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The members of Trump’s Cabinet have various ideologies that are hidden under the guise of ‘America First’. Some potential nominees are seeking revenge, others are trying to stabilize markets, and another group is dedicated to cutting down on both staff and budgets, possibly in a futile manner.
Written by David E. Sanger
David E. Sanger has been a journalist for The New York Times for over forty years, during which time he has reported on the actions of five different
The last set of cabinet picks and appointments made by President-elect Donald J. Trump were said to form a cohesive and supportive administration focused on the "Make America Great Again" (MAGA) agenda. However, upon closer inspection, there appear to be three separate groups with different beliefs and a variety of ideologies, kept in check to navigate the confirmation process.
A group seeking revenge is being led by potential candidates. They have been instructed to dismantle the Justice Department, intelligence agencies, and Defense Department in order to locate and target members of the alleged deep state and those involved in prosecuting Mr. Trump.
Mr. Trump has put together a team to reassure the markets, with Scott Bessent, a billionaire from Wall Street, as a potential leader. Bessent is familiar with Trump’s stance on deregulation and lower taxes, but he may work to prevent extreme measures like imposing tariffs on foreign goods that could cause inflation and disrupt 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, with the goal of cutting at least $2 trillion from the annual federal budget. This amount is larger than the total cost of salaries for all federal employees, and the total federal budget for the 2024 fiscal year was $6.75 trillion.
The integration and potential conflicts between these missions are major uncertainties for the new administration.
Having a variety of different ideologies and opinions is usually viewed as a positive aspect of presidential cabinets. However, what stands out about President Trump’s recent cabinet selections is the diversity of experiences and perspectives they bring, despite outwardly showing loyalty to the Make America Great Again movement and to Trump himself. Some of his picks may not fit in well at a Trump rally.
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