Donald Trump Cabinet Officers

Grievance, Revenge, Retribution, Cruelty: Hallmarks Of Trump Presidency!

America has NEVER had a situation as we have in the present: a President whose life is based on grievance, revenge, retribution, and cruelty.

It is a literal nightmare the nation faces, as there is no compassion, empathy, decency, morals, ethics present, and not only in Donald Trump, but also in his Cabinet and other advisers and appointees.

Everything that is said and done is meanspirited, and without any conscience.

Never has the nation had it anywhere as tragic as this, not even with Richard Nixon, as members of his Cabinet turned againat him, and Republicans in Congress cooperated in investigations that led to his resignation.

But even Nixon would be shocked to see the level of open corruption and venality exhibited by Trump and his top cohorts.

Never did we have a group of women, such as Kristi Noem, Pam Bondi, Tulsi Gabbard, and even White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, who exhibit no sense of propriety in their statements and actions.

Never had we had such evil, nasty aides such as Stephen Miller and Thomas Homan and Russell Vought who are so anti immigrant to an extreme hard to fathom.

Never had we had people who have such arrogance as displayed by Pete Hegseth, Howard Lutnick, Robert F. Kennedy Jr, and even Vice President JD Vance.

“Giving Pass” To Marco Rubio No Longer Possible!

This author and blogger has always felt, in comparison to Florida Senator Rick Scott and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, that former Florida Senator, and now Secretary of State Marco Rubio, was far less objectionable, although not acceptable.

Apparently, all of the Democrats in the US Senate felt similarly, as every Senator of both parties voted for Rubio to be Secretary of State for Donald Trump.

The feeling was on this author and blogger’s part, that Marco Rubio, despite doubts about him, was the “best” member of the Trump Cabinet, less outrageous, less objectionable, less infuriating, and less arrogant and nasty.

Well, after his testimony before the Senate yesterday, and his declaration that neither he nor President Trump ever needed to obey the federal courts on the issue of “due process” and “writ of habeus corpus” regarding deportation of immigrants, now it is clear Marco Rubio is as arrogant and abusive and law breaking as all other members of the Trump Cabinet!

A number of Democratic Senators, including Chris Van Hollen of Maryland and Jacky Rosen of Nevada, as well as others, were outraged and stunned at what has happened to Marco Rubio.

Marco Rubio, who was such a critic of Donald Trump in 2016 and during his term on many issues, and seemed to have true principles, has “sold his soul” to Donald Trump!

When he seemed visually uncomfortable a few times at the Oval Office meetings and Trump Cabinet meetings, the thought was that he was very uncomfortable working for Trump, but that perception clearly was wrong.

So for his own future ambitions, including likely wanting to consider running for the Presidency, Marco Rubio has disgraced his name in the long run of history!

His reputation, whatever good it was, is destroyed by his kowtowing to an authoritarian leader who is only too willing to deport people of Rubio’s Cuban ethnicity as well as everyone else who is not clearly “white” South African Afrikaners, or people from countries such as Norway and Sweden (blond hair, blue eyed whites)!

The First Hundred Days Of Trump Second Term More Revolutionary Than FDR!

The First Hundred Days of Donald Trump, Second Term, is coming up on Wednesday, April 30.

The nation and the world have seen the most revolutionary, radical set of actions and statements by Donald Trump that the nation has ever witnessed.

One would have thought that Franklin D. Roosevelt’s First Hundred Days of the “New Deal” from March 4, 1933 to mid June 1933 would be a marker that would never be matched.

But Donald Trump has far surpassed the impact of FDR, and in many ways, trying to wipe out most of the last century and more of the federal regulatory state and the leadership of the democratic world in international relations.

Trump has demonstrated that Presidential power is way out of line, a growing problem since FDR onward, but with most occupants of the White House having good intentions in their assertion of power, unlike Trump.

The massive use of executive orders, 137 so far, an all time record for such a short time as President;

the threats and actions against universities, law firms, cultural institutions, corporations, state governments;

the bypassing of judicial interventions;

the Republican party in Congress refusing to assert their authority;

the growing dictatorial attitude of Trump appointees inside and outside the Cabinet;

the repudiation of our traditional alliances in world affairs;

the dangerous flirtation with protective tariffs that undermines the American economy;

the clearcut corruption and grift being conducted in clear vision;

and so much more not listed here,

all have created a whirlwind of chaos and anarchy that affects all Americans in deleterious ways!

