President Donald J. Trump addresses his remarks Saturday, Dec. 21, 2019, at Turning Point USA’s 5th annual Student Action Summit at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Fla. (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead)
Trump Keeps It Real
Will Donald Trump, as the 47th president, use sticks as well as carrots to help him control the world? President-elect Trump’s 2nd term administration starts to take shape in what turns out to be the biggest popular vote victory ever for a Republican non-consecutive term and the biggest electoral result for the GOP since 1988. Ben Domenech points to how “impressively Catholic” it is in its approach. It represents, according to Domenech in Spectator US, “Trump’s dominance of the Republican coalition and his capacity to ignore the worst instincts of some of his more vocal supporters on the New Right who see governance through a naive lens.”
Trump Is Not Disappointing
Other than those voices online whose fantasies of Trump nominating their favorite pundits on X for cabinet positions, Trump’s recruits are not fringe players. Rather, they are qualified choices who are picked to please the center of the Republican coalition. Few in the Republican sphere voice disappointment in the names Trump is considering:
Elise Stefanik for United Nations ambassador. Ms. Stefanik aggressively questioned elite universities about campus anti-Semitic leanings.
Mike Waltz, a former Green Beret, for national security advisor.
Marco Rubio (reportedly) for secretary of state. (a rumor is that Ric Grenell and Vivek Ramaswamy are still on the list). This gives the administration an immediate united front, signaling Trump intends to get tough on China and Iran, projecting strength instead of the meandering and accommodationist attitudes of the Biden-Harris administration.
Mike Pompeo and Nikki Haley, who apparently seemed to be lacking in loyalty, have been shown the door.
According to NRO, Rubio, Waltz, and Stefanik are all Israel supporters, indicating they are also hostile toward Iran and the terrorist networks it commands. Likewise, they seem more inclined to take a confrontational approach toward China, with the aim of rolling back its malign influence inside the West and deterring it from engaging in expansionist aggression in its neighborhood.
All Is Not Rosey
Still unknown, will the Trump administration take a proactive approach to securing U.S. interests in the Middle East and in East Asia? Republican Party’s voters seem inclined to support those projects, reminds Noah Rothman at NRO.
Trickier still, what about Ukraine? How about safeguarding Kyiv’s sovereignty against absorption into the Russian Federation?
As a troublesome example, early on, Marco Rubio cast himself as a stalwart supporter of Kyiv’s righteous cause. “His outlook shifted as the war dragged on. “
At the end of the day, what we are funding here is a stalemate war,” (Rubio) told an NBC reporter in September following his vote against another tranche of U.S. military aid for Ukraine. He advocated a “negotiated settlement” to the war that “ends hostilities” in a way that “is favorable to Ukraine.
Steps Still Unkown
- On Inauguration Day (20 Jan), will Trump enforce energy sanctions against Russia and secondary sanctions against the entities that do business with Moscow?
- Will Trump unleash American energy and ramp up U.S. exports of liquid natural gas to drain the Kremlin’s coffers and to liberate America’s partners who depend on Russian energy exports?
- Step 3 could culminate in a standoff. From Trump: “We have leverage, like taking the handcuffs off of the long-range weapons we provided Ukraine as well, and then, of course, I think we have plenty of leverage with Zelenskyy to get them to the table.
No Quick Fixes
Introducing enough U.S.-produced fossil fuels into the market to offset the associated costs will take time and money.
More than Carrots
Trump might be easily able to twist Zelensky’s arm. Not so easily V. Putin’s. Carrots won’t be enough, argues Rothman.
The Trump team will have to produce sticks, too. And Trump’s personnel preferences suggest he’s open to that prospect.
At the White House
Susie Wiles, loyalist, as chief of staff.
Stephen Miller as deputy chief for policy.
Tom Homan, as border czar, goes directly to the importance of immigration for this incoming administration, also known for his “zero-tolerance policy.”
A New Approach
Mr. Domenech praises Trump’s going from Michael Regan to Lee Zeldin at EPA, with whom he is credited for helping the House in the 2022 election. Kristi Noem replacing Alejandro Mayorkas at the Department of Homeland Security is a shift that rewards a Trump loyalist with a strong capacity for communication.
In anticipation of Trump’s victory, many DC organizations came up with their own slates of suggested candidates for key jobs, each representing their version as the one true staff sheet for MAGA. None of them actually held claim over these decisions, though — they all come down to what the big guy wants.
To this point, what he seems to want is to pull from a wide swathe of the party he’s expanded to the point of electoral dominance. There will doubtless be a few eyebrow-raising choices by the end of the day, but as administration starts go, this is an indication that Trump is bringing in qualified grown-ups, not just listening to whoever will be his biggest fanboy in the moment. That’s a good thing.
A Disruptive Choice
Last evening, Trump announced his nomination of Pete Hegseth, a graduate of Princeton and Harvard and a combat veteran, to be secretary of defense, rounding out a strong stable of national security professionals. Mr. Hegseth, co-host of Fox and Friends for the last four years, is an unconventional choice.
There is a rot in the Pentagon that is deeply entrenched, writes John Noonan at NRO.
It requires an unconventional pick, youthful energy, and a keen understanding of Congress and Washington to refocus itself back to the national defense of the United States.
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