In a tense exchange, the 'Meet the Press' guest challenges the panel's criticism of Trump's Cabinet picks as 'unqualified'.

On "Meet the Press" Sunday, a guest challenged the qualifications of President-elect Donald Trump's Cabinet appointments in a heated exchange with an NBC panel.

Democrats have raised criticism against Trump's cabinet picks, arguing that they are underqualified and may have ethical concerns and a lack of experience for their roles.

Lanhee Chen, a fellow at the Hoover Institute, countered Jen Psaki's concerns about the lack of experience among some of the nominees by highlighting that Xavier Becerra, the current Health and Human Services secretary, was appointed by President Biden despite having a legal background that was not relevant to his assigned role.

"We have witnessed nominations from both parties that have raised ethical and substantive concerns," Chen stated. "It is important to remember that our HHS secretary nominee in this administration had no prior experience with healthcare before being appointed, which raises questions about their qualifications for the role."

Psaki, who is now an MSNBC host, interjected, "However, I must clarify that he was the attorney general of California, and this is a unique situation."

"He had experience suing healthcare companies, but not anything related to healthcare," Chen replied.

He informed the panel that while it's common to discuss contentious appointments, there are also valuable ones that deserve more attention due to their policy significance.

The Trump Cabinet nominees have been criticized by Democrats in Congress and the media for their qualifications, including Pete Hegseth as secretary of defense, Kristi Noem as secretary of homeland security, Matt Gaetz as attorney general, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as head of HHS.

Several members of Biden's administration, including Pete Buttigieg, have faced criticism from Republicans for lacking key attributes needed to perform their duties.

After a series of perceived missteps from Buttigieg, including the fallout from the supply chain crises and the devastating train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, Republicans have intensified their concerns.

Numerous Biden administration officials have been subjected to intense scrutiny regarding their qualifications in recent years, including former Department of Energy official Sam Brinton, who identifies as nonbinary and was arrested several times for stealing luggage at airports.

In 2023, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., criticized the qualifications of Biden's judicial appointments, stating in a press release, "The American people deserve the best and brightest. The Democrats are producing something else."

Planet Chronicle' Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.