All across the country, American citizens woke up on Nov. 6 to see the news that former president Donald J. Trump had defeated Vice President Kamala Harris and would return to office as the 47th president of the United States.

Trump has wasted no time in awarding those loyal to him, providing them with roles/jobs in his administration. These jobs play a key role in how the government will function for the next four years and they are the heads of key departments throughout the government (ex. Health, education, etc.). So far, most of the people in his cabinet are wealthy and mostly unqualified. This includes a golf partner, a television host, and countless members with roles they have no experience in, to name a few.

To better understand the process by which these appointments happen, you must know that all people appointed to roles in the cabinet have to be approved by Congress. Along with that, the Republican Party currently has control over all aspects of the government; they have the most members in the House of Representatives, the Senate, and Republican Presidents have appointed the majority of judges to the Supreme Court. This is important because it means that Trump is more likely to get his appointments approved by Congress since they favor his party. Lastly, I’m only covering a handful of the many people Trump has appointed to be in his administration, but you will find a common theme throughout all of the following people: they have close relations with the former president and they have shown some form of devotion to him, such as donating great deals of money or showing dedication to his campaign. 

The first role appointment I want to address wasn’t too surprising. Trump has appointed billionaire Elon Musk to assume the role of Department of Government Efficiency, a newly created department. Musk and another billionaire, Vivek Ramaswamy will run this new department together created for the billionaires. Musk receiving a role in the government isn’t surprising due to his repeated support for the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement. Not only did Musk purchase Twitter (now X), after the previous owners had banned Trump due to the false propaganda he was spreading, but he was also offering to pay people in swing states to vote for Trump (CNN). Musk is rumored to have spent $120 million dollars (CNN) in an attempt to get the former president re-elected. Ramaswamy, on the other hand, was in the race for president, until dropping out and immediately endorsing Trump. He has made repeated statements encouraging everyone, especially Democrats to vote for and give Trump a chance.

This program will manage the nearly 6.5 trillion dollars that the government spends annually. According to NPR, Musk plans to cut spending by two trillion dollars. Musk said, “This will send shockwaves through the system, and anyone involved in government waste, which is a lot of people” (Trump Campaign). 

Now all of this could just have been Musk talking, trying to appeal to those concerned about the national debt, but if he were to do this, it would have extreme repercussions. This would have an impact on millions of people, for example, 100s of thousands of people currently employed by the US government could lose their jobs, those receiving social security would also likely see a significant decrease in the money they receive, and public education would receive a significantly lower amount of funding, and the measures put in place to reduce climate change would be put on hold, to name a few implications. Not only do these two billionaires have grand plans that could wreak havoc on millions of people, but they also have limited experience in politics. Both men have experience with business, but that doesn’t necessarily translate to politics. It has also been said that Musk will use his role for his own personal benefit (New York Times). For example, SpaceX’s launch pads don’t meet environmental requirements, but Musk could simply change the policies, which would have a negative impact on the environment. According to Times Magazine, when SpaceX launches their rockets, it “includes numerous large concrete chunks, stainless steel sheets, metal, and other objects hurled thousands of feet away along with a plume cloud of pulverized concrete that deposited material up to 6.5 miles northwest of the pad site,” as you can imagine this is horrible for the surrounding wildlife and environment. Unfortunately, this is meeting the bare minimum of the environmental requirements that Musk plans on cutting. This would be a corrupt use of power. I don’t think these out-of-touch billionaires will do what is best for the country, especially for those who aren’t in the 1%.

Another pick that wasn’t too surprising, was Robert F. Kennedy (RFK) Jr., one of Trump’s opponents who will serve as the new secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. Now when I say opponent, I don’t mean it in the traditional sense, as RFK has done nothing but show his endless support for Trump. RFK ran under his own party called “We The People” which he created in January of 2024. RFK is a descendant of former president (Dem.) John F. Kennedy, though his views show no resemblance to JFK’s or the rest of the Kennedy family. They have released countless statements saying how they don’t support RFK, his sister, Kerry Kenedy went as far as to say that she loves her brother, but doesn’t trust him with the HHS Department (Boston Global). Part of the resentment towards RFK comes from his persistent advocacy against vaccines. During the pandemic, he even spread conspiracies regarding the safety of the vaccines, and in an interview with Fox News in 2023 he said: “autism comes from vaccines” (BBC). He claims that he doesn’t plan on banning all vaccines, but time will tell. RFK endorsed Trump after dropping out of the race, along with attempting to get his name taken off the ballot in swing states in hopes that those votes would go to the former president instead.

Now let’s look at the more shocking picks that have left the media dumbfounded. 

