Donald Trump’s election victory will return him to the White House, but both his allies and detractors have made it clear that his second time around is unlikely to look like the first.
With the power of the senate, congress, and possibly the Supreme Court, Trump will enter the Oval Office with both the experience of having done the job before and a wealth of resentments over how he believes the system failed him.
That makes the coming four years ones that cannot be easily predicted based on the first Trump presidency. Trump has turned to the Heritage Foundation’s “Project 2025” as his playbook for his next presidency.
One of Project 2025’s first goals was to replace government positions with people loyal to Trump. Trump’s recent cabinet selections have seemed to prove that.
An overwhelming majority of Trump’s original cabinet—92% that includes a string of chiefs of staff, defense secretaries, a national security adviser, a national intelligence adviser and an attorney general—have abandoned Trump, citing questions about his character and abilities.
Instead he is turning to MAGA loyalists and controversial figures to advise the decisions of the 47th president.
President-elect Trump has already made nominations to his cabinet. Some nominees appear to have no compelling qualifications other than loyalty to Trump.
Pete Hegseth was nominated to lead the Department of Defense. He is a combat veterand, most recently, a morning show host for Fox News, with no government experience.
The first pick for attorney general was Matt Gaetz who had been a controversial pick due to being investigated for alleged drug use and sex with a minor. Gaetz withdrew his nomination on Nov. 21.
Trump then named Pam Bondi for attorney general. Bondi has a long track record in law enforcement and previously served as Florida’s attorney general.
Former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard has been nominated for director of national intelligence.
Gabbard has no experience in intelligence. She has also been sympathetic to autocratic leaders like Vladamir Putin, saying that Russia has “legitimate security concerns” when invading Ukraine.
Robert Kennedy Jr. was nominated for Health and Human services.
RFK Jr. has been a vaccine skeptic and has claimed that “There is no vaccine that is, you know, safe and effective.” The World Health Organization says, “vaccines have saved more human lives than any other medical invention in history.”
Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy and Marjorie Taylor Greene have been nominated to lead the Department of Government Efficiency. The DOGE is not proposed as an official government agency, but rather an advisory board which will “provide advice and guidance from outside of Government.”
Trump might not be able to easily push through this cabinet of controversial picks. Republican senators have resisted Trump’s call for the nominations to go through.
