Maga dream team

President-elect Donald Trump's provocative picks presage an unpredictable era

- Bhagyashree Garekar

WASHINGTON - From his Mar-a-Lago mansion, US President-elect Donald Trump is assembling a team of hawks, mavericks and loyalists for his Act II on the world stage.

The technical term, in the lexicon of American politics, is transition, a word too sedate by far to convey the span of his provocative picks.

But, like beauty, controversy may lie in the eye of the beholder.

For while many corners of the world are down on Trump, Americans are decidedly less so.

Nearly six in 10 Americans say they are very or somewhat confident in their President-elect making good decisions about economic policy.

Majorities also trust him on matters of law enforcement (54 per cent), immigration and foreign policy (both 53 per cent).

These are new findings from the non-partisan Pew Research Centre's American Trends Panel, which surveyed 9,609 adults between Nov 12 and 17.

But Americans also remain guarded about their incoming president. They hesitate to describe Trump as even-tempered and a good role model (fewer than four in 10). And he still leaves them "cold". On a scale of zero to 100, only 43 per cent rate him warmly.

But most agree that he keeps his promises (51 per cent).

This, then, is the state of hearts and minds as Trump rapidly reveals the names of those who will drive his administration once he is sworn in on Jan 20, 2025, and the Senate approves his Cabinet appointments thereafter. It should be a cinch, given the Republican majority in the body. And the precedent - the Senate last rejected a Cabinet nominee in 1989.

Trump's list is dominated by sitting and former members of Congress. Florida Senator Marco Rubio, 53, for secretary of state; Florida Representative Mike Waltz, 50, for national security adviser; and New York Representative Elise Stefanik, 40, as the United Nations ambassador are in key foreign policy-focused roles.