AmericaFest attendees voted Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth as the cabinet member doing the best job (83.3 percent), closely followed by Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (80.8 percent), and Secretary of State Marco Rubio (78.6 percent).
Transport Secretary Sean Duffy had the lowest disapproval rating, just 0.5 percent.
Those results were part of a sweeping straw poll at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest that painted a clear picture of where the conservative base is headed and what issues are driving it. The data shows overwhelming unity behind President Trump’s team, his movement, and his likely political heir.
Vice President JD Vance dominated the 2028 Republican presidential straw poll, pulling in a staggering 84.2 percent of the vote. No other contender came close. Marco Rubio finished a distant second at 4.8 percent, followed by Ron DeSantis at 2.9 percent and Donald Trump Jr. at 1.8 percent. Ted Cruz and Glenn Youngkin barely registered, underscoring how firmly the grassroots has coalesced around Vance.
On cabinet performance, Trump’s team earned broad approval across the board. Pam Bondi stood out as the only cabinet member with double-digit disapproval, with roughly 29 percent holding a negative view, while the rest of the administration posted strong net positives among attendees.
The poll also highlighted the movement’s policy priorities. Nearly 90 percent of respondents said they support an immigration moratorium, reflecting deep frustration with years of unchecked border chaos. Voter integrity laws ranked as one of the top concerns of the base, while ending the war in Ukraine finished dead last.
Foreign policy views were equally revealing. Despite loud online critics, just 13 percent of attendees said Israel is not an ally of the United States. A majority described Israel as either a top ally or one of many allies, signaling continued support for the longtime partnership.
When asked about the greatest threats facing the country, “Radical Islam” finished first overall, followed by socialism and Marxism, mass migration, and the affordability crisis. Concerns over America’s declining birthrate ranked near the bottom, though some warned it deserves far more attention.
Taken together, the AmericaFest straw poll shows a conservative base unified, policy-driven, and already looking toward the next chapter of the America First movement.
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