CNN’s chief data analyst Harry Enten said Thursday that Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is the most popular of several high-profile Trump administration officials for whom recent polling is available — even as Kennedy’s own approval remains negative.
Enten, in a televised segment that aired before Kennedy’s testimony before the Senate Finance Committee, pointed to net favorable ratings — the percentage of respondents who view an official favorably minus those who view them unfavorably — showing Kennedy at minus 7. Enten contrasted that figure with Secretary of State Marco Rubio at minus 10, Vice President JD Vance at minus 11 and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at minus 14, saying Kennedy’s score was the best among the four officials CNN had recent polling on. “So, no, RFK Jr. is not a drag on President Trump. He’s not the most embattled,” Enten said.
A net favorable rating below zero indicates more respondents view the official unfavorably than favorably; Enten emphasized that Kennedy’s standing is far from positive even as it compares more favorably than the other officials in the small set. Kennedy, a prominent vaccine skeptic, drew sharp criticism from lawmakers of both parties when he testified before the Senate Finance Committee on Sept. 4, 2025, during a hearing on President Donald Trump’s 2026 health care agenda.
Enten’s comparison was limited to the four officials for which CNN cited recent polling, a caveat he noted during the segment. The narrow sample of officials and the timing of individual polls can affect such head-to-head comparisons, and net favorability does not capture intensity of support or opposition.
The examination of relative popularity comes as several Trump administration figures have drawn heightened public and congressional attention. Rubio, Vance and Hegseth have each faced separate controversies and media scrutiny in recent months, and the administration’s health care proposals and related hearings have placed Kennedy under particular spotlight.
Analysts say net favorable measures are one of several ways to assess public sentiment toward officials, alongside approval ratings for presidential performance, issue-specific polls and partisan breakdowns. Enten’s segment underscored that, within the limited set of recent polling, Kennedy’s net unfavorable margin was smaller than his counterparts’, even as his overall standing remained negative.