A True National Hero: New Jersey Senator Cory Booker Breaks Personal Filibuster Record In Speech On Donald Trump Abuses Of Power!

In the midst of so much tragedy being perpetrated by Donald Trump and his Cabinet Officers, we have a great national hero in New Jersey Democratic Senator Cory Booker!

Booker just broke the personal filibuster record of then Democratic, later Republican, Senator Strom Thurmond of South Carolina in 1957.

Thurmond was railing against civil rights legislation, specifically the Civil Rights Act of that year, a despicable action by a well known white supremacist in the early Civil Rights Era.

Booker was condemning the multitude of horrors being perpetrated by the most dangerous and lawless President America has ever witnessed, a totally honorable action!

The nightmare of Donald Trump was laid out over about 25 hours nonstop by Booker, working to rally his Democratic Party and non MAGA Republicans and Independents, to lead the charge against the criminal activities being perpetrated in just ten weeks of the Trump second term Presidency!

Booker will be remembered for this, and other Democrats need to pick up the mantle and conduct similar filibusters to work to prevent the worst aspects of future legislation and actions during the next months and years.

Basically, every Democrat in the Senate should commit himself or herself to similiar tactics, and they will be as much appreciated and admired as Senator Booker is right now, although he has always been a decent, caring Senator since 2013!

Gutless Wonders, And NOT Profiles In Courage: Republican Senators Who Allow Themselves To Be Controlled!

A very disturbing development is the reality that several Republican Senators, who have expressed concern and doubts about various Donald Trump Cabinet Appointments and other nominees who require Senate approval, have shown they are NOT “Profiles in Courage”, but instead “Gutless Wonders”!

The threat of Elon Musk promoting opponents in upcoming Senate primaries has led to these Senators bowing to pressure, and making themselves look unprincipled, and without any morals, ethics, or scruples.

The need for these Senators, all of whom have great financial assets and earlier careers where they did well financially, to cave in to pressure is astounding.

Even if they lost their seats in the Senate, or chose not to run for reelection, they would not be in any kind of financial straits that would pressure them to be cowards, but they are precisely that!

I am referring to those Senators I had written about that might be barriers to Trump’s nominees, including:

Joni Ernst of Iowa
Thom Tillis of North Carolina
Bill Cassidy of Louisiana
Susan Collins of Maine
James Lankford of Oklahoma
John Curtis of Utah

Additionally, a newer Republican Senator, Todd Young of Indiana, after having doubts about Tulsi Gabbard, bent to the pressure from Vice President JD Vance to back her for Director Of National Intelligence!

With upcoming confirmation votes next week, it looks quite hopeless that any nominee will be stopped by four Republican votes against such nominee.

Subject to change, it seems as if only Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Mitch McConnell of Kentucky might vote NO, beyond Pete Hegseth, and who can be sure that even those two Senators will be consistent.

This is all very exasperating and disillusioning, as we are on the road to the worst ever Presidential Cabinet of advisers in American History, people in many cases outrageously horrible to be in their positions and guaranteed to conduct themselves in illegal, unethical, and immoral ways!

Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins And? Will Trump Nominees Be Stopped?

Two Republican women Senators, considered the most “moderate” in the party caucus, have come out in committee against the nomination of Pete Hegseth to be Secretary of Defense.

Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine have made clear that they are unhappy with Hegseth’s statements in the past against women in the military, although he has backed off on that idea recently.

Murkowski does not face an election until 2028, and already in the past, had kept her seat as an Independent in one election race. And Susan Collins has hinted she may not run for reelection in 2026, but even if she does, she is in a strong position in a state that is more “Blue”, but her ability to keep her seat has been strong in the past. She has served 28 years and is the longest serving female Republican Senator in American history.

The question is whether there are two more Republicans who will have the guts and courage to join Murkowski and Collins. Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell, former Majority and Minority Leader, is a “free spirit” in his last two years in the upper chamber, who disagrees with Donald Trump on foreign and defense policy, so might rebel against Hegseth.

Joni Ernst of Iowa seemed a possible negative vote, but was pressured in her home state to support Hegseth, and therefore looks likely to vote for him despite some qualms.

As stated by this author and blogger in an earlier post on January 12, there are a few other Republican Senators who might, hopefully, join in opposition, particularly the new Utah Senator John Curtis, seen as similar in moderation as was Mitt Romney, plus Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, James Lankford of Oklahoma, and Thom Tillis of North Carolina!

If not voting against Hegseth, there is greater possibility that some of this group will vote against other objectionable nominees, including Tulsi Gabbard, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr, and Kash Patel.

