As of January 13, 2021, 44% of registered voters have a very/somewhat positive view of Biden while 40% have a somewhat/very negative view of the then president-elect.
Vice president-elect Kamala Harris received a very/somewhat positive view of 41% and a 41% somewhat/very negative view.
60% of voters approve of Biden’s handling of the transition and his preparations for becoming president. 32% disapprove.
37% of Americans are confident that Biden has the right set of goals and policies to be president. 25% are somewhat confident about his goals or policies. 38% are not at all confident about his goals and policies.
43% of Americans are confident that Biden has the right set of personal characteristics to be president while 56% are only somewhat or not at all confident.
39% like Biden personally and approve most policies.
16% like Biden personally but disapprove of many policies.
7% don’t like Biden personally and approve of many policies.
32% don’t like Biden personally and disapprove many policies.
[NBC/1/13/21]
49% of Americans have a great deal or a good amount of confidence in Biden being able to make the right decisions for the country’s future. 50% are less confident with 31% being not at all confident. [WP/ABC 1/13/21]
President Biden has selected a transgender person, Dr. Rachel Levine, to be the assistant Secretary of Health. If approved, Levine would be the first ever Senate-confirmed trans official in U.S. history. [19th 1/19/21]
President Biden’s Cabinet
If all of President Biden’s nominees to his Cabinet are confirmed, 12 of the 24 offices he has designated as Cabinet-level, will be held by women. It will be the first gender-balanced Cabinet in U.S. history
Up until now, the most women to serve in a presidential cabinet at the same time were 8 in Bill Clinton’s first administration and then 8 during Barack Obama’s administration.
Three high-profile cabinet-level positions will be occupied by women for the first time: Vice President, Secretary of the Treasury, and Director of National Intelligence.
The proposed Cabinet also includes a number of other firsts.
- A majority of members are not white.
- VP Harris will be the first Black person and the first South Asian American to serve as vice president.
- Lloyd Austin would be the first Black Secretary of Defense.
- Xavier Becerra and Alejandro Mayorkas will be the first Latinos to lead DHHS and DHS.
- Deb Haaland would be the first Indigenous person to lead the Department of Interior.
- CEA Chair-designated Cecilia Rouse, OMB Director designate Neera Tanden, and USTR-designate Katherine Tai would be the first women of color in their respective roles.
The proposed cabinet includes six Black people, four Latinos, three Asians, and one Native American.
But all is not perfect…the so-called “inner Cabinet” VP, AG, Sec of State,
Defense, and Treasury is 3/5th white and 3/5th male. And we have never had a female Secretary of Defense, Secretary of Veterans Affairs, or Chief of Staff. [FiveThirtyEight 1/11/21]