Transition of power
Prom
Backed by
Analysis of current
Trump’s Cabinet: Numerous beliefs concealed under the guise of ‘America First’
There are different groups of potential nominees with varying priorities: some are looking for revenge, others are aiming to stabilize markets, and a third group is focused on making drastic cuts to both personnel and budgets.
Written by David E. Sanger.
David E. Sanger has been reporting for The Times for over 40 years, covering the administrations of five US presidents.
President-elect Donald J. Trump recently finalized his cabinet picks and other appointments, aiming to create a cohesive and supportive administration focused on his "Make America Great Again" (MAGA) agenda. However, beneath the surface, there are at least three separate groups with varying ideologies, all working together to navigate the confirmation process.
A group of individuals seeking revenge, led by potential candidates, are tasked with dismantling the Justice Department, intelligence agencies, and Defense Department. They are determined to root out the alleged deep state and target anyone involved in prosecuting Mr. Trump.
Mr. Trump has put together a team to calm the markets, with the intention of having Scott Bessent, a billionaire from Wall Street, lead it. Bessent is expected to support Trump’s goals of deregulation and lower taxes, but he may also work to prevent Trump’s more drastic measures, such as imposing tariffs on foreign goods that could lead to inflation, from negatively impacting the stock market’s post-election growth.
A team led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy is working to reduce the size of the government. Their goal is to cut at least $2 trillion from the annual federal budget, which is more than the total amount spent on federal employee salaries. The total federal budget in the 2024 fiscal year was $6.75 trillion.
One of the key uncertainties of the new administration is how these missions will interact and potentially conflict with each other.
Having a variety of different beliefs and perspectives is typically viewed as a positive aspect of presidential cabinets. However, what stands out about Mr. Trump’s recent cabinet choices is the diverse backgrounds and viewpoints that may not be obvious at first glance due to their outward support for the Make America Great Again movement and loyalty to Mr. Trump. It is unlikely that some of his selections would fit in well at a Trump rally.
We are experiencing difficulties in accessing the content of the article.
Kindly activate JavaScript in your browser preferences.
We appreciate your patience as we confirm access. If you are currently reading in Reader mode, please close the mode and sign in to your Times account, or consider subscribing to access all of The Times’ content.
We appreciate your understanding as we confirm access.
Have you already signed up? Please log in to access your
Looking for full access to The Times? Subscribe now.
Prom
Index of the website
Navigation to access site information