Some of his choices will find bipartisan support, and others will need to find further favor if they want a chance to gather enough votes even in a GOP-controlled Senate.
TRUMP BUILDS HIS CABINET OF DISRUPTORS
Trump’s group of Cabinet nominees is eclectic. One, former Rep. Matt Gaetz as attorney general, was stricken so hard by the court of public opinion that he withdrew his bid under the weight of it. It’s unlikely any of Trump’s standing nominees will endure the fight Gaetz went through, but with the wrong steps taken, they could end up on the outside looking in.
With less than two weeks to inauguration day, here’s where some of Trump’s most notable Cabinet nominees stand.
Defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth
The former Fox News host with the potential to be one of the most integral figures in the most powerful military on the planet has faced his challenges.
After largely overcoming a wave of initial controversy surrounding his nomination, including whispers surrounding a sexual assault allegation and alleged inappropriate drinking habits, Pete Hegseth might have finally found some reassurance that he will be confirmed.
A recent report indicated Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) privately told Trump that he believes Hegseth will have the votes to be confirmed. Publicly, Thune remains neutral and insists there will be a process.
“I think these are nominees who are new enough, they’ve been going around and conducting their meetings, which I think, frankly, have gone very well, but they still have to make their case in front of the committee. And, you know, we don’t know all the information about some of these nominees,” he told CBS News’s Face the Nation.
Democrats have been applying expected pressure. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), the top Democrat on the Armed Services subcommittee on personnel, sent a letter to Hegseth outlining several critical questions regarding the allegations around him.
“I have serious concerns about your qualifications to serve in this role given your past history,” Warren wrote before listing her concerns, including the allegations about “sexual assault and drinking problems.”
She added, “I request that you come to your Armed Services Committee nomination hearing prepared
to answer these questions, and that you provide written answers no later than January 10, 2025.”
Health and human services secretary nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a way with controversy as a 2024 presidential candidate, and weeks to come may reveal more. His job will be to ease concerns from senators about his past actions, including his vocal skepticism of certain vaccines and bizarre reported behavior such as leaving a dead bear in Central Park.
Some senior Republican senators, such as Sens. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA), have taken special issue with Kennedy’s stances on vaccines. McConnell threw shade at Kennedy’s polio vaccine caution with a suggestion that Trump’s nominees shouldn’t “undermine” vaccines.
Cassidy, a medical doctor, told Fox News Sunday that Kennedy was “wrong” on vaccinations but that he looks forward “to having a good dialogue with him on that.”
Kennedy is meeting with 13 members from the upper chamber on Tuesday and Wednesday. He will meet with at least six Republicans, including Cassidy, and seven independents or Democrats, including Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Warren, and John Fetterman (D-PA).
Director of national intelligence nominee Tulsi Gabbard
Former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard was accused soon after her nomination of being pro-Russia and uncomfortably close with deposed Syrian leader Bashar Assad. The criticism of the director of national intelligence nominee has continued, and an important Democrat in the process is looking to stall her nomination.
The top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), is delaying Gabbard’s confirmation hearing next week, with sources close to the senator telling the Washington Examiner she has not provided the committee with several documents it has requested.
Gabbard’s team, however, claims she completed all requirements on the background check last week, per Axios.
Part of the reason for the delay may be a significant amount of skepticism Warner holds toward her nomination, even after meeting with her on Tuesday.
“I went in with a lot of questions,” Warner told Fox News. “I’ve still got a lot of questions. This is an extraordinarily serious job that requires maintaining the independence of the intelligence community. It also means maintaining the cooperation of our allies. We’ve got a lot of our intelligence from our allies on a sharing basis, and if that information is not kept secure, it raises huge concern. So … we’ve got a number of questions out for her. This is the beginning of a process.”
However, the top Republican on the committee, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), would like to hold the hearings before Inauguration Day. “Chairman Cotton intends to hold these hearings before Inauguration Day. The Intelligence Committee, the nominees, and the transition are diligently working toward that goal,” a Cotton spokesman told the Washington Examiner.
Attorney general nominee Pam Bondi
Pam Bondi is one of the less controversial Cabinet nominees that Trump has lined up, though that view could emanate from Gaetz’s tumultuous departure.
As the attorney general of Florida for eight years, Bondi showed she could have the pedigree necessary for her position. Dozens of former Justice Department officials signed a letter sent to the Senate Judiciary Committee urging her confirmation, citing her commitment to the law and her past position as Florida’s attorney general. The nation’s largest police union, the Fraternal Order of Police, also endorsed her.
Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) hoped to hold a hearing for Bondi on Jan. 14, but the committee is still waiting on her background file and financial disclosures, according to a Judiciary aide. The hearing can’t take place until the committee has all the materials and has had time to review them, so it will likely take place after Jan. 14.
Secretary of state nominee Marco Rubio and UN ambassador nominee Elise Stefanik
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), both establishment Republican politicians, will likely endure little struggle to earn their confirmations. Both have wide support among their Republican colleagues and have some support from Democrats as well.
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New Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ) said he had “good conversations” with both of them, though he added that he is skeptical of Hegseth and Kash Patel, Trump’s FBI director nominee.
The senator from Florida is expected to have his hearing on Jan. 15, and Stefanik is expected to have hers on Jan. 16, which will set both up to be confirmed on Inauguration Day.
