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Attention turned to Donald Trump’s transition team on Thursday as his controversial and surprising cabinet selections sparked intense debate. The choices revealed a clear preference for unwavering loyalty over traditional qualifications like experience or expertise, reflecting the president-elect’s unconventional approach to governance.
Trump has been steadily introducing his picks for foreign policy and national security roles, signaling his immediate priorities. But as he moves forward, he is likely to pivot and begin appointing leaders essential to implementing his domestic agenda.
Key positions remain unfilled as the Republican leader weighs his choices for top roles in Treasury and Commerce, both essential to guiding his tax and trade agenda. He must also select a health secretary capable of navigating controversial areas like abortion rights and transgender healthcare, as well as an education leader, despite his intentions to dissolve the department.
In a pre-election interview with Joe Rogan, he reflected on his initial White House years, citing his most significant error as choosing people he later found to be “unreliable” or lacking allegiance.
The initial choices he has made, including the decision to hand the State Department to Florida Senator Marco Rubio, who holds firmly traditional views on foreign policy, have drawn favorable reactions and widespread relief.
But Trump, 78, sent shockwaves across the political world Wednesday with picks that dismayed Democrats and even some Republicans — underscoring how radical he plans to be in his mission to remake the federal government in his second term.
The biggest shock was Matt Gaetz — a flamethrower on the Republican far right in Congress who was drawn into a years-long criminal probe into sex trafficking — to be Trump’s attorney general.
Gaetz denies wrongdoing and has never faced charges but was still being investigated by the House Ethics Committee.
John Bolton, one of Trump’s national security advisors in his first term, told NBC that Gaetz “must be the worst nomination for a cabinet position in American history.”
Security advisors in his first term, told NBC that Gaetz “must be the worst nomination for a cabinet position in American history.”
Just prior, Trump had nominated Tulsi Gabbard — a former Democratic congresswoman with a history of allegations regarding Russian propaganda — as director of national intelligence, a move that places her in a position to manage the country’s most sensitive information.
Valuing the visual appeal of his team, Trump described Kristi Noem, his new Homeland Security Secretary, as “beautiful,” a comment in line with his trend of selecting officials who frequently appear on Fox News and resonate with conservative audiences.
Amid a lineup of eyebrow-raising appointments, Wednesday’s announcements included Trump’s selection of Pete Hegseth, a Fox News personality and combat veteran who lacks experience in large-scale administration, as defense secretary.
January will see Trump back in Washington after his comfortable victory over Vice President Kamala Harris last week, a feat that also makes him just the second Republican to win the popular vote since 2000.
