Robert F. Kennedy Jr.: Trump's highest-rated senior official

Robert F. Kennedy Jr is in good health in the polls. The secretary is the most popular cabinet member, according to two recent polls that open a key election year for the administration.

According to Pew Research, the Health Secretary has a 44% positive image. He thus beats his closest pursuer, Vice President J.D. Vance, by 6 points. He even leads Donald Trump, who has a 40% positive image. Kennedy is the only member of the administration with a better image than Trump.

In the Harvard Harris poll, however, Trump moves into the lead in positive image, with 42%. Kennedy trails by 1 point. But he again overtakes him in terms of negative image: the secretary has 39% disapproval, and the president, 50%. In the poll, Kennedy Jr is the only cabinet member with a positive balance (+2%).

The former environmental lawyer standing out among his peers is nothing new. When Harvard Harris asked about the suitability of Trump's nominees a year ago, Kennedy was the highest rated with 44% favorable opinions. It is worth remembering that he was also the only one who competed as a candidate in the presidential election. Although he never got out of third place, he maintained high popularity ratings.

Although pollsters did not delve into reasons, past polls did reveal the popularity of the secretary's measures such as reducing consumption of highly processed foods. Likewise, the highest-scoring government objective in the Harvard Harris paper is health care: 83% supported reducing prescription drug prices for low-income patients and Medicare beneficiaries.

This figure includes 79% of Democrats and 77% of the group formed by independents and others. In that sense, Pew Research assures that RFK Jr. is the best-rated cabinet member among Democratic voters. With 16% favorability, he beats Trump and Vance by 10 points.

However, and notably, he is not the best-reputed top MAGA officeholder among Republicans. That distinction belongs to the vice president.

Trump's secretaries and directors were mandated to step up to the plate in defense of management. On a daily basis, they defend official policies online and in the media. With those popularity numbers, Kennedy could be called upon to assume a prominent role in the November election, and, perhaps in 2028.