A public opinion poll released on the 24th (local time) showed that the transition process of President-elect Donald Trump is generally receiving positive evaluations. More than half of Americans also expressed support for Trump’s key campaign promises, such as 'deportation of illegal immigrants' and 'tariffs.' However, opinions were somewhat divided regarding major appointments in Trump’s second-term administration, including former Congressman Marco Rubio, who recently withdrew from consideration for Attorney General.
According to a poll conducted by US CBS News in collaboration with the polling agency YouGov, 59% of respondents approved of Trump’s transition process. Regarding Trump’s victory, 31% said they were 'happy,' and 24% said they were 'satisfied,' totaling 55%. Meanwhile, 23% said they were 'disappointed,' and 21% said they were 'angry.'
Expectations for improvements in key issues that dominated this election, such as the economy and inflation, were confirmed. Forty-four percent of respondents believed Trump would 'lower prices.' Thirty-five percent thought prices would 'rise further,' and 21% expected 'no change.' The percentage of voters who rated the US economy as good increased to 42%, up from 36% in October before the election. Among them, the proportion of Republicans rose from 13% last month to 25%.
Opinions were somewhat divided regarding major appointments in Trump’s second-term administration. For Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a former presidential candidate nominated as the next Secretary of Health and Human Services, 47% said he was a 'good choice,' while 34% said he was a 'bad choice.' Nineteen percent said they had 'insufficient information.' For Pete Hegseth, the nominee for Secretary of Defense who has been embroiled in sexual assault allegations, 33% said he was a 'good choice,' which was lower than the support for Kennedy Jr. Meanwhile, 28% said he was a 'bad choice,' and 39% said they had 'insufficient information.'
Regarding Tulsi Gabbard, the nominee for Director of National Intelligence (DNI) who has come under scrutiny for pro-Russian remarks, 36% said she was a 'good choice,' 27% said she was a 'bad choice,' and 36% said they had 'insufficient information.' For former Congressman Marco Rubio, who voluntarily withdrew from the Attorney General nomination on the 21st amid allegations of soliciting minors, 44% said he was a 'good choice,' 25% said he was a 'bad choice,' and 31% said they had 'insufficient information.' Notably, these responses were polarized along party lines. Among Trump supporters alone, these nominees received high approval ratings of 80%, 64%, 71%, and 75%, respectively.
Earlier, with Trump having even hinted at 'recess appointments,' 76% of respondents said the US Senate should conduct confirmation hearings for Trump’s second-term cabinet. Recess appointments allow the president to officially appoint nominees without Senate approval during congressional recess. Trump plans to use this authority to bypass congressional checks during his second-term appointments.
In this survey, 57% of respondents supported Trump’s key campaign promise of deporting illegal immigrants. Support for tariffs was also at 52%. Among Trump supporters specifically, 83% expressed support for tariffs. Additionally, 65% of respondents said that democracy and the rule of law in the US are 'under threat' following Trump’s election victory. However, among Trump supporters, this figure was relatively lower at 57%.
CBS News reported, "Republicans, in particular, are more hopeful about what Trump will do as president than they were during his first election victory in 2016." Ninety-five percent of Republicans said they were 'excited' or 'positive' about what Trump will do as president. In contrast, 85% of Democrats expressed feelings of 'worry' or 'fear.'
The survey was conducted from the 19th to the 22nd among 2,232 American adults, with a margin of error of ±2.3 percentage points.
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