As the dawn of President-elect Donald Trump's second term approaches, a significant reshuffling of his Cabinet has taken place.
The new lineup is a stark contrast to the one that concluded his first term, with very few of his former Cabinet members returning after the tumultuous period that ended abruptly with President Joe Biden's victory in 2020.
According to the Daily Mail, some of Trump's closest advisers, from former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to Nikki Haley, have found themselves on his blacklist. This list excludes those who have seemingly betrayed Trump, and the backlash from the MAGA movement can be fierce against even those closest to him. The new inner circle, which excludes those on the blacklist, includes a dozen billionaires with a combined net worth of nearly $500 billion.
Mike Pompeo, a four-term congressman from Kansas, first in his class at West Point, and a Harvard Law University graduate, joined the Trump administration in 2017 as the director of the CIA. He was later shifted to serve as Secretary of State. Despite being respected by Washington insiders, Pompeo is deeply mistrusted by prominent political and media figures in the MAGA movement. They view him as a warmonger due to his aggressive positions against Russia and Iran. Journalist Tucker Carlson accused Pompeo of criminal behavior following reports of his alleged plan to assassinate Wikileaks founder Julian Assange. Carlson stated in a podcast interview with TV star Roseanne, "Mike Pompeo, who is a very sinister person, the worst, and I always thought that and I've told Trump that, never should have let him run CIA or State."
Nikki Haley, who resigned as U.N. ambassador in 2018, ran against Trump in the 2024 presidential primary. During the campaign, she repeatedly attacked Trump, describing him as mentally 'diminished' and 'unhinged.' She urged Republicans to reject the 'chaos' he brought to the political arena. Despite Trump's early primary victories, Haley refused to drop out until it was mathemically impossible for her to win. She eventually endorsed Trump in May 2024, refusing to join the Republicans who sided with Vice President Kamala Harris. Like Pompeo, Haley also maintains hawkish views on Russia and Iran, which has led to MAGA fears of 'warmongers' and war hawks entering his administration. Trump ruled out Pompeo and Haley as future Cabinet officials to assuage these concerns, stating, "I will not be inviting former Ambassador Nikki Haley, or former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, to join the Trump Administration, which is currently in formation."
Gina Haspel, a legacy pick as Director of the CIA, was supported and endorsed by Mike Pompeo. She clashed with Trump behind the scenes after the 2020 election, even threatening to resign after Trump proposed installing Kash Patel as the Deputy Director of the CIA. Haspel also resisted Trump's attempts to declassify documents related to the Russian election interference investigation of the 2016 election. Trump did not bring Haspel back into his administration, choosing former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe instead to serve as director of the CIA.
Bill Barr, former Attorney General, resigned in protest of Trump's assertion that the 2020 election was fraudulent. He criticized Trump for his 'bogus' claims of election fraud. Although he ultimately agreed to vote for the Republican ticket, publicly endorsing Trump in April 2024, the relationship was too damaged to repair.
Betsy DeVos, Trump's former Secretary of Education, served Trump for nearly his entire first term, but stepped down shortly after the January 6th riots on Capitol Hill in protest. In her resignation letter to Trump, she wrote, "There is no mistaking the impact your rhetoric had on the situation and it is the inflection point for me." Despite this, DeVos has only had good things to say about Trump since that day and fully endorses his plan to eliminate the Department of Education.
Alex Azar, who served as Trump's HHS Secretary throughout his administration, also resigned in protest in mid-January following the January 6 riots. However, his resignation took effect on Jan. 20th, the same day the Trump administration left office. Before he was Trump's pick for HHS Secretary, Alex Azar was the president of pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly. Trump has nominated Big Pharma skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as his new secretary of health, bringing an entirely new perspective to his second administration.
Elaine Chao, former Secretary of Transportation, was appointed by Trump in his first administration as a favor to her husband Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. However, the relationship between Trump and McConnell has deteriorated in recent years, particularly after the January 6 riots. Chao resigned in protest on January 7th, declaring that Trump's role in the day's events 'deeply troubled me in a way I simply cannot set aside.' In subsequent years, Trump suggested that Chao was a communist agent, calling her 'Coco Chow' and McConnell the 'Old Broken Crow' who worked with Biden, the Democrats, and China.
James Mattis, former Defense Secretary, was appointed by Trump at the beginning of his administration. However, Mattis resigned in 2018, protesting Trump's decision to withdraw troops from Syria. He stated, "Because you have the right to have a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects, I believe it is right for me to step down from my position." Mattis went on to criticize Trump publicly, denouncing him as a threat to the Constitution in the Summer of 2020 after the president summoned the national guard to help quell the George Floyd riots in Washington, DC. He wrote in a lengthy statement, "We must reject and hold accountable those in office who would make a mockery of our Constitution."
As President-elect Trump prepares for his second term, the reshuffling of his Cabinet reflects his commitment to a fresh start. The new lineup, excluding those who have seemingly betrayed him, suggests a more focused approach to governance, with an emphasis on traditional values, limited government, individual freedom, and free-market economics. The exclusion of former allies and the inclusion of new faces indicate a shift in strategy, one that will undoubtedly shape the course of Trump's second term.
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