Trump’s Appointed Cabinet, the Newest Controversy

Trumps+Appointed+Cabinet%2C+the+Newest+Controversy

Donald Trump is now filling key cabinet positions in his administration ahead of schedule. They will serve as advisory roles during his presidency. The choices so far are a mixed bag, consisting of a few outsiders and a few experienced establishment characters. Many people fear that these establishment appointments mean that Trump is breaking his promise to “drain the swamp,” but if Trump does not appoint at least a few people with experience, most of which are establishment individuals, he will not be able to successfully fulfill the many duties of the presidency.

The only appointment so far that I feel is a true betrayal of his base is the appointment of Steven Mnuchin to the position of Secretary of the Treasury. If establishment politicians who work against the interests of the American people are the “swamp,” Mnuchin is deserving of the title of a “swamp monster.” Although the Secretary of the Treasury is typically held by a Goldman Sachs banker, it is troubling that Trump would make this appointment after lambasting other politicians of having ties to Goldman Sachs. For instance, Trump accused Ted Cruz of being a “puppet” of Goldman Sachs after he received a low-interest loan and a small donation from the bank. Steven Mnuchin has 17 years of experience working for Goldman Sachs and OneWest, where he owned the title of “Foreclosure King.” In one case, Mnuchin foreclosed on a 90-year-old’s home after they failed to pay the 27 cents on a mortgage payment of $430.27.

Other than that blot on his cabinet, he has picked relatively capable people. He has appointed Senator Jeff Sessions, a bulwark against illegal immigration to the position of Attorney General, former Lt. Gen.  and Democrat Michael T. Flynn who wants to work with the Russians and avoid conflict overseas will be his National Security Advisor, and Steve Bannon from Breitbart News Network who shares in Trump’s “economically nationalist” platform on trade and infrastructure spending will serve as his Senior Strategist. These people are for the most part beloved by Trump’s base and indicate that Trump does in fact intend to keep his campaign promises.

A few other interesting picks and the appointment of former Georgia representative Tom Price to fill the role of Secretary of Health and Human services as well as the appointment of Democrat investor Wilbur Ross as Secretary of Commerce. Price’s focus would be on repealing ObamaCare which has been one of Trump’s proposals. The question, however, is whether he would also replace it or simply have it repealed. Ross is an investor known for buying failed businesses and making the changes necessary to have them thrive, as well as being a supporter of Trump’s proposal to establish a tariff on foreign goods brought to the U.S.

However, Trump’s Secretary of Defense pick, the retired four-star general James “mad dog” Mattis, nicknamed for his tough as nails persona and fiery temper may be an awkward fit. He certainly has the qualifications for the position, but his foreign policy views may conflict with Trump’s vision. He is relatively eager to start conflict with Iran and is at the very least skeptical of Russia. However, Trump’s slogan on foreign policy is “peace through strength.” It would make sense to appoint Mattis as a strong leader to head the Pentagon, but the results of the pick just depends on how much influence Mattis has over Trump. We want the expertise and strength of Mattis, but we don’t necessarily want his hawkish foreign policy views.

The true enigma of Trump’s cabinet is the selection of retired neurosurgeon and early supporter Ben Carson to the position of Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. My thoughts on this are summed up in one simple word – Why? Carson has next to no experience with public housing barring the fact that he lived in public housing when he was young. It would make much more sense to appoint him to the role of Surgeon General or another position dealing with medicine.

Another big appointment was made recently which was to have Gen. John Kelly as the head of the Department of Homeland Security and Kris Kobach as his second-in-command chief deputy. This is an optimistic move for people who supported Trump for his immigration views as both are hardliners on border enforcement and deportment.

There is one more big appointments and a handful of smaller choices left to make. The big appointment still to be made is the Secretary of State. Trump is considering a plethora of people with varying foreign policy views for the Secretary of State position; Mitt Romney, Rudy Giuliani, Jon Huntsman, John Bolton, Rex Tillerson, Dana Rohrabacher, and david Petraeus are in the running for the role. The person who most closely agrees with Trump’s views is Rohrabacher, a Republican representative from  California and a speechwriter for former President Ronald Reagan. Giulini, Romney or Tillerson could be tolerable for the position. However, Huntsman, Bolton, and Petraeus should be avoided like the plague for their hawkish views.

Ultimately, there is still a lot left to be revealed, but the cabinet so far shows that Trump’s presidency will look fairly similarly to what he promised on the campaign.