Trump Cabinet | Managers and blasters

There are two trends that clearly emerge when looking at President-elect Donald Trump’s nominations. His cabinet – which includes many people not all of whom need to be confirmed by the Senate – is, for the most part, made up of people who can be placed into two broad categories.

For everything that concerns the management of the economy, we can talk about managers. People who are in the business world, on Wall Street or elsewhere, who have a good reputation and are almost all relatively moderate. Even if they are first and foremost friends or allies of Donald Trump, of course.

But for everything that concerns social issues or the provision of services to citizens, Donald Trump prefers dynamiters.

The most controversial nomination – and the one most likely not to be confirmed by the Senate – is that of Matt Gaetz for Attorney General. Mr. Trump says he appointed him to this position to put an end to the exploitation of the judiciary for partisan purposes.

But when we heard Mr. Trump’s speeches during the campaign, we may fear that the order would rather be to exploit the judicial system against the political enemies of the new president and that this mission would fall to Mr. Gaetz.

Mr. Trump has long had a troubled relationship with his attorneys general, whom he would have liked to use as his personal lawyers. He also accused his two attorneys general of having lacked loyalty. He has also appointed his personal lawyer in his recent setbacks in court, Todd Blanche, as deputy attorney general.

But Mr. Gaetz’s personal escapades – which were the subject of an investigation by his colleagues in the House of Representatives – are likely to sink his candidacy when it is examined by the Senate. They say that Mr. Trump knows this very well, but that he will not withdraw his support.

Still in the category of dynamiters, we must talk about Robert Kennedy Jr. at Health: anti-vaccine, anti-fluoridation of water, anti-processed foods (except when he eats Big Macs with the president), he would be in conflict with numerous policies of his department upon taking office.

The new Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, was drafted directly from the Fox News Network. A former soldier, he has taken on all kinds of causes, including requests for pardons for soldiers accused of war crimes. Even though he has virtually no command experience, he finds himself at the head of the most powerful army in the world.

We could also talk about the same lack of relevant experience about Tulsi Gabbard, appointed National Director of Intelligence.

On the other hand, those appointed to economic positions should easily pass the test of confirmation by the Senate. For example, Howard Lutnick, co-chair of Mr. Trump’s transition committee, was named Commerce Secretary – over Elon Musk’s objections! Mr. Lutnick was CEO of the investment bank Cantor Fitzgerald and a leading critic of China.

The Treasury Secretary has not yet been named, but even if he or she also came from Wall Street, the Democrats would have a hard time objecting, having so often drawn from the same pool to their economic ministers.

In fact, on the economic side, the Trump cabinet will be conventional to the point where the people found there could have been part, for the most part, of any other Republican president’s cabinet.

As mentioned above, the MAGA wing of the party is on the other hand well represented in areas which affect services to citizens and which are often considered by the movement as more or less useful, or even representing the “Deep State”, the Deep state, these senior officials who work behind the scenes to counter President Trump’s policies. Ministries that must be controlled rather than directed.

One of the president’s appointments, however, is an exception, that of Marco Rubio. Appointed as Secretary of State (Minister of Foreign Affairs), this senator from Florida ran against Donald Trump in 2016. But he is a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and has real experience in the field.

He is often described as a hawk on relations with China.

It is also an appointment that raises the question of whether Mr. Trump has not given him a head start in the race to succeed him. He will be just the right age (57) during the next election campaign. Especially since the young vice-president JD Vance risks having little to offer in four years, other than his loyalty to the outgoing president.

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