The soon-to-be second Trump administrationʼs cabinet picks are making waves in DC political circles‚ with several non-standard choices for key national-security positions (which got mixed reactions from both parties)
The basic problem is that [Trump] cant tell the difference between the national interest and his personal interest
In a break from his first term appointments Donald Trump picked less-traditional candidates for top spots: Mike Waltz as national-security advisor; Marco Rubio for state department chief; Tulsi Gabbard to lead intelligence; Matt Gaetz as attorney-general and Elise Stefanik for UN role
- Waltz and Rubio got ok feedback from experts
- Gabbard and Gaetz faced push-back from Senate
- Previous picks included well-known pros like Mattis and Pompeo
The ex-advisor pointed to three main risks for next year: trade-war problems; quick Ukraine war end thats bad for NATO; China-related issues — all these might come up fast. Bolton noted that strong leaders like Xi and Putin understand their goals well‚ while Trump often mis-reads situations; like when he stopped military practice with South-Korea to please Kim Jong-un
Republican foreign-policy experts worry that some nominees show more personal loyalty than professional skill-set. Gaetzʼs sudden step-down from Congress (right when nominated) stopped an on-going ethics check about his behavior