Before his election, Donald Trump avoided having official discussions about a possible Cabinet. However, that didn’t stop him from making fun of prospective candidates when he was frequently flying to campaign events or when he saw someone he liked on TV. According to a person with knowledge of Trump’s remarks who was given anonymity to speak freely, Trump has recently commented, “He would be great at this,” or “She would be great at that,” when watching surrogates on television. Similar to his months-long quest for a running mate, the TV circuit became a crucial arena for competitive bidding between allies hoping to land a Cabinet position.
Trump’s cabinet challenges
A few Cabinet contenders have even employed their PR departments. Due to Democrats’ slow-walking of the process, Trump’s first Cabinet was confirmed slowly, and over his four years in power, there was a high turnover rate in those top positions. As the nation’s top foreign policy official, Trump’s first term showed how secretaries of state can either fail or succeed. Trump and Rex Tillerson, his first secretary of state, had a chilly relationship. Trump gradually excluded Tillerson from US policymaking before firing him in front of the world on social media. However, Mike Pompeo, Tillerson’s successor, rose to prominence as one of Trump’s most dependable advisors and was able to get a position in a second administration. After years of Trump’s taunts about the US pulling out of NATO and his desire to reduce military assistance for Ukraine, Europe will be watching his choice for secretary of state with great interest. It will also be a gauge of the remaining influence of Russia hawks in the Republican Party.
Hesitation to intervene
Few issues are more important to voters than the economy, and Trump’s choice for Treasury secretary would be furthering a goal that would influence a key aspect of his legacy. In an administration where top positions were frequently replaced, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin turned out to be one of Trump’s more enduring Cabinet members. The incoming secretary will now lead the White House through two of the most important fiscal conflicts that will shape Washington in the upcoming year: discussions over the expiring 2017 Republican tax bill and a possibly brutal debt ceiling showdown.
Trump’s next choices for Treasury secretary and other important economic positions will be closely watched to see if he will govern as a more traditional, business-friendly Republican or pursue any of the populist policies he advocated during the campaign, like imposing a new set of 20 percent tariffs on the majority of imports. Even if they oppose Trump’s protectionist trade policies, business leaders, Wall Street executives, and congressional Republicans have supported his proposals to reduce corporate taxes and regulations.
Key nominees at risk
Trump’s secretary of defense will have to spend time defending his largely isolationist outlook against the department’s more than two million personnel and the national security establishment. Since the employee frequently persuades the public and members of both parties, loyalty will also be crucial in this function. Once a favorite in Trump’s Cabinet, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis discreetly disagreed with the president on a number of strategic issues, including Trump’s call for a Space Force, a ban on transgender military personnel, and the deployment of thousands of troops to the border between the United States and Mexico.
He vocally opposed Trump’s plan to remove troops from Syria when he finally announced his resignation in 2018. Following George Floyd’s murder in 2020, Mattis later denounced Trump’s proposal to send American military personnel to patrol American streets, claiming the government was creating a “mockery of the Constitution.” Since then, Trump has been upset with Mattis and his successor, Mark Esper, accusing them of not adhering to his policy orders.
Choosing the country’s next attorney general is one of Trump’s top priorities after regaining the presidency. The attorney general will have the authority to assist Trump in achieving two of his primary legal goals: removing the federal criminal cases that are against him and bringing charges against his adversaries. Special Counsel Jack Smith is attempting to restore a previously dismissed federal criminal case against the president-elect, in addition to an ongoing federal criminal prosecution. Trump’s directive to his Justice Department to ensure that these two lawsuits are resolved will undoubtedly be one of his first business decisions.
Trump is scheduled to be sentenced for his hush-money conviction in Manhattan and is also facing charges in a state-level criminal case in Georgia. Even though the attorney general won’t be in charge of those prosecutions, it’s quite likely that they will be postponed until after Trump leaves office.
