•Press Release cabinet election Matt Gaetz Trump
Attempt to demonstrate his overwhelming power over his party could fail, and undermine his agenda
Washington, D.C. – The failure of the nomination of Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) for Attorney General could be a major blow to President Trump’s power in his second term, said Dean Baker, Senior Economist at the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR).
“Trump’s choice of people for cabinet positions who are vastly unqualified — or as in Gaetz’s case, also unacceptable in other ways — seemed intended to solidify Trump’s position as the ‘Great Leader’ whom Republican politicians had to follow if they wanted to survive politically,” Baker said. “By accepting his choices, Senators would show that Trump was in complete control. But it’s not working out that way.”
Gaetz was a tough sell, having been investigated– although not formally charged– by the House of Representatives for sex trafficking. And he was widely seen as unqualified, and too partisan, for the job of Attorney General.
Some observers suggested that the Gaetz nomination was not serious, but only a distraction to help other unqualified candidates get confirmed. But it appears that Trump himself made phone calls to senators to try and get their votes, and dispatched JD Vance to lobby for Gaetz.
Other Trump cabinet nominees may run into trouble. Pete Hegseth, Trump’s pick for Secretary. of Defense, has been in the military in Iraq and Afghanistan. He is best known for his career at Fox News. He has little or no experience running much of anything, much less a $850 billion a year organization like the Pentagon.
And Chris Wright, the fossil fuel CEO who is Trump’s pick for the Department of Energy, recently said, “There is no climate crisis, and we’re not in the midst of an energy transition, either.”
Trump’s quick replacement for Gaetz is former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi. She was one of Trump’s lawyers during his first impeachment and was on Fox and Friends during the last election making false allegations of vote fraud in Pennsylvania.
Trump campaigned at least part of the time as the “candidate of peace” and to “Make America Healthy Again.” But he picked Dr Mehmet Oz, a cardiothoracic surgeon and TV doctor, who has been heavily criticized for promoting unproven treatments — including hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19 — to oversee the two biggest federal health programs, Medicare and Medicaid, that together comprise about 40 percent of total national health spending.
And his pick for Secretary of State, Florida Senator Marco Rubio, has never met a US sponsored war, or regime change operation — including against democratically elected governments — that he didn’t like.
“Trump’s trifecta victory does not represent so much of a political change in the electorate, and may not be as durable as it’s often made out to be,” said Mark Weisbrot, Co-Director of CEPR. “Arithmetically, the last election is very similar to the last two presidential elections in 2020 and 2016. Just 1/7 of one percent of the votes cast separated the winner from the loser of the electoral vote this time.”
“George W. Bush, 24 years ago, was the last US president to have his party running the Congress and keep it for a four year term. It’s not that likely that Trump will do the same. He’s not off to a good start with his cabinet appointments.”
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