CNN
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America’s new rulers are displaying purpose and unity as Donald Trump moves from his successful rescue of Pete Hegseth to three more provocative cabinet picks.
The complex dynamics driving the most powerful presidential transition in modern history became public on Saturday as the president-elect presided over his political family at an Army-Navy football game alongside candidates for leadership of the Pentagon. It became.
The event is the latest show of Republican dominance that will take America in a vastly different direction in the coming weeks, with the president-elect, Vice President-elect J.D. Vance, House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority-elect John Thune The general administration of the hospital met together. .
After weathering the initial storm over allegations of Mr. Hegseth’s past misconduct, President Trump issued a firm statement saying he hoped his nomination, which he had denied, would be confirmed. Trump’s pick for director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, also stood close to him, as Trump was concerned about reservations some Republican senators had about her stance on Russia and Syria. It shows that it is not.
This is probably the first power football game held in the Washington area since the late Redskins owner Jack Kent Cooke corralled the politically connected rich and famous into the RFK Stadium box in the 1980s and 1990s. It became the most prominent show of the year. As Trump, Vance, and Congressional leaders, as well as the ubiquitous Elon Musk, looked out and waved at the loud, welcoming crowds, the country’s new establishment looked almost like the politburo of the MAGA movement. I saw it.
However, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services, was not seen. Incoming Trump faces political storm on Capitol Hill as he is scheduled to meet with senators this week given his past skepticism about childhood vaccines that have saved millions of American lives He could be a cabinet candidate.
Republican Congressional leaders were well-attended. Mr. Johnson hitched a ride to Mr. Trump early in his term and has been backed by the president-elect, but now faces the difficult task of shepherding the new administration’s hard line through a slim House majority. And Mr. Thune said Washington would maintain, albeit heavily eroded, the Senate’s prerogatives to steer controversial nominees through the Senate and check the potential power grabs of endless new presidents. It may be one of the most difficult jobs in the world.
Musk hovers on President Trump’s shoulders, symbolizing an extraordinary entry into the inner circle of the president-elect, the world’s richest man and one of the most influential sources of non-state power. was. The SpaceX pioneer’s presence is a reminder of the massive conflicts of interest that could permeate the new administration.
Trump’s appearance at Saturday’s game comes at a time when former and future presidents will assume power as current commander-in-chief Joe Biden disappears from the stage ahead of his final Christmas in the White House. This was the latest photoshoot in the process. .
So far, President Trump has experienced only one major reversal — the ouster of his first choice for attorney general, Matt Gaetz, launching trade battles with Mexico and Canada, and engaging with world leaders. They held talks and once again took de facto control of U.S. foreign policy. Take to the world stage with a trip to Paris.
President Trump’s controversial cabinet choices are an expression of defiance against the political system that he believes stifled his most aggressive instincts during his first term. And his refusal to abandon Hegseth and his endorsement of Gabbard, Kennedy Jr. and FBI critic Kash Patel to lead the bureau is an uncompromising omen for the administration that takes office next month. .
“Donald Trump won. He won overwhelmingly,” former Sen. Mitt Romney, a longtime Trump critic, said in an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper that aired Sunday on “State of the Union.” He said what he’s going to do and that’s what he’s doing.” “This is a team of people who are very different, very different backgrounds, different perspectives on issues, different than the president in some cases, and it’s not the kind of people I would pick, it’s an unusual collection of individuals,” Utah State. said the Republican.
As Washington prepares for contentious confirmation hearings in January, Romney said the Senate is responsible for ensuring there are no “skeleton” haunting Cabinet picks that could embarrass the country. I warned you that there is. But in a sign that the Republican Party is becoming more populist, Romney, who lost his presidential bid in 2012, will not serve in the Senate.
Will Trump deploy Hegseth’s strategy against Gabbard, Patel, and Kennedy?
Trump’s team is growing more confident now that the dust over Hegseth has subsided. Mr Hegseth faces sexual assault allegations, which he denies, and insists concerns over his past drinking are not an issue. The Iraq and Afghanistan war veteran has promised to overhaul the Pentagon’s racial and gender diversity programs if approved. His chances are numbered, given Trump’s public support and conservative media pressure campaigns against Republican senators like Joni Ernst of Iowa, who expressed early misgivings about his selection. Looks much healthier than it did a week ago.
“I think he got through the gauntlet, I think he stepped in, he fought, he defended himself,” Jason Miller, a senior adviser to President Trump, told Newsmax on Friday, adding that the president-elect will deliver his presidential address. We have listed the types of qualities that are considered to be required. cabinet picks.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, said Sunday that he told Mr. Hegseth he intended to release a woman who accused him of sexual assault in 2017 but was not charged from a non-disclosure agreement. Graham told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that anyone who wants to file a complaint should “come forward.” Hegseth’s attorney, Tim Parlatore, told CNN’s Caitlan Collins this month that anyone who makes accusations against his client “does so at their own risk of further defamation lawsuits. It will become.” CNN has reached out to President Trump’s transition team for comment.
