skeptical of ‘New’ Key Cabinet Appointments, Poll Shows 

Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to be Defense Secretary, gives a thumbs-up as he walks with his wife Jennifer Rauchet, left, to meet with Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee,
Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to be Defense Secretary, gives a thumbs-up as he walks with his wife Jennifer Rauchet, left, to meet with Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee,

United States: President-elect Donald Trump continues to process his cabinet and other high-level appointments, several of them facing scrutiny on Capitol Hill, and a new Associated AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll suggests that the American public is skeptical as well. 

More about the news 

Relatively few Americans overall approve of Pete Hegseth, chosen by Trump to become Secretary of Defence or Tulsi Gabbard, suggested for the position of Director of National Intelligence, though a large portion remains unaware of those personalities. 

The other selections included in the poll, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for health secretary and Marco Rubio for secretary of state, while more recognizable, are not much more favored among the American public. 

Trump and his supporters are tired of waiting around and are applying pressure on Republican senators to confirm Trump’s picks, who are interviewing with lawmakers before Trump goes back to Washington next month, AP News reported. 

Republican’s current role in the Senate 

As we know, the Republicans currently have a very thin majoritarian control in the Senate, so each pick is especially critical for Trump. 

An Army veteran and a former Fox News commentator, Hegseth has been attempting the same amid what appears to be a drinking problem and the revelation he settled a sexual assault accusation that he says is not true. 

Trump has reaffirmed his backing for Hegseth, who seems to have already convinced some of the senators earlier against his qualifications for selection. 

Hegseth is still not a household name for most of the Americans. About 4 in 10 respondents are unaware of him to form an opinion, as was revealed by the poll, AP News reported. 

However, his selection is seen more unfavorably than favorably by the American public, which is aware of who he is. 

Almost two in ten US adults believe that Hegseth should be appointed to Trump’s Cabinet, a third do not feel this way, while the remaining one in ten may know little about Hegseth.