Following his decisive election victory, President-elect Donald Trump has begun assembling his cabinet and senior staff, and the process has not been without some surprise nominations. 

RFK:

Coming from one of the most powerful political families of the U.S., Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was nominated by President-elect Donald Trump to serve as the secretary of Health and Human Services. He has vowed to stop the “FDA’s war on public health” while exploring alternative treatments like “psychedelics, peptides, stem cells, raw milk, and more.” His extensive history of making misleading health statements like suggesting that vaccines are the cause of autism, that AIDS isn’t caused by HIV, and that Covid-19 was engineered to “spare” certain ethnic groups has set him far apart from the typical candidates for the office.

Pam Bondi:

Matt Gaetz, Trump’s divisive pick for Attorney General, has withdrawn for consideration after a damning ethics report pushed senate Republicans away from him. Trump has since named his replacement, former Florida Attorney General, Pam Bondi. Ms. Bondi currently serves as one of the top lawyers for the right-wing think tank America First Policy Institute. Like Gaetz, she has her political baggage. In 2013, she requested that the governor delay an execution that conflicted with one of her campaign fundraisers, which she later publicly apologized for. She’s not new to the Trump orbit either; in 2013, she declined to pursue legal action against Trump University, Donald Trump’s failed real estate training program, for allegedly scamming students. Four days later, she received a $25,000 donation to her campaign from Trump. She has since denied any claims that she was bribed by Trump.

Tulsi Gabbard:

Once a Democratic Congresswoman, she is now one of Trump’s top advisers. Trump has nominated Tulsi Gabbard to be his Director of National Intelligence. She began to work more closely with Trump after she was selected to prepare him for his second presidential debate. Since leaving congress, she has been accused by prominent Democrats and Republicans of parroting Russian propaganda. Another possible sticking point with the Senate is her 2017 meeting with Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, a figure who has been strongly criticized for human rights abuses. If confirmed by the Senate, she would work with the nation’s intelligence agencies to advise the president on intelligence matters as well as writing the president’s daily briefing.

Marco Rubio:

To lead the nation’s foreign policy efforts, Trump has announced his selection of Florida Sen. Marco Rubio to be Secretary of State. In 2016, Rubio ran against Trump, but ultimately lost to him in the primaries. Since 2016, his relationship with Trump seems to have improved, even advising the president on his foreign policy for Latin and South America. His time on the Senate Intelligence committee has also given him valuable foreign policy knowledge for the position. Some high-up figures in the GOP, including Kellyanne Conway, Trump’s former Senior Counselor, even recommended him to be Vice President instead of Ohio senator and Vice President-elect JD Vance. If nominated, it will be up to Gov. Ron DeStantis to pick a replacement for his senate seat.

Pete Hegseth:

For the secretary of defense, Trump has chosen Fox New host Pete Hegseth. Before his time at the network, he served as a member of the Minnesota Army National Guard in Afghanistan and Iraq, until 2014 when he became a co-host of the talk show “Fox & Friends.” His conduct during his time at Fox included heavy drinking, inappropriate actions toward female subordinates, and an accusation of rape, which he ended up paying a confidential settlement for, but was never officially charged of. His lack of experience has been an area of concern for the Senate. His predecessors have typically held high-level roles in the military and have served for many years. Like Matt Gaetz before him, his past has left him with a tough climb to the cabinet.

Article by Oscar Guillemin