Donald Trump is increasingly announcing the names of people he wants in his cabinet from January. Last night the first possible appointments were made, tonight the incoming president announced that he wants parliamentarian Matt Gaetz as his Minister of Justice. “This is a huge shock for Washington,” says correspondent Erik Mouthaan.
Matt Gaetz is not the first notable name, but he is probably the one who will probably cause the most controversy, Mouthaan thinks. Gaetz was previously under investigation for his possible involvement in the sexual exploitation of a minor woman.
A friend of Matt Gaetz has been sentenced to 11 years in prison in a sex trafficking case. Gaetz himself was ultimately not convicted. “But the fact that a parliamentarian is nominated as minister of justice, after all, makes jaws drop. His only link with the justice system is that he himself was a suspect.”
In this video we explain more about Trump’s notable cabinet appointments:
Another name that caused a shock in Washington, according to Mouthaan, is that of Tulsi Gabbard. She is nominated by Trump for the highest intelligence position. She is therefore responsible for the intelligence briefings that Trump receives daily as president. Mouthaan: “Gabbard has spread conspiracy theories in the past via the platform X.”
The post Trump wants her for is also one that requires a lot of experience, while Gabbard, according to Mouthaan, is best known for remarkable media appearances and angry tweets. “Gabbard, like Gaetz, has little understanding of the area in which she may be appointed.”
‘Total loyalty’
The nominations say something about Trump: he feels he was lied to by his cabinet during his first term of office. According to Mouthaan, the Republican now wants ministers who are 100 percent on his side. “He wants total loyalty.”
Notable names that Trump previously announced are those of Elon Musk and Pete Hegseth. The latter is a Fox News host who is being nominated as Secretary of Defense. In that position he is responsible for the most powerful army in the world, with 1 million soldiers. However, Hegseth has no experience in the international field – and has never commanded an army.
The Senate must approve the appointments. But some of the names are so remarkable that Mouthaan expects the Senate to refuse those appointments. “Trump challenges the Republican-leaning Senate to reject the proposals.” Republican Senator Susan Collins already indicated that she was ‘shocked’ by Trump’s announcement of Gaetz.
The Republicans have 53 of the 100 seats in the Senate, and therefore a slight majority. But several senators, like Collins, are skeptical of Trump. “The Democrats are against it anyway. If a few Republicans are also against it, it won’t go ahead. So this could certainly be difficult,” said Mouthaan.
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