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The composition of Trump’s Cabinet reflects a variety of ideologies that are masked under the guise of prioritizing America’s interests. Some potential nominees are driven by a desire for retaliation, while others aim to stabilize the economy and some are dedicated to reducing both personnel and budgets, though this may prove difficult to achieve.
Written by David E. Sanger
For over forty years, David E. Sanger has reported on five different American presidents for The New York Times.
President-elect Donald J. Trump completed his selection of cabinet members and other appointments, with his team highlighting a cohesive and loyal administration focused on his "Make America Great Again" agenda. However, beneath the surface, there are at least three separate groups with different beliefs, all working together to navigate the confirmation process.
A group of individuals seeking revenge, headed by potential nominees, have been given commands to dismantle the Justice Department, intelligence agencies, and Defense Department. They are targeting the "deep state" and those involved in prosecuting Mr. Trump.
Mr. Trump wants a team to help stabilize the markets, with Scott Bessent, a Wall Street billionaire chosen by Trump for Treasury secretary, potentially leading the team. Bessent supports MAGA policies of deregulation and lower taxes, but would likely work to prevent Trump’s more extreme ideas, such as tariffs that could cause inflation, from negatively impacting the post-election stock market growth.
A team of government officials led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy is aiming to significantly reduce the size of the government. Their goal is to cut at least $2 trillion from the annual federal budget, which is more than what is spent on salaries for all federal employees. Just for reference, the total federal budget for the 2024 fiscal year was $6.75 trillion.
One of the biggest uncertainties of the new administration is how these missions will come together and potentially clash.
Having a variety of different beliefs and opinions is typically viewed as a positive aspect of presidential cabinets. However, a surprising aspect of Mr. Trump’s recent choices is the diverse range of backgrounds and perspectives that are sometimes hidden beneath a surface level of loyalty to the Make America Great Again slogan and to Mr. Trump personally. Some of his selections may not fit in well at a Trump rally.
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