WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) - In his first post-election press conference President-elect Donald Trump defended his pick to lead the nation's health department. Robert F.  Kennedy Junior's controversial views on vaccines could make his confirmation challenging. Republicans will have a slim three seat majority in January. RFK Jr. will need 51 votes to be confirmed as the Secretary of Health and Human Services.  Democrats and Republicans have pushed back on some of RFK Jr.’s views, including vaccines. Kennedy arrived on Capitol Hill Monday hoping to win over skeptical senators. Meanwhile in Florida, President-elect Donald Trump defended his choice to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. “I think he's going to be much less radical than you would think,” said Trump. Kennedy has pushed the debunked idea that vaccines cause autism and one of his close aides filed a petition in 2022 to revoke approval of the polio vaccine. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) had polio as a child and released a statement that didn't mention Kennedy but says…"anyone seeking Senate's consent to serve in the administration should steer clear" of efforts to discredit the polio vaccine. Kennedy insists he's not anti-vaccine. “I think he's got a very open mind, or I wouldn't have put him there,” said Trump. Democrats say they're not convinced. “We cannot afford at this moment to hand over the keys of public health to an extreme and unqualified and dangerous nominee,” said Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.). Kennedy may also have trouble getting votes from senators based on his abortion and farming views. His campaign website said he is a firm supporter of abortion access, and he's opposed to genetically modified crops. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa.), a corn farmer, says you can't feed the nine billion people on earth without genetically engineering crops.