As he begins his second term, President-elect Donald Trump is moving quickly, releasing his selections for almost all of the roughly two dozen top-tier nominations, including Cabinet positions, earlier than he did when he began his first term. In addition to having more experience than it had in 2016, it also shows that Trump’s staff has a clearer idea of what it wants: loyalty.
However, the accelerated pace has not been without complications and intrigue. Trump has consistently eschewed the meticulous screening of prospective hires’ financial records and backgrounds that most incoming administrations do. This strategy has resulted in unforeseen issues and setbacks for some of his more controversial decisions.
According to a Republican senator, Trump has made a huge mess of the nomination process and they are obviously not screening these candidates.
Influential voices like Trump’s sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, and other transition staffers, such as chief of staff Susie Wiles, are also engaged in a great deal of jockeying.
Over there, it’s reminiscent of Game of Thrones. I believe that Don Jr. has occasionally been making an effort. According to a transition source, “it’s like Susie will have a meeting and then Don Jr. will say something else.” The source clarified that they weren’t suggesting that there is any conflict between the two, only that the team has strong personalities.It has been a little strange at times.
Trump Jr.’s criticism of former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for a different cabinet position was his most overt impact to date. A large portion of the MAGA base now despises Pompeo, and Trump’s oldest child directly reacted negatively to him.
Interviews with twelve individuals with knowledge of or involvement in the Trump transition effort served as the basis for this report. Since they were not permitted to speak on the record, many were given the opportunity to remain anonymous in order to speak honestly.
The American people overwhelmingly voted for President Trump to be re-elected in order to alter the current state of affairs in Washington. In a statement, Trump transition spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said, “That is why he has selected intelligent and well-respected outsiders to serve in his Administration, and he will continue to stand behind them as they fight against all those who seek to derail the MAGA Agenda.” President Trump will dismantle the Deep State and reinstate popular government alongside his extremely competent selections.
Some of Trump’s most well-known choices have been mired in controversy; two have already pulled their names from consideration, and others—most notably, Trump’s choice for defense secretary, Pete Hegseth—may not have the votes to be confirmed, even though many of his nominees seem set for relatively easy confirmation. Additionally, Trump announced a new choice for White House counsel after changing his mind.
Trump lost only one nomination for his first term in office. Even those who are continuing this time have occasionally been the focus of internal disputes between family members, ardent Trump supporters, and the newest and possibly most significant influence: tech billionaire Elon Musk.
According to a Trump ally with knowledge of the transition, he spends more time with Musk than anybody else. In addition to the usual transitional tensions and pick-fighting, Musk has a significant impact.
Along with co-chairing the new Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, a nongovernmental organization that has pledged to make $2 trillion in cuts to the federal budget, Musk, who invested more than $250 million to help Trump win the presidency, has also been a prominent voice on important appointments, most notably Trump’s choice for FBI director, Kash Patel. Patel is an outspoken supporter who has propagated unfounded, deep state conspiracy theories, demanding that Trump’s foes be expelled from the FBI and that the bureau’s Washington headquarters be closed on his first day in office.
According to the Trump ally, Patel was mostly supported by Elon. He played a significant role in his eventual selection.
Trump’s MAGA movement and those viewed as more traditional Republicans engaged in a tug-of-war throughout his initial transition. That is less true this time. In addition to the overall conceptual alignment of the voices in the president-elect’s ear, Trump is also adopting a much more active stance.
According to the Trump ally, he is now entering with a more clearer vision. Since he has worked there, he is fully aware of the duties involved. And as you are aware, his top priorities are competence and loyalty.
The president-elect is becoming engaged in more than just high-level selections, according to another Trump supporter who is infamous for seeing conflict between staff and decision-makers as a strength rather than a weakness.
According to the source, he is not only interested in the Cabinet secretaries but also in the candidates for assistant secretary and deputy secretary.
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One tactic has been to keep possible nominees mostly offline and away from TV interviews in order to prevent unintentional mistakes or distractions.
According to a transition source, “I believe you’re seeing the campaign discipline translate to the transition.”
The dispute over Hegseth is one of the most acrimonious in the Cabinet. Over the past week, the Army National Guard veteran and former Fox News personality has been visiting with Republican senators in an effort to allay worries about his drinking and treatment of women.
