As advisers and allies to Republican President-elect Donald Trump search for people to fill his next term, one quality is becoming essential: unquestioning loyalty.
During his term from 2017 to 2021, Trump had conflicts with key appointees, especially in the intelligence, national security and law enforcement sectors, several of whom were later reported to have procrastinated or tried to dissuade Trump from his more controversial plans.
Without people around him likely to question him, the president-elect may find it easier to bend established norms in furtherance of his conservative agenda, both Trump supporters and opponents say.
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On Thursday, Trump named his campaign chairman, Susie Wiles, as his White House chief of staff. On Saturday, he declared that he would not invite back his former UN ambassador, Nikki Haley, nor his former secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, both of whom were critical of some of Trump’s conduct and policies, even though they had attempted to reconcile in recent years. months.
Just days before the November 5 election, one of his former chiefs of staff, John Kelly, called him a “fascist” in an interview. One of his national security advisers, John Bolton, has repeatedly described Trump as “someone with no intelligence.” And his second Defense Secretary, Mark Esper, reported in his 2022 autobiography that he convinced Trump not to bomb drug cartels in Mexico.
Trump, in response, criticized former senior members of his administration, even suggesting that his second chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Mark Milley, should have been executed for treason. This time, Trump stated that only people who truly believe in him above all else — and in his “MAGA” (Make America Great Again) movement — would be admitted to government.
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“President Trump has said publicly that he learned from his first term,” Mike Davis, a conservative lawyer who speaks frequently with the president-elect, told Reuters.
Davis, who helped Trump approve his Supreme Court picks in the Senate as a top aide on Capitol Hill, receives frequent praise from Trump’s more conservative allies.
“Political appointees need competence and loyalty. It’s not enough to have just one or the other, you have to have both.”
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On Platform X last week, Davis was blunt: “Before you ask me for help, I will ask you to provide me with specific, concrete evidence of your loyalty to Trump,” he wrote.
“If you can’t provide much of this evidence, stop asking me.”
To keep those considered disloyal out of the Trump administration, his transition team conducts a detailed review of all potential appointees for signs that they may turn against their boss, including lower-level appointments such as assistant and deputy secretaries. , according to two people involved in the process.
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Researchers hired by Trump’s transition team are examining potential nominees’ past statements to see if they have ever spoken negatively about Trump, according to one of those people involved in the process. They are also checking whether potential nominees have donated to Democrats — or even to Republicans who have criticized the president-elect, the source added.
A Trump spokesman did not speak directly about the model for choosing new appointees, but said decisions on key appointments were imminent. Three appointments — White House chief of staff, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and border officer — have already been announced.
In a statement, the Democratic National Committee expressed concern that Trump was choosing officials out of personal loyalty, which Democrats said would put Trump’s interests above those of the nation.
