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The members of Trump’s Cabinet have different ideologies hidden behind the message of ‘America First’. Some potential nominees are motivated by seeking revenge, others aim to stabilize markets, and a third group is determined to make drastic cuts to personnel and budgets.
Written by David E. Sanger
David E. Sanger has reported on five different American presidents during his career spanning over forty years at The New York Times.
The last set of cabinet picks and appointments made by President-elect Donald J. Trump were said to create a cohesive and loyal administration focused on his "Make America Great Again" agenda. However, upon closer inspection, there are actually three separate groups with varying beliefs and ideologies that have been kept under control to ensure successful confirmation.
A group of individuals seeking revenge, led by potential nominees, have been tasked with dismantling the Justice Department, intelligence agencies, and Defense Department. Their goal is to target the so-called deep state and anyone involved in prosecuting Mr. Trump.
Mr. Trump has a team focused on calming the markets, with hopes that Scott Bessent, a Wall Street billionaire chosen by Mr. Trump for Treasury secretary, will lead it. While Mr. Bessent supports deregulation and lower taxes, he is likely to prevent Mr. Trump’s more extreme ideas, such as tariffs that could cause inflation, from negatively impacting the post-election stock market growth.
A team headed by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy is working towards reducing the size of the government. Their aim is to cut at least $2 trillion from the yearly federal budget, which is more than the total amount spent on federal employee salaries. In the 2024 fiscal year, the total federal budget was $6.75 trillion.
One of the major uncertainties of the new administration is how these missions will intersect and potentially clash with each other.
Having a variety of beliefs and viewpoints is typically viewed as a positive aspect of presidential cabinets. However, the recent choices made by Mr. Trump have surprised some, as they seem to have a diverse range of experiences and perspectives that may not align perfectly with his "Make America Great Again" platform or loyalty to him. It is unlikely that a few of his selections would feel at ease at a Trump rally.
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