Warren Buffett said he "overwhelmingly" supports President Donald Trump's choices for Cabinet positions as the new commander-in-chief's selections face confirmation hearings in the Senate.
"I feel that way no matter who is president," the billionaire Berkshire Hathaway Inc. chairman and chief executive said in New York at the premiere of a documentary about his life. "The CEO — which I am — should have the ability to pick people that help you run a place."
"If they fail, then it's your fault and you got to get somebody new," Buffett said. "Maybe you change Cabinet members or something."
Buffett, 86, backed Hillary Clinton in the presidential election, stumping for her in Omaha and headlining fundraisers.
The billionaire frequently clashed with Trump and scolded him for not releasing income-tax returns, as major party presidential candidates have done for roughly four decades.
Trump's cabinet picks include Treasury Secretary nominee Steven Mnuchin, a former Goldman Sachs banker; former ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson as secretary of state; and retired Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis as Defense secretary. Mattis was confirmed and sworn in Friday.
Since the election, Buffett has struck a more conciliatory tone toward Trump and called for unity. In an interview with CNN in November, he said that people could disagree with the president, but ultimately he "deserves everybody's respect."
That message hasn't resonated. Trump's popularity is the worst for an incoming president in at least four decades, with just 40 percent of Americans saying they have a favorable impression of him, according to a Washington Post-ABC poll published Tuesday. Buffett said on Thursday that the low approval ratings won't matter much.
![Attendees of Frostbike made their way through the convention Saturday at the Quality Bike Products campus in Minneapolis. ] (AARON LAVINSKY/STAR TRIBUNE) aaron.lavinsky@startribune.com Frostbike 2016 was held at the Quality Bike Products Campus on Saturday, Feb. 27, 2016 in Bloomington, Minn.](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/NH2BSHB74ND2V6GF2G2HI5X4MM.jpg?&w=252&ar=3:2&fit=crop)
