This browser does not support the Video element.
Marco Rubio heckled by protesters
Protestors were taken out of Marco Rubio's confirmation hearing after multiple disruptions. Marco Rubio was picked by President-elect Trump to be his Secretaries of State. Rubio has previously been a critic of President-elect Trump and the MAGA movement, notably during the 2016 GOP primaries. But Rubio and Trump have been closer in recent years, with Rubio being a major supporter in the former President and President-elect's home state of Florida.
With President-elect Donald Trump’s top Cabinet picks in the spotlight this week for Senate confirmation hearings, a new poll shows that Americans view several of Trump’s highest-profile nominees in a more negative than positive light.
RELATED: Watch live: Bondi, Rubio, more Cabinet picks face Senate hearings today
According to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, only about 2 in 10 U.S. adults are "extremely" or "very" confident that the Department of Justice will act in a fair and nonpartisan manner during Trump’s second term.
Pete Hegseth and Tulsi Gabbard
What they're saying:
The poll finds that only about 2 in 10 Americans approve of Pete Hegseth’s nomination as secretary of defense. He faced contentious confirmation hearings on Tuesday.
Pete Hegseth, military analyst at Twenty-First Century Fox Inc. and US secretary of defense nominee for US President-elect Donald Trump, during a Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing in Washington, DC, US, on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. P …
A similarly small share say they "somewhat" or "strongly" approve of Tulsi Gabbard being tapped to serve as intelligence chief and Kash Patel being selected as FBI director. About one-third of Americans disapprove of each of the picks, while the rest either don’t have an opinion or don’t know enough to say.
Big picture view:
The poll also indicates that many Americans may be skeptical of Trump’s strategy in selecting some Cabinet nominees, like Hegseth, a former Fox News Channel weekend host, who does not have a traditional track record in government. Only about one-quarter say that it would be a good thing for the president to rely on people without government experience for advice about government policy, while about half say it would be a bad thing and the rest say it wouldn’t be good or bad.
RELATED: Pete Hegseth faces Senate confirmation for Defense Secretary: What to know
Republicans are more likely than Democrats or independents to say it's a good thing for the president to rely on people without government experience — about 4 in 10 say this, compared with about 2 in 10 independents and about 1 in 10 Democrats — while about 3 in 10 say it's neither good nor bad and about one-quarter say it's a bad thing.
Kash Patel and Pam Bondi
Trump has selected loyalists Pam Bondi and Kash Patel to lead the Department of Justice and the FBI after threatening to retaliate against perceived adversaries.
What they're saying:
Relatively few Americans are confident that these agencies will act in a fair and impartial manner over the next four years, according to the poll.
RELATED: Can Kash Patel get confirmed by the Senate?
About half of Americans are "not very" or "not at all" confident that the Justice Department and the FBI will act in a fair and nonpartisan manner during Trump’s second term, while about one-third are "somewhat" confident and about 2 in 10 are "extremely" or "very" confident. Their faith in the neutrality of the FBI is similarly low.
This browser does not support the Video element.
What to know about Pam Bondi
Pam Bondi, the former Florida attorney general, was chosen in November by Donald Trump to serve as U.S. attorney general hours after his first choice, Matt Gaetz, withdrew from consideration after a federal sex trafficking investigation and ethics probe made his ability to be confirmed dubious. Rick Mullaney with Jacksonville University joined LiveNOW from FOX's Josh Breslow to discuss.
Their uncertainty may reflect the fact that the nation’s law enforcement agencies have been heavily criticized over the last few years by Trump and his allies, including by Bondi, the former Florida attorney general, and Patel, his choice to lead the FBI. In one radio appearance, Bondi described special counsel Jack Smith, who charged Trump in two federal cases, and other prosecutors who have charged Trump as "horrible" people she said were trying to make names for themselves by "going after Donald Trump and weaponizing our legal system."
RELATED: 5 things to know about Pam Bondi
Patel, meanwhile, has called for dramatic changes to the FBI, including reducing its footprint and authority.
Big picture view:
Even some Republicans express uncertainty in the Justice Department and the FBI, suggesting that even once they take office, Trump and his allies may find it challenging to restore trust in the law enforcement agencies they've heavily criticized.
RFK Jr.
The other side:
One of Trump's more controversial nominees, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is still broadly popular with Republicans, according to the poll. Kennedy, the scion of a Democratic dynasty and a prominent vaccine skeptic, has been tapped as top health official. His confirmation hearings have not been scheduled.
This browser does not support the Video element.
RFK Jr. seeking senate support on Capitol Hill
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for health secretary, was scheduled to hold meetings with more than two dozen Republican senators in mid-December as he sought to shore up support for his confirmation. Topics were certain to include Kennedy’s vaccine skepticism and support for abortion rights. Joining us to break down the importance of these conversations is GOP Commentator, Reid Rasner.
Kennedy, who has promised to overhaul the Department of Health and Human Services' staff, has broader name recognition than Hegseth, Gabbard or Patel, but Americans’ feelings toward him are still more cold than warm. About 3 in 10 U.S. adults "somewhat" or "strongly" approve of Kennedy’s nomination, while about 4 in 10 "somewhat" or "strongly" disapprove, and the rest are neutral or don’t know enough to say.
RELATED: McConnell slams polio vaccine critics in apparent warning to RFK Jr.
Republicans are largely fans of Kennedy’s nomination, however, with about 6 in 10 saying they approve of his selection as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.
How do confirmation hearings work?
The backstory:
Once Trump nominates his picks for various positions, they are then presented to the appropriate Senate committee. The committee would then vote to recommend a candidate to the full Senate. The full Senate will debate. Trump's picks will either be confirmed or rejected by a simple majority. If they are approved, they are then sworn-in.
RELATED: Trump proposes 'External Revenue Service' to collect tariffs
What's next:
The confirmation hearings for Trump's cabinet picks are expected to continue after Trump's inauguration on Jan. 20.
The Source: <i>This report includes information from the Associated Press and previous LiveNow from FOX reporting. FOX's Kelly Hayes contributed. </i>