Guarantee Of Chaotic 119th Congress!

The 119th Congress (2025-2027) is guaranteed to be chaotic, and might be worse in performance than the 118th Congress (2023-2025).

With the final count having finally been settled in the House of Representatives, there will be a total of 220 Republicans and 215 Democrats, but since Matt Gaetz resigned, and Michael Waltz of Florida will be National Security Adviser, and Elise Stefanik of New York will be United Nations Ambassador, the actual balance for the first few months of the new year will be 217-215, until special elections fill those three seats.

This means any one Republican abandonment, or members absent for votes, and chaos will reign, and Democrats may gain the majority on some issues, and even, if there is opposition to the Speaker by a few Republicans, could lead to new elections for the House leadership.

Also, while the Senate now has 53 Republicans, there is a high likelihood that at least four or more Republican Senators will reject a number of Donald Trump’s Cabinet appointments.

The 118th Congress was reckless and chaotic enough, but now there will be fewer Republicans than in the last Congress in the lower chamber, and some Senators will be unwilling to bow to Donald Trump on some of his outrageous nominees for the Cabinet, and other actions by the 47th President when he takes the oath of office!

Republican Senators Who Are Likely To Oppose Some Trump Cabinet Nominees

Signs that a substantial number of Republican Senators are seen as likely to oppose some Donald Trump Cabinet nominees, particularly Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense; Tulsi Gabbard for Director of National Intelligence; and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Among those Senators who have issues with Trump appointees are the following:

Lisa Murkowski of Alaska
Thom Tillis of North Carolina
Todd Young of Indiana
Jonie Ernst of Iowa
Mitch McConnell of Kentucky
Bill Cassidy of Louisiana
Susan Collins of Maine
James Lankford of Oklahoma
Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma
John Cornyn of Texas
John Curtis of Utah (Senator Elect)
Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia

If four or more of this group vote against any of the above appointees or any others, such individual would not be able to be part of the Cabinet or other advisers.

However, the concept of a “recess” appointment could become a controversial action taken by Donald Trump, which would likely become a legal issue, and be seen as a grab for power.

Transgender And Immigration Issues Convinced Gullible Working Class To Back Trump!

It is a sad reality that the working class of America–whether white, Latino, or African American– was bamboozled by Donald Trump to believe he was concerned about their lives and would promote labor causes, when nothing is further from the truth.

The high inflation that occurred under Joe Biden had nothing to do with Joe Biden and the Democrats, but was simply a reaction to the COVID 19 Pandemic, so would have occurred if Donald Trump had been reelected President.

But Republicans and Donald Trump used fear of transgender Americans and of a small number of undocumented immigrants who have committed crime to stir up the population of working class Americans, many of whom are not actively engaged in following public affairs, to convince them to vote Republican.

But now, working class Americans will pay for their decision to vote for Trump and a Republican Congress by facing the reality of a Presidential cabinet made up of multi millionaires who are promoting massive tax cuts for the extremely wealthy, and imposing of high protective tariffs.

This will lead to a massive increase in the national debt and surging prices for all kinds of imported items, causing a new wave of inflation.

The Republican Party and Donald Trump do NOT have the interests of working class people in their agenda, and labor unions will not be supported, as they have been under Joe Biden.

And Donald Trump will cut back on exixting regulations on corporations and banks, promoting more of a chasm between the working class and upper class.

Only the upper class will celebrate Donald Trump’s Presidency, once the working class becomes fully cognizant that they have been tricked into supporting someone who utilized emotional issues of transgender rights and immigration to promote their agenda of making the wealthy wealthier, and the working class and poor more exploited!

Never Has Any President Had Such A Horrendous Group Of Cabinet Nominees!

Donald Trump is setting a record for the most horrendous selection of Cabinet nominees in American history!

Every President will have critics about one or more of his appointees, but Trump beats them all, and not just the traditional four spoken about–Matt Gaetz (now withdrawn); Pete Hegseth; Tulsi Gabbard; and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

There are others who are also terrible choices, including Mike Huckabee to be US Ambassador to Israel; Kristi Noem to be Secretary of Homeland Security; Lee Zeldin, Environmental Protection Agency; Doug Burgum, Secretary of the Interior; Chris Wright, Secretary of Energy; Howard Lutnick, Secretary of Commerce; Mehmet Oz, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services; and Linda McMahon, Secretary of Education.

And Trump is refusing to allow FBI Background Checks, which makes it terrifying to have Cabinet Officers who are not fully vetted!