And now, who to head Finance? Which spokesperson? Donald Trump continues to train his team, with sometimes sensational appointments which most often reward absolute loyalty to his person.
There is no question for the 78-year-old tribune of repeating what he described as the “biggest mistake” of his first mandate, in a podcast recorded at the end of October with the very influential Joe Rogan.
“I chose some people I shouldn’t have chosen,” namely “people who were not loyal”, he declared.
The major appointments still awaited are those for the positions of Secretary of the Treasury, Head of Foreign Trade, and White House spokesperson.
Democratic Senator John Fetterman summed up the sentiment of his party, still stunned by the Republican’s resounding presidential victory, by telling an NBC reporter that the flurry of nominations in recent days was “competitive trolling”a provocative operation intended to “kicking the progressives”.
The president-elect, who will take office on January 20 after signing a stunning political comeback, sent shock waves Wednesday with his choices for the intelligence directorate and for the Ministry of Justice.
The future head of the intelligence services of the world’s leading power, Tulsi Gabbard, is a defector from the Democratic Party known for her favorable positions on Russia.
She announced she was joining the conservative camp during a Donald Trump rally in October, and described the Republican, who stood next to her with an approving smile, as a “president who has the courage and strength to fight for peace”.
As for the Department of Justice, if his nomination is confirmed in the Senate, it should be headed by one of the most vocal Trumpist elected officials: Matt Gaetz, who was suspected of relations with an underage girl.
Matt Gaetz, who does not have extensive experience in the legal field, “must be the worst cabinet appointment in American history,” said Donald Trump’s former national security adviser, John Bolton, on NBC.
Telegenics
The former senior civil servant, who broke up with his former boss, also found “hilarious” the appointment of Tulsi Gabbard.
Donald Trump, except for a whirlwind visit to Washington on Wednesday, has been holed up since his victory at his Florida residence. According to the press, he chooses his lieutenants by watching televised speeches by the candidates.
The Republican’s first term, between 2017 and 2021, was a succession of spectacular dismissals. Several former advisors or ministers, like John Bolton, subsequently turned against him.
This time, the 45th and soon 47th President of the United States favors personalities who sometimes have no experience of the state apparatus but who have pledged allegiance without reservation.
Like Elon Musk, who will lead a mission to reduce public spending and deregulation. The richest man in the world put all his energy into the campaign, bombarding his millions of subscribers on X, his social network, with messages in favor of the Republican.
Several future ministers or advisors are regular guests on the conservatives’ favorite channel, Fox News.
They sing the praises of Donald Trump, himself a former reality TV host known as a big television consumer, very concerned about the physical appearance of the people around him.
Of the future Minister of Internal Security, the controversial Kristi Noem, he had for example said during a meeting that she was ” very beautiful “.
To lead the Pentagon, Donald Trump even chose a Fox News host, Pete Hegseth, who considers the army too progressive. The appointment of this former soldier, who however has no experience of high-level command, was a huge surprise.
The future president has made some choices that contrast with this quest for absolute loyalty, such as the senator from Florida, Marco Rubio, with whom he has had conflicting relations in the past, to lead diplomacy.
