While a majority of U.S. voters polled in a new Fox News poll say they are hopeful about President-elect Donald Trump’s re-election, the president-elect’s top nominees may not be ready in the upcoming election. They are divided over serving in a second term.
Fifty-four percent of respondents to the survey, conducted Dec. 6-9 and released Wednesday, said Trump’s victory over Vice President Kamala Harris in the White House race last month gave them hope .
However, when asked about the president-elect’s cabinet picks, which include some unconventional nominees, 47% of respondents expressed support and 50% opposed.
The same response came when asked about billionaire Elon Musk’s role as a close adviser to the president-elect during the transition from President Joe Biden’s administration to the Trump administration, with 47% approving and 50% disapproving.
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President-elect Donald Trump (right) greets the SpaceX Starship rocket as he arrives to watch the launch of the sixth test flight on November 19, 2024 in Brownsville, Texas. Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of SpaceX and a Trump confidante, has been tapped to lead the new Department of Government Effectiveness alongside former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
Two other polls conducted in recent days and released Wednesday shed further light on how Americans feel about the incoming administration and how Trump is handling the process of forming it.
A CNN poll showed that 54% of Americans said they hope Trump will do a good job as president after entering the White House.
Additionally, 55% said they generally agree with the way the president-elect is handling the transition of power.
That’s higher than it was eight years ago when Trump first won the White House, but still lags far behind other recent presidents, according to CNN polls.
Check out our new Fox News poll on Trump and his transition
Meanwhile, in the Marist poll, 47% of respondents approved of how the former and future president is handling the transition, while 39% disapproved and 14% were unsure.
Not surprisingly, polls show a wide partisan divide on the issue. In the Marist survey, 86% of Republicans approved of the way the Republican president-elect is handling the transition. However, 72% of Democrats disagree. Among independents, 43% disapprove and 38% approve.
French President Emmanuel Macron (right) shakes hands with President-elect Donald Trump when he meets with him at the Elysee presidential palace in Paris on December 7, 2024. (Photo by Mustafa Yarsin/Anadolu/Getty Images)
“While more people support the Trump transition than oppose it, more independent voters are on the fence than partisan voters.” Marist Institute of Public Opinion said director Lee Milingoff.
Milingov added, “The important thing to note for President-elect Trump is that there are currently fewer voters who support the transition than those who give a thumbs up to Biden or Obama.”
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The poll comes as Trump’s Cabinet picks continue to meet with senators on Capitol Hill ahead of confirmation hearings starting next month.
President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for defense secretary Pete Hegseth (left) and his wife Jennifer Hegseth (left) travel to meet with Senator Joe Biden (R-Iowa), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee Joni Ernst gives a thumbs up sign at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., Monday, Dec. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Trump announces his nominees for his cabinet He has made other senior administration officials at a faster pace than he did eight years ago after first entering the White House.
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However, his transition has already encountered some setbacks, including the termination of his first attorney general nominee, former Rep. Matt Gaetz, amid controversy over his alleged sex with an underage girl. Confirmation application.
Trump went on his first international trip last month since winning the election last month, and was courted by world leaders during a stop in Paris.
Trump will be inaugurated on January 20.
Fox News’ Victoria Bharara contributed to this report.
