It is common knowledge that followers make leaders. Meanwhile, with the transition of power in the US, 4,000 government positions need to be filled. So now, after the election of Republican Donald Trump as US President, the world’s attention is focused on who will get what key portfolios in his Cabinet. In his victory speech, Trump said he was launching an effort to renew the American dream and would call upon the best and brightest to make it happen. Observers note that the president-elect, and Trump will be called this until taking office on January 20, 2017, does not have the traditional cadre of Washington insiders and donors to build out his Cabinet.
In addition, many people emphasize the fact that Trump rode to power on a wave of anti-elitist, anti-intellectual, anti-Washington anger. “His victory was a seismic rejection of the way the country has operated in Washington for generations. Trump also will be the first president in history who has no government or military experience, leaving many questions highly unknown,” The Boston Globe says.
As reported by Politico, Trump’s transition team has spent the past several months quietly building a short list of industry titans and conservative activists who could comprise one of the more eclectic and controversial presidential cabinets in modern history.
The publication also notes that the Trump campaign is seriously considering Forrest Lucas, the 74-year-old co-founder of oil products company Lucas Oil, as a top contender for interior secretary, and donor and Goldman Sachs veteran Steven Mnuchin as treasury secretary. He is also expected to reward with government offices the band of devoted supporters who stood by him during the bruising presidential campaign. This group includes former Speaker of the House of Representatives Newt Gingrich, former Mayor of New York Rudy Giuliani, and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie as well as Senators Bob Corker and Jeff Sessions.
For example, according to the well-informed Politico, Gingrich and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Corker are both candidates for the post of secretary of state. The candidacy of Bush-era US Ambassador to the UN John Bolton is being considered as well.
Meanwhile, Politico sees Trump’s adviser and Alabama Senator Sessions or former National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley as head of the Pentagon. Some publications named Congressman Duncan Hunter from California as another candidate for the post. The Hill notes also that Trump has reportedly told Senator Sessions that he can have his pick of Cabinet positions.
Senior fellow at the Atlantic Council of the US and founder of Myrmidon Group LLC Adrian Karatnycky stated in his comment for The Day that all likely candidates for secretary of state looked good. “Corker, Sessions, and Gingrich are all hardliners on Putin and support lethal arms for Ukraine,” he stressed.
Governor Christie, who served as adviser for the Trump campaign, and Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson are considered for the attorney general position. However, The Hill reports that former New York Mayor Giuliani is the leading contender for that position.
Former head of the Defense Intelligence Agency Lieutenant General (Ret.) Michael Flynn will likely become the presidential national security adviser.
According to the CNN, Trump campaign senior communications adviser Jason Miller and chief strategist at the Republican National Committee Sean Spicer compete for the post of the White House press secretary.
It is possible and fairly likely that Giuliani will be appointed director of the CIA, and another Trump supporter neurosurgeon Ben Carson will likely become secretary of health and human services.
Observers note that despite Trump’s statements that he would rely on the best experts and specialists, he will find it difficult to attract the best talent to his Cabinet, especially after so many politicians and scientists openly ridiculed the president-elect over the past year. In private conversations, members of the Trump campaign expressed concern that, given the Republican’s previous comments about women, it would be hard for them to find highly-qualified women to serve on his Cabinet. Indeed, all the abovementioned individuals are men.
“AMERICA DOES NOT LIKE WEAKLINGS”
Oleksandr TSVIETKOV, Americanist, Professor at the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Kyiv:
“Although it is too early to say for sure, I can confirm that all these candidates appear on different lists and, most likely, will be recommended for approval by the congressional committees: Senator and Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Corker for the post of secretary of state; he is a conservative and advocated agreement with Russia on START; Senator Sessions, who belongs to Trump’s inner circle and was considered for chief of staff, will likely become defense secretary (other contenders included Lieutenant General Flynn, whose appointment was blocked by regulations, and former National Security Adviser Hadley who is still undecided); Sessions is characterized as one of the five most conservative senators. Chairman of the Republican National Committee Reince Priebus is the leading contender for the position of chief of staff. Michael Pence is the strongest and most influential figure in the team and the most conservative vice-president to be seen in recent years, and he sees Dick Cheney as his role model; that is, Pence intends to become the leader in the Cabinet’s backstage negotiations; he supports the president-elect on tighter immigration controls at borders and stands for a strong America internationally. He enjoys a strong support in the Congress. Hence, summarizing the abovementioned circumstances, and taking into account the Republican majorities in both houses of the Congress, we should expect promotion of conservative proposals for social and economic policy in the domestic arena, while foreign policy will likely involve firm efforts to protect national interests, first of all on trade and economic issues, as well as security issues, primarily in the Middle East, around China in Asia, and in confrontation with Russia in Europe and the world.
“The Republicans will advocate, first of all, strengthening the nation’s positions, which strategically means demonstration of capability and influence rather than trading game pieces. Much depends on Ukraine itself, since to achieve positive results, we need to offer our actions and capabilities, our desire to be open for business, trade, and new communications with the world. America does not like weaklings.
“From the standpoint of conservatives, America needs partners with which it will be able to cooperate to achieve strategic objectives (in national security, trade, investment) and winning results for both sides, creating a win-win situation.”
“PENCE, CORKER, GINGRICH, AND BOLTON ALL UNDERSTAND THE DANGERS OF KREMLIN REVISIONISM”
John HERBST, director, Dinu Patriciu Eurasia Center, Atlantic Council; former US ambassador to Ukraine, Washington:
“Most of Trump’s statements during the campaign suggest that he can conduct business with Putin, has little interest in Moscow’s aggression in Ukraine, and is ambivalent about NATO’s role in today’s world. But we do not know if he would develop policies based on these statements. In the President-Elect’s entourage, only Lieutenant-General Michael Flynn is reputed to have ‘dovish’ views on Russia. But Vice President-Elect Pence, Senator Corker, Newt Gingrich, and John Bolton all understand the dangers of Kremlin revisionism and have backed stronger US support for Ukraine. They should provide at least a moderating voice, if not a decisive one, in the formulation of the Administration’s policies toward Moscow and Kyiv.
“While it is still early, there are reports that Gingrich and Corker are under consideration for Secretary of State, Senator Sessions for Secretary of Defense, and Flynn for National Security Adviser.”
