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The members of Trump’s Cabinet have various ideologies that are hidden behind the slogan of ‘America First’. Some potential nominees are driven by a desire for revenge, others are focused on stabilizing markets, and a third group is committed to reducing staff and budgets, even if it seems like an impossible task.
Written by David E. Sanger.
For more than 40 years, David E. Sanger has reported on five different American presidents for The Times.
President-elect Donald J. Trump has finalized his cabinet picks and other appointments, which his aides claim to form a cohesive, loyal administration driven by the Make America Great Again (MAGA) agenda. However, upon closer inspection, there appear to be three different factions and a variety of ideologies within the administration, kept in check during the confirmation process.
A group of individuals seeking revenge, headed by potential candidates, have been given orders to dismantle the Justice Department, intelligence agencies, and Defense Department. They are targeting the "deep state" and individuals involved in prosecuting Mr. Trump.
Mr. Trump has assembled a team to help stabilize the markets, with Scott Bessent being considered for a leadership role. Bessent, a billionaire from Wall Street, has been selected by Trump for Treasury secretary. While Bessent supports deregulation and lower taxes like Trump, he would likely work to prevent extreme measures such as imposing tariffs on foreign goods that could lead to inflation and disrupt the post-election stock market growth.
There is a team working to reduce the size of the government, with leaders like Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. Their goals are very ambitious, aiming to cut at least $2 trillion from the annual federal budget. This amount is even larger than the total cost of salaries for all federal employees. Just to note, the total federal budget for the 2024 fiscal year was $6.75 trillion.
The way these missions will come together and where they may conflict is a major uncertainty facing the new administration.
Having a variety of beliefs and opinions is typically viewed as a positive aspect of presidential cabinets. However, what stands out about President Trump’s recent selections is the diversity of backgrounds and perspectives that may not align completely with his "Make America Great Again" platform. Some of his picks may not seem like they would fit in well at a Trump rally, despite their loyalty to him.
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