Trump has appointed his golf partner Steven Witkoff as Middle East Peace Envoy. Witkoff is a real estate investor who has no experience in politics, though he has donated a lot of money to the Trump campaign. In contrast, Lise Grande currently assumes this role, and prior to it, she served “as president and CEO of the U.S. Institute of Peace, an independent, nonpartisan, federally funded institute charged with the mission to prevent, mitigate, and resolve violent conflict around the world. She has 25 years of continuous overseas experience leading, managing, and coordinating complex operations for the United Nations” according to state.gov.

In addition ,Trump has surprisingly appointed Fox News Broadcaster Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense. Hegseth is an Army Veteran who has served in Afghanistan and Iraq for many years. However, according to CNN, “Hegseth has criticized efforts to allow women into combat roles, accusing the military of lowering standards to allow women into those jobs”, which means there could be big changes coming to those serving our country. Hegseth’s unit was said to have been at Biden’s inauguration, but days before, Hegseth was cut. “National Guard Bureau said it had removed twelve soldiers from inauguration duty following a security vetting process intended to ensure troops do not have any ties to extremist groups” (CNN), Hegseth was amongst them, as the leadership of the unit saw him as an “extremist and white narcissist”. Hegseth has yet to hold a political role but has shown his dedication to Trump since 2016.

Now, for the most extreme pick, the one that has countless news sources wondering if this extremist will even get approved by Congress. Trump has appointed Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz as Attorney General. Gaetz is considered the “flamethrower” (BBC) of Congress. Musk posted to X when Gaetz was appointed Attorney General, “The hammer of justice is coming”. While some might see these adjectives as a positive thing, Gaetz is currently undergoing an ongoing investigation in regard to illegal relations with a minor and sex trafficking. Gaetz resigned from Congress earlier this month, the day Trump announced him as his choice for Attorney General and coincidentally promptly after a meeting with the Ethics Committee. The charges against him aren’t the only things making him controversial, even amongst his own party (Rep.), it is also his beliefs. According to BBC, he “brought a right-wing Holocaust denier to the State of the Union, and later tried to expel two fathers who lost children in a mass shooting from a hearing after they objected to a claim he made about gun control”. His previous actions could be the reason he potentially won’t get approved by Congress. Gaetz is an extreme right-wing politician and would be extremely dangerous in the role of Attorney General. He has shown his constant dedication to Trump in his role in the House of Representatives and has stood by his every move.

Trump’s picks so far have been controversial, which has many people wondering how some of them will get approved by Congress. This is where a recess appointment comes in. A recess appointment is when a president appoints a member to the Federal Government when Congress isn’t in session. Recesses happen quite often, for example, this year Congress was at recess the entire month of October. They also haven’t been in session for more than four days in a row this entire year. Their sessions vary. Trump would have to make an appointment during a recess longer than 10 days. However these appointments would be temporary, but “the appointee will assume the role for the rest of the ongoing session as well as the next full session. This can cause a recess appointment to last for about two years” (USA News). Trump has voiced that he wants to exercise this power, especially since his picks have been controversial. He even tried to use this power in 2020, but since the Senate was in session, he couldn’t, so he “threatened to deploy a never-before-used authority to force Congress to adjourn, allowing him to make appointments without Senate approval” (USA News).

This isn’t the first time Trump has “stacked his bench” full of people with unwavering support for him. In 2016 for example, he appointed Betsy DeVos to the Department of Education, despite DeVos having no prior experience in this field. In 2017, regarding the topic of arming teachers, DeVos said teachers should be armed, to protect from bears, saying “I would imagine that there’s probably a gun in the school to protect from potential grizzlies”. Along with appointing some unqualified people, during Trump’s administration (2016-2020), if someone in his cabinet didn’t agree with him, he would simply fire them. This is one of the reasons for his picks for the 2024-2028 administration. He surrounds himself with people who will go along with his every idea, no matter how outrageous, that are his “yes men”. 

So, what does this mean? Is our country going to fall apart? These are the questions of the hour. While I have no idea what the next four years have in store, I do know that everyone must be alert. Don’t let your voice be dulled, even if that’s exactly what the people in power want. Everyone must stand up for their rights and believe in the power of democracy, even in the darkest times. 

If you want to learn more:

Donald Trump stirs the pot with shock Cabinet picks | CNN Politics

5 things to know: What are recess appointments? Trump wants them to bypass Senate approval

Here are the people Trump has picked for key positions so far

Trump cabinet nominees battle misconduct claims and controversy    

Trustworthy News Sources:

AP News: No political lean

BBC News: No political lean (offers a world-view perspective)

NPR: No political lean

Books to Read

On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by Timothy Snyder

Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism by Anne Applebaum

They Thought They Were Free: The Germans, 1933–45 by Milton Mayer 

It Can’t Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis