A number of appointment announcements by President Donald Trump ahead of his January inauguration have raised eyebrows across Washington, DC, and the nation. Already having issued a turbulent first term which saw an abnormally high cabinet secretary turnover rate, Trump and his new roster of nominations has faced serious doubts as to whether some will even manage to reach his cabinet this time around. Backlash to some of the picks has been swift and sharp, with some facing bipartisan criticism for controversial stances. As positions have been meted out, the jostling debate regarding those which have already been decided and those yet to be announced is understandable given the critical roles many of these officials will play in the upcoming return of Trump to the presidency.
One of the long-awaited picks was for that of the treasury secretary. Reporting has emerged over the past month about the very public battle between Howard Lutnick and Scott Bessent. Backed by other controversial Trump picks Elon Musk and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Lutnick appealed to a more radical and “Trumpian” economic vision, replete with tariffs and talk of radical reform. One focus of criticism levied against Lutnick’s rival, Bessent, was Bessent’s past work with George Soros—long a rival of those on the political right. Ultimately, and despite the influential lobbying of Musk, Bessent emerged victorious, much to the relief of many business and Wall Street executives. Seen as a moderate and seasoned professional, Bessent was always regarded as the “establishment” pick, although he is by no means a political fence-sitter given his staunch and consistent support for President Trump. Bessent will likely not face further controversy, rather—and notably—the drama was a sign of internal jockeying for power amid the Trump transition.
While Bessent may glide to a simple confirmation, Trump’s pick to be the Director of National Intelligence (“DNI”) will almost certainly face no such luck. Former Representative Tulsi Gabbard has been nominated for this critical role as the overseer and director of the entire US Intelligence Community—which includes the CIA, FBI, and other vital agencies. Gabbard represented her district in Hawaii as a Democrat and ran for president in 2020 in the Democratic primaries, opting not to run for reelection in her House seat. Gabbard is no stranger to criticism, having developed a large number of controversial positions over the years. After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, she denounced Ukraine’s NATO aspirations and blamed the Biden administration for the war, while even parroting entirely disproven theories about American biological laboratories in Ukraine which had been pushed by Russian state media. In a widely-reported rebuke, Senator Mitt Romney denounced her statements as “treasonous lies.” Gabbard also adopted a controversial stance on the matter of Syrian chemical weapons usage, visiting Syrian dictator Bashar al Assad years ago after he was accused of launching a horrifying chemical weapon attack and announcing “skepticism” towards the allegations against him. Multiple Republican senators may break ranks and vote against her confirmation in the Senate given her past support for American adversaries, indicating a long and difficult path ahead for her bid for the DNI office.
Trump’s recent pick for the director of the FBI, Kash Patel, may also face backlash given his staunchly anti-establishment positions regarding the agency. As FBI directors serve for terms of 10 years, the current head—Christopher Wray—will be fired once Trump takes office, despite Wray having in fact been appointed by President Trump himself in 2017. Patel promised to shut down the FBI’s Washington, DC, headquarters and convert it into a “Deep State” museum. Additionally, Patel stated he will “come after” those who he claims rigged the 2020 election. Additionally, he has made overtures towards supporting those arrested on January 6th for invading the Capitol, calling them “hostages.” Given the recency of his appointment, there is little indication yet as to his Senate support, though his statements may lead to a caustic confirmation hearing.
The appointment of Mehmet Oz to run the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) has also raised concerns over the qualifications and conflicts of interests of the nominee. Known popularly as “Dr. Oz” for his well-known television show, he also ran for an open Senate seat in Pennsylvania in 2022 as a Republican, losing the general election to Senator John Fetterman. In the past, Oz has held investments in at least one health care company as of 2022, which may be a conflict of interest. Additionally, Oz’s lack of experience has led to denouncements from prominent senators, given his most prominent past role as a talk show host.
Once the new Trump administration is installed on January 20th, it is clear that a large number of his nominees will see potentially heated confirmation battles in the narrowly split Senate. Whether they will be confirmed or not is difficult to tell, but these will likely be the first fights of the new administration and will draw substantial media attention during their hearings.
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