But attention has shifted to Trump’s other nominees, with Kennedy facing new escalation over past vaccine skepticism. Outgoing Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell warned Friday that those seeking Senate confirmation should avoid “the appearance of involvement” in efforts to discredit proven treatments. did. The statement, which did not mention Kennedy by name, was especially poignant given that the Kentucky senator contracted polio as a child and continues to live with complications. This was a fact that received widespread attention following Kennedy’s fall last week.
Mr. McConnell’s warning was not an empty threat. Assuming all Democrats oppose it, it would take just four Republicans to block Kennedy’s nomination, and his longtime leadership and personal background could provide cover for other senators. There is also gender. President Kennedy’s past came to light after the New York Times reported that one of his colleagues, attorney Aaron Siri, had filed a petition with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration seeking to revoke the approval of the polio vaccine used in the United States. Attacks on some vaccines are also a focus. Siri filed this petition on behalf of the Informed Consent Action Network (ICAN), a nonprofit organization that challenges the safety of vaccines and vaccine mandates. He is working with Kennedy to select officials for the next administration. CNN covered ICAN and President Trump’s transition.
President Trump praised the polio vaccine as “the greatest thing” in an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press” last week, saying someone would have to work very hard to make it ineffective. . But in an interview with Time magazine conducted in late November and published last week, the president-elect also made a “huge discussion” about the rising rate of autism diagnoses and plans to eliminate some vaccines for children. He also said that he would consider it. Scientists have repeatedly disproved the theory that vaccines cause autism. But despite this evidence, many anti-vaccine advocates are calling for more research on the issue.
Kennedy advocacy groups touted hundreds of doctors supporting Kennedy in a letter to the Senate on Sunday. “His unwavering commitment to scientific transparency and his determination to address the root causes of disease make him uniquely qualified to lead HHS,” Make American Healthy Again Action announced. The letter, signed by Dr. Mehmet Oz and others, says: , President Trump nominated to head the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Mr. Kennedy’s selection reflects Mr. Trump’s contrarian tendencies and willingness to mock the consensus of the health and political establishment in Washington. This fits into a pattern of promoting prominent skeptics of COVID-19 guidelines to senior administration positions during the pandemic.
But the growing controversy surrounding Mr. Kennedy leaves questions about whether Mr. Trump will fight as hard for the former Democrat as he fought for Mr. Hegseth. The sight of next year’s confirmation hearings turning into a showdown over the polio vaccine could change the trajectory of the nomination.
Kennedy’s campaign to take on U.S. food giants over unhealthy processed products could weaken his support among some senators whose states depend on the multibillion-dollar industry There is also the question of whether there is. Mr. Trump’s team is already strategizing on how to allay Republican concerns about Mr. Kennedy’s past support for abortion rights, which could disrupt his support in unexpected ways. There is. With this in mind, Mr. Kennedy’s pick could serve as a test case for one of the most important elements that will define the new Trump administration — the new president’s lack of support for unpopular races and candidates’ personal politics. How much money are you willing to spend?
Kennedy would follow in the footsteps of Gabbard and Patel on Capitol Hill, and both were fairly well received in public life. Republican senators appear in no hurry to break with the president-elect over Cabinet picks, knowing that Trump intends to shake up Washington like never before.
For example, Sen. Eric Schmidt, R-Missouri, called Gabbard a “patriot” on ABC News’ “This Week” on Sunday. “She has served our country honorably, and I think she is well-suited for the reform agenda. I tried hard,” he added.
Meanwhile, Mr. Graham signaled support for Mr. Patel, even though the former Congressional official has vowed in the past to purge the FBI and go after Mr. Trump’s political opponents and journalists. “What do I want from an FBI director right now? Someone who can wipe it out,” Graham said on “Meet the Press.” He added: “Let’s get back to the job of fighting crime. Don’t think about the political scale.”
Still, Mr. Patel’s critics fear he will further weaponize it to demonstrate loyalty to Mr. Trump in the name of drying up his political influence. Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said on ABC that Patel was “sadly a exemplar of the principles of the first Trump administration that has been elevated to the level of sycophancy.” . And the greater the flattery, the higher the position one can attain. ”
Schiff also criticized Gabbard for aligning herself with Russian propaganda surrounding the Ukraine war, visiting deposed Syrian tyrant Bashar al-Assad in 2017, and her lack of experience in the intelligence community. . “A person who has shown such poor judgment is not necessarily someone the president would seek advice from.”
Schiff’s comments reflect two themes going forward in Washington. The first is how far Democrats will try to bounce back after a disastrous election by portraying President Trump’s Cabinet picks as extreme, dangerous and unqualified.
But second, for at least the next two years leading up to the midterm elections, it will be up to Republicans to decide who holds office and, more broadly, what happens in Washington. That was the message Trump and his allies sent over a field in Landover, Maryland, as the Navy hoisted the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy with a 31-13 victory over the Army.
