Democratic rep tells Americans to 'calm down' amid concerns over Trump Cabinet picks

Democratic New York Rep. Tom Suozzi advised Americans to "calm down" as President-elect Trump's Cabinet picks continue to raise some concerns.

"Let's look at what they're proposing to do and their background, and let the Senate go through their process of vetting these candidates so that they can decide whether or not to give their advice and consent to these appointments. I want to tell everybody, you know, calm down," Suozzi told CNN's Jim Sciutto on Saturday.

Some of Trump's picks were somewhat unexpected, including former World Wrestling Entertainment Chief Executive Linda McMahon as Education secretary, and others have sparked concern over allegations including sexual assault, which has cast some doubt on the likeliness of the approval of the nomination of Pete Hegseth, Trump's pick for Defense secretary.

Some Democrats have sounded the alarm over some of Trump's other choices, like Project 2025 co-author Russell Vought, who the president-elect chose to serve as the director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) during his second administration.

Still, Suozzi suggested that those who are concerned should focus on other matters.

"We have to be able to walk and chew gum at the same time. If everybody's going to explode and freak out over every single thing, then you're never going to be able to focus on the things that really matter," he said.

"We've got to pick our battles," he added.

He also suggested that Democrats have been asking the wrong question as they search for answers in the wake of Republicans securing a trifecta in this year's election.

"We've got to calm down. We've got to stop worrying about how did these people vote for Donald Trump? That's not the question. It's why did they vote for Donald Trump?" Suozzi said.