Let Us Not Be Surprised

We should have expected Trump to make clownish picks—even for Defense, Justice and Intelligence—driven by fealty. Are there enough sane senators to stop him from dismantling the government?

Leader of the circus coming to town. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images)

Remember: Donald Trump wants us to be demoralized. He wants to fuel conflict and outrage. He wants to push the boundaries as far as he can, not only to see what he can get away with, but to throw Congress and the country off-balance—or even into chaos—to strengthen his own position. In this warped vision, he rises on the ruins of others.

We knew that this time Trump would not pretend to appear smart and reasonable by surrounding himself with any of the best and the brightest; we knew that competence and experience mean nothing to him; he told us over and over, ad nauseam, that fealty to him is the highest value, the only value really. So let’s not be surprised by the first announcements that represent his preferences for a “leadership” team. And let’s not wonder why he would choose people who would significantly weaken key institutions of our democratic system and strengthen the applause from his friends in the Kremlin. Ultimately, this is not about building the future, but about ripping apart the world most Americans count on for safety and security.

Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense? This is a square-jawed, weekend co-host on Fox & Friends who’s written a book railing against “woke” culture in the military, has arrogantly insisted that women should be removed from combat roles and has been described by Trump as “a true believer in America First.” So what if this National Guard captain has zero experience managing a complex organization, let alone a bureaucracy that employs 1.3 million active-duty men and women and about 750,000 civilians with a budget of over $840 billion? Did you know he championed service members who were accused of war crimes? Did you know that he was asked to stand down from guarding President Biden at his inauguration because of his extremist religious tattoos? Have you heard him boast that he hasn’t washed his hands in a decade and doesn’t worry about germs because he can’t see them? A perfect no-nothing, stick-it-in-your-eye kind of guy for Trump.

Tulsi Gabbard for Director of National Intelligence? Well, we already learned how much Trump cared about the opinion of our intelligence agencies back in July 2018. That’s when Trump betrayed America in Helsinki, rejecting their findings that Russia interfered in the 2016 election and trusting Putin instead. How many of our allies have already determined that they can’t trust their secrets with Trump and are re-organizing their intelligence operations to avoid relying on America? The terrible odor of Gabbard’s pro-Putin, anti-Ukraine talk surely smells sweet to her prospective new boss. So what if she has no experience working in any of the nation’s 18 intelligence agencies? As Virginia congresswoman and member of the House Intelligence Committee Abigail Spanberger put it, "Not only is she ill-prepared and unqualified, but she traffics in conspiracy theories and cozies up to dictators like Bashar-al Assad and Vladimir Putin." To Trump, those qualities sound like strengths.

Matt Gaetz for Attorney General? Ethics investigations of his alleged pedophilia and sex trafficking involving minors is clearly not a problem for Trump, nor is his almost non-existent legal experience. He hasn’t been a prosecutor, a defense attorney or a judge. But this is the kind of guy who’s ready to seek retribution against anyone and everyone that the boss wants to punish. Why let the encumbrances of laws and facts slow that sweet dream of sadistic pleasure? What could be better than a shameless, fearless talker who’s full of grudges, has plenty of enemies and will serve every one of his boss’ whims? Maybe Donald has finally found his Roy Cohn—minus the intelligence and the legal knowledge, but with the same level of ambition, immorality and capacity for cruelty. (We can only hope that the ethics report on Gaetz will be leaked or otherwise handed over to senators, who might then discover their nerve to say no to Trump.)

And then—in late breaking news—there’s Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who Trump said during the campaign would be free to “go wild on health.” Well, now he’s been chosen by Trump to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, despite having no scientific or medical background. This is a man driven by conspiracy theories, including that vaccines cause autism, without reliable evidence. He’s already said he’d push to remove flouride from the water supply, despite the fact that it’s improved dental health. He’s also questioned vaccines for polio and measles, two illnesses that have almost completely disappeared from our society because of vaccines. But that hasn’t stopped Trump from adding more madness into the mix with a nominee like this.

Yes, Trump’s cabinet picks in the last few days—more than two months before inauguration—both horrify and sicken me. But honestly? They also make me feel strangely upbeat. They are so over-the-top, so ridiculous and bad that U.S. senators will be forced to think hard about how much humiliation and slavishness they are willing to swallow by confirming them. Let’s not doubt that there are many GOP senators who recognize that these are appalling and dangerous choices, indeed embarrassing for a country that dares to call itself great. Now—without wasting any time—we will see whether a previously co-equal branch of government is willing to toss it all away for Trump and fascist rule. It will be useful for us to know the answer.

Of course, I worry for my country if any or all of these selections—and others to come of similar caliber—are confirmed. But I also believe they are so out of their depth that their incompetence will undermine their capacity to fulfill their leader’s dark wishes; their incompetence and danger will also activate honorable public servants in the Department of Defense, the Central Intelligence Agency (among others), the Department of Justice and the Department of Health and Human Services to oppose them in whatever ways they can. I’m not naive about the damage they can cause. Yet with terrible sycophants ready to swing the wrecking ball to American government, Americans will see clearly the awful consequences of this election.

I leave you with the image that will haunt me for quite awhile. That’s the painfully cordial Joe Biden welcoming Trump back to the White House Wednesday—shaking his hand as a fire raged behind them. Trump the arsonist has been let back in by a majority of those who voted, with the continued intention to save himself from criminal prosecution, further enrich himself and his buddies, fulfill the wishes of his Kremlin boss to dismantle our democracy and burn it all down.

I wish this was just a horror movie that bombs at the box office. But, like a horror movie, this real-life story filled with terror and dread can come to an end with the aid of good and decent people—people at every level of society who care about protecting their families, saving lives and returning to a place of calm. This real-life story is an opportunity for each of us to step up in whatever way we can to minimize the danger, beat back the horror and eventually emerge alive and triumphant.

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