An update on President Trump's cabinet appointees, and what they signify for the coming administration

President Trump shocked the country and the world with his victory in the 2024 presidential election back in November; whilst many models mocked the possibility of a Trump win, few predicted the massive margin of victory that came to be for the Trump campaign.

Since then, Trump has swiftly gotten to work in selecting the members of his cabinet. While a large number of his choices still require Senate confirmation, the majority of ceremonial appointments have been made.

Matt Gaetz was named Attorney General, only to step down a few days later amidst public backlash and a lack of confirming votes in the Senate.

The Senate and the Justice Department had also spent the past year and more conducting an ethics report where they investigated allegations on Gaetz ranging from bribery while in office, illicit drug use, and claims that he had sex with an underage girl at a 2017 party.

The very Justice Department that Gaetz was set to lead.

It is important to make the distinction that no charges have been filed against Gaetz, and he has denied all allegations.

Gaetz, after stepping down, was replaced by former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, who served in Trump's prior administration on the Opioid and Drug Abuse Commission.

“For too long, the partisan Department of Justice has been weaponized against me and other Republicans – Not anymore,” said Trump on his social media platform TruthSocial.

“Pam will refocus the DOJ to its intended purpose of fighting Crime, and Making America Safe Again.”

Other headline-sparking nominations include Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for Health and Human Services Secretary, Linda McMahon as Secretary of Education, and Mike Huckabee as Ambassador to Israel.

RJK Jr. seeks to make massive policy swings on increased regulation in the food industry, in order to “Make America Healthy Again.”

RFK Jr. also seeks to make reforms to how vaccine research is conducted, hoping to lead to a situation where citizens have more information so that they can “make informed choices.”

America is already likely familiar with RFK Jr. and his policy stances; which is likely not the case with the following appointee Mike Huckabee.

In the past, Huckabee has vehemently denied any form of “two-state solution” for Israel and Palestine, calling one “irrational.”

“There’s really no such thing as a Palestinian,” said Huckabee, equating the term to a mere “political tool”.

While it is likely that Huckabee will adopt a more median-voter stance on the issue throughout his term, the Trump administration is certainly entering a unique time with regard to political relations in the Middle East.

The United States will play a crucial role in what comes to be and bear responsibility in how matters are handled. Regardless of their stance, it is clear that this power and responsibility are something the Trump administration will understand.

Another notable name amongst the additions to the Trump cabinet includes Pete Hegseth, selected to be the coming Defense Secretary. Hegseth is a veteran and long-running Fox News Host and has no prior government experience.

Akin to Trump himself, many members of the upcoming cabinet seem to carry troubled pasts with them.

Hegseth himself has been involved with multiple scandals relating to his management of charitable veteran organizations, particularly Concerned Veterans for America, the details of which were recently covered in a whistleblower report from former CVA employees obtained by The New Yorker.

Add on an additional history of sexual misconduct allegations (all of which Hesgeth has denied) and tattoos which barred him from service within the National Guard in 2021 for concerns raised that they indicated Hegseth to be a potential “insider threat.”

The tattoos in question are a tattoo of a Jerusalem cross and a tattoo of the Latin phrase “deus vult.” The latter was first used as a rallying war cry during the Crusades, and translates to “god wills it.”

While it is a Christian slogan, its usage is relatively non-existent in religious practices today. Its prevalence, of course, lives on in adoptions from far-right groups.

The phrase was uttered multiple times by the shooter in the 2017 Quebec City mosque shooting, was tattooed on the assailant in the 2023 Texas mall outlet shooting, and was one of the phrases used in chants and symbolization during the Charlottesville, Va. white-supremacist “Unite the Right” rally.

2024 Presidential Candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and Tesla CEO Elon Musk were also named co-heads of the newly created “Department of Government Efficiency”.

Yes, you heard that right. DOGE. As in the 2010 internet meme of the Shiba Inu dog breed.

Despite its harmless-sounding nature, DOGE seeks to model its view on cutting down big government to that of the process Argentina recently went through under Javier Milei.

Musk recently admitted on X that he believes Trump’s policies would crash the economy, but that the framework left standing after the fact would allow for a more stable system to be built.

Supporters of large cut downs on government programs and spending believe the current system to be bloated and ineffective, and believe a smaller span of government, coupled with the sheer elimination of certain departments and municipalities, will lead to a more prosperous economy and quality of life for the country’s citizens.

Trump’s choice of Chief of Staff, Susie Wiles, was already covered in depth in an article published in Commradio News. She will certainly have a lot on her plate as the coming administration seeks to balance its hodgepodge of explosive personalities. And if history is anything to go by, half of these names won’t be in office by the end of term.

Trip Tagle is a second-year majoring in digital and print journalism. To contact them, please email tnt5403@psu.edu.