Half of U.S. adults are "not at all confident" in President-elect Trump's ability to appoint qualified people to his administration

A new survey reveals that many Americans lack confidence in President-elect Trump’s ability to appoint qualified individuals for Cabinet and key administration roles.

The Associated Press/NORC Research Center poll, released Friday, shows that 55% of respondents are either “slightly” or “not at all” confident in Trump’s selections. Conversely, 27% expressed being “extremely” or “very confident” in his ability to choose qualified personnel for his second term.

Confidence levels vary significantly by political affiliation. Among Democrats, 87% reported being “slightly” or “not confident at all” in Trump’s ability to pick capable nominees, joined by 46% of independents. In contrast, 58% of Republicans expressed confidence in his selections, the poll found.

The survey also highlighted broader concerns about Trump’s capacity to manage key aspects of governance. More than half of respondents expressed skepticism about his ability to effectively manage the White House (52%), oversee the military (54%), and handle government spending (52%).

Democrats were the most critical, with over 80% expressing little or no confidence in Trump’s ability to address these issues. Approximately 40% of independents shared these concerns. On the other hand, about 60% of Republican voters reported being “extremely” or “very confident” in Trump’s ability to manage government spending, lead the military, and run the White House.

The AP-NORC poll surveyed 1,251 adults between Dec. 5 and Dec. 9, with a margin of error of 3.7 percentage points.