In the days since Trump’s decisive victory, his new administration has slowly been taking shape.
Two days after his election victory, Trump appointed campaign co-manager Susie Wiles as chief of staff. On Sunday, he announced GOP Conference Chair Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) as his pick for United Nations ambassador. Former Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Tom Homan has been tapped as Border Czar, while Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.) is set to head the EPA. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) is reportedly the choice for Secretary of State, and Gov. Kristi Noem (R-S.D.) has been selected as secretary of Homeland Security. Additionally, Trump announced Tuesday that former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee will serve as his envoy to Israel.
And the left can’t cope.
“Donald Trump isn't wasting time selecting loyalists to join his administration, stocking the White House and his Cabinet with MAGA diehards,” lamented Rolling Stone magazine.
Axios whined that Trump is “putting a premium (so far) on picking people who are both experienced and MAGA loyalists, transition insiders tell us.”
Former Obama advisor David Axelrod observed that “Trump is stocking his admin with seasoned loyalists who will not guide, but rather will BE guided, by HIM.”
And so on and so on.
To them, I say, “So what?”
Let’s be honest, he’s doing nothing that his predecessors haven’t done before him — even after they pledged to do otherwise.
In 2008, Barack Obama promised he wouldn’t surround himself with yes-men, and proceeded to surround himself with radical yes-men.
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During the 2020 presidential campaign, we were treated to rumors that Biden was considering picking Republicans to serve in his administration. Former Ohio Gov. John Kasich, former Sen. Jeff Flake, and Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker kept showing up. While none of them were true conservatives, these trial-ballon rumors sent a message to independents and anti-Trump Republicans nationwide that Biden would be a middle-of-the-road president. That didn’t happen at all.
After Joe Biden was declared the winner of the 2020 election, he quickly started selecting people to serve in his administration. While he may have assembled a cabinet showcasing diversity in race, gender, and sexual orientation, it fell short in diversity of thought. Biden surrounded himself with loyalists and former Obama administration retreads, creating a team of left-leaning yes-men.
He was well within his right to do so, but it wasn't what he promised. It also wasn't surprising. Honestly, the only thing shocking about Biden’s selections was that so many people actually deluded themselves into thinking Biden would assemble an ideologically diverse cabinet.
Yet the media treats Trump's selection of loyalists like it's something terrible and unprecedented. It's not. Frankly, Trump didn't do that the first time, and it caused lots of problems. That he's picking people who won't undermine him is a good thing.
And I can't wait for the new administration to get to work and clean up the Biden-Harris mess.
