{"id":4537,"date":"2024-11-26T12:22:25","date_gmt":"2024-11-26T12:22:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thewitnessexet.wpengine.com\/?p=4537"},"modified":"2025-02-07T21:01:22","modified_gmt":"2025-02-07T21:01:22","slug":"trumps-cabinet-whos-in-whats-at-stake","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thewitnessexeter.co.uk\/?p=4537","title":{"rendered":"Trump\u2019s Cabinet: Who\u2019s In, What\u2019s at Stake?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n \t<\/i> Read Time:<\/span>4 Minute, 22 Second <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n

Following a flood of initial cabinet nominations for President Trump\u2019s administration, Vice President JD Vance heads to Capitol Hill to seek Senate approval. But who\u2019s been chosen, what might their nominations mean and why\u2014in typical Trump fashion\u2014 are they so contentious?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marco Rubio \u2013 Secretary of State<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senator Marco Rubio has been nominated as Secretary of State. Having run against Trump in the 2016 Republican primaries, Rubio is known for his foreign policy positions, particularly on China and Russia. Condemning the invasion of Ukraine, Rubio recently demanded<\/a> the conflict \u201cbe brought to a conclusion\u201d, a conflicting stance to the approval US long-range missiles<\/a> just last week. In the Middle East, Rubio has backed Israel, advocating<\/a> for “the complete eradication of Hamas\u201d, posing a threat for those wishing for ceasefire. But for Trump\u2019s top diplomat, China is \u201cthe threat that will define this century\u201d.  Rubio has been a vocal critic on the subject matter of the country\u2019s human rights violations, military expansion and its threat to international security. That said, the between Rubio and dynamic President Trump, who suggested<\/a> he \u201ccouldn\u2019t be elected dogcatcher\u201d, will certainly spark interest in the upcoming months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pete Hegseth \u2013 Secretary of Defence <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the most controversial nominations, Fox News political pundit Pete Hegseth has been nominated to the head of The Pentagon. Prior to becoming a prolific \u2018anti-woke\u2019 warrior on Fox News, Hegseth served in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Now, he fights for command over a defence budget that amounted to $886bn this year. His love for the \u2018America First\u2019 ideology and his embrace of Trump\u2019s ambition to withdraw U.S. troops from abroad is clear. However, his lack of bureaucratic experience has raised concerns among senior military officials and senators alike. Critics have highlighted Hegseth\u2019s support<\/a> for Edward Gallagher, a Navy SEAL acquitted of stabbing a captive and wounded ISIS teenager. Despite conservative support, Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville responded<\/a> to the nomination saying \u201cReally? I\u2019d have to think about it.\u201d. Hegseth clearly has a battle to win Senate approval and gain authority over the U.S. armed forces, second only to the president. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Robert F Kennedy Jr. – Secretary of Health and Human Services<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The heir of an American political dynasty and having identified with Democratic values for most of his career, Robert F Kennedy Jr. expects to head the Department of Health. An environmental lawyer who unsuccessfully ran for the presidency, his unorthodox views have raised concerns among health officials. Despite gaining support for his \u2018Make America Healthy Again\u2019 message and speculation of pharmaceutical and food industries, he faces many controversies, most notably \u2018anti-vax’ allegations. A Fox News interview with Kennedy from 2023 went viral after he shared<\/a> his belief that \u201cautism comes from vaccines\u201d. This received backlash from professionals like Dr David Elliman, who denounced<\/a> Kennedy\u2019s \u201cutter disregard for the evidence\u201d. However, Kennedy\u2019s concerns<\/a> about ultra-processed foods and an \u201cobesity epidemic\u201d in the U.S. has resonated with voters. He also gained recognition for his critique of President Trump\u2019s diet, saying<\/a> \u201cthe stuff that he eats … is really … like, bad.\u201d. With his unconventional views, Kennedy heads to Washington to revolutionise a department responsible for 100 government programmes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pam Bondi \u2013 Attorney General<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following a turbulent eight days that led to the withdrawal of his original pick for Attorney General, Trump promptly swapped out the divisive Matt Gaetz for Pam Bondi. During Trump\u2019s first impeachment trial in 2019, the ex-Florida Attorney General served as Trump\u2019s legal advisor and defence attorney. Now, if confirmed by the Senate, she will become the US\u2019s chief law enforcement officer. Her nomination represents Trump\u2019s intent to appoint his unwavering supporters, especially considering his last Attorney General, William Parr, called<\/a> Trump\u2019s denial of the 2020 election result \u201ccrazy stuff\u201d. With Trump\u2019s ambitions to end \u201cweaponised government\u201d, end the border crisis and restore faith in the department, Bondi will have much to prove. However, for an administration hellbent on cracking down on crime, is a candidate who delayed an execution to attend her own fundraiser the best choice?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chris Wright \u2013 Energy Secretary<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

With his nomination of Chris Wright as Energy Secretary, Trump fulfils his promise to \u201cdrill baby, drill!\u201d. The nomination of a fracking company\u2019s founder described<\/a> as a \u201cmedia-friendly evangelist for fossil fuels\u201d, <\/em>is seen as a threat by climate activists. With Wright being nominated during the COP 29 conference in Azerbaijan, many are worried of the decision to appoint a man who insisted \u201cthere is no climate crisis\u201d. Wright established he doesn\u2019t care where energy is sourced \u201cas long as it is secure, reliable, affordable\u201d. For the fossil fuel industry, Wright\u2019s nomination signals a large win, with predictions of a production boom under Trump\u2019s administration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With President Trump prioritising loyalty over acceptance, the mixed response to his first few selections sets the stage for a difficult fight for Senate approval.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Edited by Elizabeth Strassheim<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Image: Cabinet Meeting, The White House from Wikimedia Commons<\/a>, 2019 \/\/ CC0<\/a><\/p>\n

\n
\n \n
\n \n \"Happy\"\n <\/a>\n
\n Happy <\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n \n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n \"Sad\"\n <\/a>\n
\n Sad <\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n \"Excited\"\n <\/a>\n
\n Excited <\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n \"Sleepy\"\n <\/a>\n
\n Sleepy <\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n \n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n \"Angry\"\n <\/a>\n
Angry<\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n \"Surprise\"\n <\/a>\n
Surprise<\/div>\n
\n 1<\/span>\n 100<\/span> %<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n ","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Following a flood of initial cabinet nominations for President Trump\u2019s administration, Vice President JD Vance heads to Capitol Hill to seek Senate approval. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":83,"featured_media":4538,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[30,37,414,29],"tags":[149,81,231,218,477,476,44],"class_list":["post-4537","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics","category-us","category-us-politics","category-world","tag-economy","tag-politics","tag-presidential-election","tag-us-politics","tag-washington","tag-white-house","tag-world"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewitnessexeter.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4537","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewitnessexeter.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewitnessexeter.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewitnessexeter.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/83"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewitnessexeter.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4537"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thewitnessexeter.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4537\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewitnessexeter.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4538"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewitnessexeter.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4537"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewitnessexeter.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4537"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewitnessexeter.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4537"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}