Many Trump supporters view the Hegseth nomination as a test of how devoted Republicans are to the president-elect’s promise to appoint individuals who will radically restructure important sectors of the federal government, particularly those in the Senate who would need to vote to approve him.
For senators who do not vote to confirm Hegseth, Trump and his supporters have already pledged primary challengers. These include skeptics like Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, a veteran and member of the Armed Services Committee. Even though Ernst hasn’t stated it publicly, MAGA supporters are furious with her because they think she wants the position for herself.
Charlie Kirk, the founder of the powerful conservative organization Turning Point USA, posted on social media that people in Iowa had a well-funded primary opponent prepared to take her on. There is a major risk to her political career.
Trump has continued to support Hegseth, who has been stubborn and promised to battle on, stating as recently as Friday morning that he is doing very well.
A shortlist of possible replacements, including Ernst, Tennessee Sen. Bill Hagerty, former Trump administration Pentagon official Elbridge Colby, Texas Rep. Wesley Hunt, and—most surprisingly—Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, has been publicly discussed, but the Hegseth drama has spawned its own political intrigue.
Because of his fierce political rivalry with Trump during the 2024 Republican presidential primary and his history of animosity toward several Trump staffers, including Wiles, who oversaw his 2018 gubernatorial campaign prior to the two of them falling out, the DeSantis rumors have drawn special attention.
According to a Trump official, we have all provided him sound counsel on the advantages and disadvantages of this situation. Ultimately, though, if he can move past it, why can’t we?
Potential thoughts for the 2028 presidential election have also been sparked by the rise of DeSantis’ name. Many predict that DeSantis will once again contemplate a run for the White House, which would put him in direct opposition to Vice President-elect JD Vance, who is also anticipated to contemplate a run and would likely attempt to reach the same group of Trump supporters DeSantis would require.
Any worries that DeSantis’s nomination as defense secretary may improve Trump’s chances of winning the presidency were dismissed by his transition team.
Although Ron is not a complete [Trump] supporter, the president appreciates his star power. According to someone involved in the transfer, there is media value there. Additionally, he is a member of our administration if we embrace him. He was unable to challenge our government.
Then, the individual added, it turns into a personality test. That is always won by JD.
The loss to former Florida Representative Matt Gaetz for attorney general was Trump’s most well-known setback to date. After it became apparent that an inquiry into claims of sex trafficking and having sex with a minor would prevent him from receiving enough votes to be confirmed, Gaetzwithwhis withdrew his name from nomination. Gaetz has refuted the accusations and was never charged.
Trump named close ally and former two-term Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi as his replacement six hours after Gaetz’s withdrawal late last month. Although Bondi’s selection caused considerable criticism due to her prior remarks regarding the prosecution of prosecutors who pursued Trump, she is generally regarded as a candidate who can win Senate approval.
Bondi did play an influential role in suggesting the other Trump pick who has withdrawn his name Tampa-area Sheriff Chad Chronister, who was the president-elect s choice to lead the Drug Enforcement Administration, according to two sources familiar with the decision.
Chronister said on social media last week that he was removing his name as the weight of this crucial duty began to weigh on him, but Trump swiftly refuted this assertion. In his own post, Trump pointed to how Chronister handled the coronavirus pandemic, including a 2020 decision to arrest a Tampa-area pastor who flouted pandemic-era lockdown orders.
According to Trump, he didn’t pull out. He said something to my pastors and other supporters that I did not like, so I pulled him out.
Internal jockeying has also been applied to some nominations that have gotten very little attention.
Trump s son-in-law Jared Kushner, who is not expected to have a formal role in a second administration, advocated for private equity executive Marc Rowan to be nominated for treasury secretary, four sourcestoldNBC News, but Trump instead chose hedge fund executive Scott Bessent.
But the speed at which things are moving and, at times, complicating some of Trump s nominations is part of an aggressive strategy that is by design.
Trump is in a pretty aggressive mode of trying to shove the system as hard and as fast as he can, said former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a staunch ally. If 5% do not make it, he would regard that as a reasonable price for being as daring as he is and he will get 95%.
He’s acting like Trump! Gingrich continued. That is the guy that got to be president despite everything.
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