Some Republican senators are lining up behind President Trump’s nominees for critical cabinet positions, saying that the president-elect’s “mandate” on election night 2024 has essentially given him the right to install his preferred candidate by any means necessary. The threat of recess appointments has not seemed to rankle many lawmakers. 

Republicans were quick to tout support for some of his most important nominees, including for secretary of state, secretary of defense, and even the attorney general nominee, Matt Gaetz.

There is a quiet majority of Senate Republicans who plan to vote against Mr. Gaetz’s confirmation should it even reach the floor, according to a report from NBC News, which is far from certain. Publicly, most senators have withheld judgment on the Florida congressman, saying that he has to go through the process of vetting, interviewing, and appearing before the committee of jurisdiction before they make up their minds.

Senator Mullin — who has sparred with Mr. Gaetz in the past when both were House members — said on Sunday that he is keeping an open mind on whether he will vote to confirm the former Florida congressman if that’s what Trump desires. 

“There’s no question that Matt Gaetz and I have had our differences, and that’s no secret. Moving forward, I do respect President Trump’s right to appoint these individuals, but underneath Article II Section II, Congress has advise and consent,” Mr. Mullin said. “I’m gonna give him a fair shot. … At the end of the day, the Senate has to confirm him.”

“I’ve gotta set my personal … situation with Matt aside and look at the facts,” he added.

Multiple GOP senators — including Mr. Mullin, Senator Cornyn, Senator Ernst, and others — have said the House Ethics Committee should share its report on Mr. Gaetz’s alleged sexual encounter with a minor, however. 

Senator Johnson, a close ally of Trump, seemed to say Sunday that he doesn’t care who the president-elect appoints to administration positions because the Senate should not be “the human resources department” for the executive branch. 

“My bias would be to vote for the people President Trump wants to serve him in his administration,” Mr. Johnson said in an interview with News Nation. “I’d much rather spend time on oversight and investigations. Let the president pick and put those people into place, and if there’s a problem, let Congress come in with oversight,” he said. 

On Sunday, Speaker Johnson said he would likely support the appointment of Trump’s nominees even through recess appointments, which would allow the president-elect to have whomever he wants regardless of the Senate’s will. 

“I believe in the principle of a new president being able to choose his team,” Mr. Johnson told Fox News on Sunday. “If this thing bogs down, it would be a great detriment to the country — to the American people. Remember, they just delivered a mandate to the president … and they have sent the message that America first policies should be the rule of the day.”

The president-elect’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., said Sunday that the GOP was ready to surround his father with loyal people this time around. .

“The reality this time is, we actually know what we’re doing. We actually know who the good guys and the bad guys are,” Mr. Trump told Fox News. “It’s about surrounding my father with people who are both competent and loyal. They will deliver on his promises. They will deliver on his message. They are not people who think they know better, as unelected bureaucrats.”

Just two GOP senators — Senator Murkowski and Senator Collins — have expressed serious reservations about Mr. Gaetz, with Ms. Murkowski saying he is “not serious” and Ms. Collins saying that she was “shocked” to learn about the Floridian’s nomination. 

Senate Democrats have had a virulent reaction to choices like Mr. Gaetz and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination for health and human services secretary. 

“I look forward to meeting with RFK Jr. I have to say, though, that his long record of being an anti vaccine campaigner gives me real pause and concern. That’d be the first thing I’d ask him about, because the fact that American children are vaccinated against things like measles, mumps, and rubella keeps us safe and saves millions of lives a year,” Senator Coons told Fox News on Sunday. 

The senator-elect from California, Congressman Adam Schiff, told CNN on Sunday that the point of the nominations of men like Messrs. Gaetz and Kennedy is that Trump is trying to prove his total dominance of the GOP. 

“What he wants to do with these nominees is establish that the Congress of the United States will not stand up to him on anything,” Mr. Schiff said. “If they will confirm Matt Gaetz, they will do anything [Trump] wants.”

Some Senate Democrats have made it clear that they are willing to work with Trump on some nominations, however, including Senator Rubio’s nod for secretary of state. Senator Fetterman has said he will back the Florida senator to be America’s top diplomat, and even Senator Warren has said she is open to voting for the conservative lawmaker. 

But Mr. Fetterman issued a stark warning to his fellow Democrats during an interview with NBC News on Friday, saying that his party needs to stop “freaking out” about every nomination Trump puts forward. 

“He hasn’t even been inaugurated yet,” the Pennsylvania senator said of Trump. “So you really have to chill out, and you’re going to have to be more discerning … on what’s going to freak you out or what’s just trolling. Because it’s not the weather, it’s the climate now for the next four years.”