President-elect Donald Trump’s unconventional picks for a number of important Cabinet positions in his second administration have set him on a collision course with the GOP-led Senate.
Trump tapped GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz to be attorney general. Gaetz is a controversial figure on Capitol Hill who is unpopular with Democrats and Republicans alike. Some Republican senators have already signaled Gaetz will struggle to get confirmed. “I do not see him as a serious candidate,” said GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.
Gaetz, who was investigated by the Justice Department over sex trafficking allegations, abruptly resigned from the House on Wednesday. The resignation ended a House Ethics Committee inquiry of him over allegations of sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, and Senate Republicans are now pushing for access to the findings of the probe.
Trump’s pick for defense secretary, Fox News host Pete Hegseth, is also unorthodox. Though Hegseth is an Army veteran, he has no government experience and is unknown by many in Washington. And Trump’s selection for director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, is also controversial. She has no experience in the intelligence community and has faced allegations of parroting Kremlin propaganda.
The president-elect has also tappedRobert F. Kennedy Jr., a prominent vaccine skeptic, to be his health secretary. Kennedy — who does not have a medical or public health degree — has divisive views on an array of health issues, including advocating for the removal of fluoride from drinking water. If confirmed, Kennedy would have control over America’s health agencies. He’s threatened to fire experts and eliminate entire departments.
What’s Trump playing at? “Gaetz and Gabbard are unlikely to be confirmed by the Senate,” says Clayton Allen, Eurasia Group’s US director. “But the battle over their confirmations will force a battle with institutionalists that was likely coming at some point, and it will serve as a litmus test that either proves Trump’s hold over Republicans in Congress or sets up a concerted effort to work around moderate holdouts.”