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Trump’s Controversial Cabinet Picks are Vital to his Plan for Unreigned Power

By Adeline G12

From former WWE executive Linda McMahon to television host Mehmet Oz, many of President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet picks read as “pure provocation” (Rosin). The second Trump administration is certain to be more threatening to democracy than his first, due to his strategy of choosing Cabinet members who are wholly supportive of his goals. In the wake of his first term, many of his former allies and aides turned against him (Wolf), so by surrounding himself with people who are utterly loyal to him, he is sending the message that his word is to be accepted without question (Rosin).

Trump’s Cabinet picks are controversial and unqualified

To lead the Department of Defense, Trump nominated Pete Hegeseth, a former Army National Guard officer and Fox News host, who denied all allegations against him in a 2017 sexual assault case. Aside from being a veteran, he has little qualification to lead the department, having had no experience with budgeting, strategy, or dealing with allies. Called “a true believer in America First” by Trump, Hegseth wrote in his 2020 book “American Crusade” that if Biden won the election, there would be “some form of civil war” (Dorn).

Similarly unqualified is Trump’s pick for Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, a “former Democratic congresswoman-turned-Trump supporter” (Herb and Lillis) whose controversial opinions range from saying Putin is misunderstood (Rosin) to declaring Syrian President Bashar Assad “not an enemy of the United States” (Herb and Lillis). After unsuccessfully running for President in 2020 as a Democrat, she left the party in 2022 and is now a “MAGA darling” (Herb and Lillis) with no executive or intelligence experience, and no background in the field (Rosin).

Nominated to be the secretary for the Department of Health and Human Services is Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a choice that unsettles experts due to his repetition of debunked claims about vaccines and promotion of radical conspiracy theories about science and medicine, as well as his desire to pause scientific research into new medications and attacks on the Food and Drug Administration (Lawlor). Additionally, he has been accused of groping a former family babysitter and bragged that he has “so many skeletons in my closet that if they could all vote, I could run for king of the world” (“Matt Gaetz has withdrawn”).

Matt Gaetz was nominated for Attorney General but stepped down, saying that his selection was “unfairly becoming a distraction” (“Matt Gaetz has withdrawn”) to the transition between administrations. Gaetz became known through his “outspoken support for Trump and a series of political stunts” (Collinson) and has faced allegations of paying two women for sex on several occasions, involvement in sex trafficking involving a 17-year-old girl, participation in sex parties, taking illegal drugs, and having sex with a minor. He also cast the sole “no” vote on a 2017 anti-human trafficking bill and showed sexual videos of women to his fellow congressmen while on the House floor (Campoamor).

Implications and reasoning for nominations

While Gaetz has stepped down, some fear that he is the “political equivalent of a flash-bang grenade” (Rosin), causing an uproar that detracts from the deficiencies of other Cabinet picks and allowing the appointment of similarly controversial and unqualified people. Gaetz is “just another canary in the coal mine, warning those who need reminding of what’s likely to come” (Campoamor). 

The Cabinet picks accused of sexual misconduct have rightly received negative reactions from the public, but this behavior is “a feature of the inner circle Trump is assembling for his administration” (Campoamor) and makes sense considering that Trump has been publicly accused of sexual misconduct by at least 24 women since the 1980s. (“Sexual misconduct allegations”) As demonstrated through his first term, Trump “wears down our standards to the point where vulgarity and crudeness and criminality and incompetence all just become a part of our daily life” (Rosin).

Though the nomination of Cabinet picks seen as unqualified to lead their departments initially appears to be a poor political move, it may also be Trump’s attempt to establish that Congress will not stand against his will. Donald Trump Junior explained in a recent interview that the difference between his father’s first and second administrations is that this time, “we actually know who the good guys and the bad guys are. … It’s about surrounding my father with people who are both competent and loyal” (Collinson). By appointing only his most devoted supporters, Trump is paving the path for a presidency unimpeded by those who dare to tell him no, regardless of how unconstitutional or illegal the order.

Trump’s painfully unqualified and controversial Cabinet picks who view his word as more important than the Constitution demonstrate the threat he poses to democracy (Rosin). To be appointed, they must pass a vote by the Senate, and the defeat of nominees through this process is extremely rare. This term, cabinet picks can afford to lose only three Republican votes to be confirmed for the job, as the Republican party will hold a 53-47 majority beginning next year. With any luck, the Senate will vote against the appointment of the most provocative picks, limiting Trump’s influence over the next four years.

Works Cited

Wolf, Zachary B. “24 former Trump allies and aides who turned against him.” Cable News Network, 3 Oct. 2023, edition.cnn.com/2023/10/03/politics/donald-trump-former-allies-what-matters/index.html. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.

James Lawrence's avatar Posted by James Lawrence
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