According to some, Trump’s Cabinet picks aren’t a political dream team, but a bunch of bench warmers.
MSNBC anchor Ayman Mohyeldin ripped into Trump’s Cabinet picks, calling them “political losers” who were “defeated in elections in just about every way imaginable.” For a president as obsessed with the idea of winning as Donald Trump, Trump’s choices reflect an odd departure from the thing that the president-elect values above all else.
It’s not just people who have tried to compete with Trump for the White House and failed,” Mohyeldin continues, “Trump has also welcomed figures into the fold who lost key races for the Republican Party.” On the subject of political failures, Trump personally beat some of his Cabinet choices in elections. Senator Marco Rubio – slated for Secretary of State – saw himself eclipsed by Donald Trump in the Republican Primary in 2016. Trump also soundly defeated North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum in the 2024 primary, yet picked the man to run the Interior Department. Other Trump Cabinet picks tasted election defeat before they got anywhere close to the president-elect’s sphere of influence – such was the case with T.V. physician Dr. Oz , who was sorely defeated in the race for the Pennsylvania Senate.
But these candidates are far from the only “losers” that Trump has chosen. Trump’s HHS pick Robert F. Kennedy announced a long-shot presidential run in 2024, but quickly withdrew from the running and pledged his support for Trump. Meanwhile, Trump’s Intelligence pick Tulsi Gabbard was once a Democrat rising-star, but then fell out of favor with her party and switched her allegiance to the GOP in a last ditch effort to save a stagnating political career. Trump’s Education pick Linda McMahon lost her shot at the Senate to Christopher S. Murphy in a race that The New York Times called “bitter.” Trump’s choice for ambassador to Mexico Kari Lake was such a nuisance to her own party that some Republicans are thrilled that she’ll be leaving the state of Arizona. Compounded with the fact that two of Trump’s Cabinet picks have faced sexual assault allegations, and one has absolutely no qualifications for his Cabinet role whatsoever, it’s clear that the president-elect is assembling a rouge’s galley made of political flotsam and jetsam – and Ayman Mohyeldin is anything but impressed.
But according to Mohyeldin, there’s a method to the madness. “It might seem odd for Trump to choose so many political losers,” continued the MSNBC Anchor, who then pointed out that Trump “has repeatedly said the biggest mistake of his first term was choosing the ‘wrong people,'” people that “pushed back against his policies.” Mohyeldin believes that Trump’s new Cabinet will prove to be “malleable” for the president-elect, a cadre of yes-men that Trump will have no problem influencing. “This allows Trump to tighten his control during his time in the White House,” said Mohyeldin – allowing him to rule as he sees fit.
And make no mistake, Trump wants to rule. The president-elect has repeated stated his intent to become something of an American dictator, and reportedly once said that he needed “the kind of generals that Hitler had,” loyal followers who won’t stand in his way as he consolidates power. I’m sure Mohyeldin would agree that with a Cabinet like this, Trump is closer to authoritarian power than ever before.
Published: Dec 18, 2024 05:02 am