13 Ghoulish Facts About Trump's Cabinet Picks
In a move that absolutely anyone could have predicted, President-elect Donald Trump's cabinet picks can generously be described as a band of weirdos.
The short of it is that the Senate still has to confirm the appointments, though rejecting a President's appointee has been historically rare. Then again, Matt Gaetz is remarkably unpopular, so who knows!
Here are some of the people Trump thinks should be his closest advisers and the heads of federal agencies:
1.Robert F. Kennedy Jr.: Nominated for Secretary of the Health and Human Services Department
There's much we could say about Mr. Brainworm himself, but let's talk about Samoa. He notably led a nonprofit organization, Children's Health Defense, that spread anti-vaccine misinformation in Samoa that led to a decline in vaccinations. In 2019, 83 people — mostly children — then died of measles. He later said he had "nothing to do" with this.
2.Matt Gaetz: Nominated for Attorney General
If this goes through, Matt will be a leader at the same department that previously investigated him over "allegations he violated sex-trafficking laws during a trip he took to the Bahamas with paid escorts." The House of Representatives also investigated him for alleged "sexual misconduct, illicit drug use and misuse of campaign funds," though he resigned before the report could be released. He has denied the allegations.
3.Doug Collins: Nominated for Secretary of Veterans Affairs
Back in 2020, Doug annoyed a number of veterans when his campaign ads for the Georgia Senate reportedly violated Department of Defense policy by showing him in military attire without a clear disclaimer stating that the military does not endorse any particular candidate. The US military itself even had to reach out to him.
4.Dean John Sauer: Nominated For Solicitor General
Dean is one of Trump's lawyers and represented him in his Jan. 6 case "in which the Supreme Court ruled that presidents have immunity for 'official acts.'" He's also tried to overturn the $454 million judgment in the case brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James gave Trump "in a case alleging pervasive fraud in his business empire," Politico reports.
5.Tulsi Gabbard: Nominated for Director of National Intelligence
Beyond having essentially no experience in intelligence, Tulsi has been accused of trying to advance Russian interests. She previously (falsely) claimed that Ukraine had US-funded biological weapons labs, which Russia claimed as part of its justification for its invasion. In response, Mitt Romney said, "Tulsi Gabbard is parroting false Russian propaganda."
6.Marco Rubio: Nominated for Secretary of State
In 2022, the Human Rights Campaign gave Marco 0 out of 100 on their Congressional Scorecard. As the organization's National Campaign Director Geoff Wetrosky put it, "Sen. Marco Rubio is one of the most anti-LGBTQ+ politicians in America and a threat to every LGBTQ+ person in Florida. He has a dismal voting record, supports restrictive abortion laws, and opposes marriage equality and nondiscrimination protections."
7.Dan Scavino: Nominated for Deputy Chief of Staff
Scavino first met Donald Trump as a 16-year-old caddy, and before he became the longest-lasting member of the first Trump administration, he managed one of Trump's golf courses. In 2022, a House committee voted to hold him in contempt for refusing to testify about the events of Jan. 6. However, the Justice Department chose not to prosecute him.
8.Stephen Miller: Nominated for Homeland Security Advisor and Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy
Stephen Miller served in the last Trump administration, where he was known as the architect behind the Muslim travel ban and policies that led to the separation of children from their parents. Notorious for his vehement anti-immigration views, he has recently tweeted his intention to "turbocharge" a program that would strip citizenship rights from naturalized immigrants in 2025.
9.Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy: Nominated for Department of Government Efficiency
Jim Watson / AFP via Getty Images, Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images
To allegedly streamline the government and cut waste, Trump has appointed these two weirdos to head a department that shares its unfortunate name with a meme from 2010 (and a cryptocurrency that Musk has often promoted).
Musk, the richest man in the world, has said he's serving as the new Trump administration's "first buddy." His company, SpaceX, has gotten billions of dollars in government contracts, he's currently being sued for sexual harassment by eight former SpaceX employees, and his Super Pac reportedly spent $200 million on Trump's reelection campaign.
Ramaswamy is an entrepreneur and former Republican presidential hopeful. In 2023, he floated a plan to randomly fire all government employees whose Social Security Numbers end in odd numbers because what could go wrong? Full disclosure: Ramaswamy holds an activist stake in BuzzFeed and has pitched a plan for the company to pivot to video, featuring conservative commentators like Tucker Carlson.
10.Pete Hegseth: Nominated for Secretary of Defense
Hegseth is a Fox News commentator who previously served in the National Guard. When President Joe Biden was inaugurated in 2021, Hegseth was allegedly ordered by the National Guard not to attend due to his tattoo of the Jerusalem cross. This symbol, which Hegseth has tatted on his chest, is associated with the Crusades but has been adopted by far-right nationalists in recent years.
11.Mike Huckabee: Nominated for United States Ambassador to Israel
Former Governor of Arkansas Mike Huckabee has made the claim that Palestine doesn't really exist, calling Palestinians "a political tool to try and force land away from Israel." He has also called for a "one-state solution" to the war in Gaza and called himself an "unapologetic, unreformed Zionist."
12.Kristi Noem: Nominated for Homeland Security Secretary
Best known for sharing that she personally killed her own dog in her memoir, Kristi Noem also shared the stage with former President Trump while he swayed awkwardly during an impromptu 39-minute DJ set at a campaign event gone bizarre. She's currently the Governor of South Dakota, where her claim that Native American tribes benefit from the illegal drug trade has her banned from every reservation in the state.
13.And finally, Lee Zeldin: Nominated for Environmental Protection Agency Administrator
When he served in the House of Representatives, Zeldin voted against protecting federal lands near the Grand Canyon from uranium mining, against replacing lead pipes that carry drinking water, and in favor of a bill that would allow the US to stop participating in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The League of Conservation Voters has given him a 14% scorecard on environmental issues.
...So what do you think?
