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President-elect Donald J. Trump is showing no signs of backing down despite facing pushback from Washington after his initial pick, Matt Gaetz, fell through. His choice to appoint Kash Patel as F.B.I. director demonstrates his determination to appoint individuals who share his ideology, even if they are controversial figures or have personal connections to him.
Authored by Peter
Peter Baker is a journalist who specializes in covering the White House and has reported on the activities of the last five presidents, one of them being Donald J. Trump.
Despite facing criticism for his current appointees, President Trump remains steadfast in his decisions as he picks his new administration. Instead of choosing individuals with more credentials and widespread respect who would have an easier time getting confirmed by the Senate, Trump continues to select ideological figures, conspiracy theorists, and even family members for high-ranking government roles at a quick pace.
One notable move made by him was to remove Christopher A. Wray, the F.B.I. director he originally chose, and instead appoint Kash Patel to lead the agency. Patel, who has labeled himself as an opponent of the alleged "deep state," is viewed as a highly controversial figure. Many Trump advisors in the previous administration worked to prevent him from gaining significant influence due to concerns about his disruptive and potentially harmful behavior.
As people were paying attention to Mr. Patel, Mr. Trump made announcements over the weekend about appointing the fathers-in-law of two of his children to significant positions. He revealed that he plans to nominate Charles Kushner, who is the father of Jared Kushner (husband of Ivanka Trump) and had previously been pardoned by Mr. Trump, to serve as ambassador to France. Additionally, he selected Massad Boulos, the father of Michael Boulos (husband of Tiffany Trump), to be his White House senior adviser focusing on Arab and Middle Eastern affairs.
Mr. Trump’s commitment to making non-traditional appointments shows his strong desire to have loyal supporters who will help him achieve his goals, such as seeking revenge against those he sees as adversaries. He has claimed that President Biden is using government agencies to target him, despite no proof of Biden’s involvement in recent investigations.
Mr. Trump’s controversial picks are also a challenge to Senate Republicans to test their willingness to oppose nominees they believe are unfit, especially after they successfully blocked former Representative Matt Gaetz’s nomination for attorney general.
According to Gregg Nunziata, a former chief nominations counsel for Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans, the president is intentionally selecting nominees who may lack traditional qualifications but show strong personal loyalty and a willingness to be confrontational. This strategy appears to be a deliberate test of the Senate’s ability and willingness to fulfill its constitutional duty as a check on the president.
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