The victorious Trump Train has pulled into Washington and the anxious nominees for cabinet positions are now disembarking. Holy crap, they’ve gotta lot of baggage!
The transition team is straining their backs trying to shoulder that heavy load, while America watches in disbelief.
“This is not what we voted for.” (A Republican sentiment heard more and more each day.)
Fool us once, shame on you!
The large group of potential cabinet members is quite diverse. There are blind loyalists, mindless sycophants and fast-talking toadies, brown-nosing yes-men and yes-sir women, Russian apologists, sexual predators and pedophiles, medical quacks, insurrectionists, conspiracy theorists, fat-cats, dog killers, FOX talking heads, climate deniers, Christian Nationalists, race-baiters, and of course the run-of-the-mill Trump humpers.
This then is the new Trump Administration, chock-full of billionaires — the richest in American history. A government of the rich, by the rich, for the rich, shall perish from the earth! (Where’s Abe Lincoln when we need him?)
But with all that baggage, a Senate confirmation process could be an uphill fight for most of these miscreants. That’s why Trump would rather have “Little Johnson” call for a recess. And while the cats are away, the rats will play. Presto! A confirmation conga line right into the bowels of the new administration. (Yikes!)
So far, party animal Matt Gaetz couldn’t stand the heat so he got the heck out of the kitchen. The House Ethics Committee will keep their report under wraps… but not to worry; the lurid findings will be leaked slowly for weeks to come. (Popcorn anyone?)
Question: What do you call one less Republican congressman?
Answer: A start.
Check out these headlines featuring some of Trump’s shady cabinet members in his first chaotic administration:
VOX: Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke Might Face Criminal Investigation
WASHINGTON POST: Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao Faces Investigation Over ‘Troubling’ Ethics Allegations
NYT: Acosta To Resign As Labor Secretary Over Jeffrey Epstein Plea Deal
NBC: Energy Sec. Rick Perry Embroiled In Ukraine Affair, To Resign
AP: Scandal-Plagued EPA Administrator Pruitt Resigns
PBS: Health Secretary Price Resigns Over Private Flight Controversy
All of these cases were referred to the Trump DOJ for criminal prosecution, and of course, none were prosecuted. Then there was yet another headline just before the January 6th insurrection as Donald Trump’s presidency came to an ignominious end:
MSNBC: Yet Another Trump Cabinet Secretary Caught Up In Scandal
VA Secretary Robert Wilke “courted controversy late in his term after a VA inspector general report criticized his mishandling of a sexual assault allegation. He worked behind the scenes to discredit the victim but was not charged. Still, more than two dozen Democratic members of Congress and 20 Veteran groups publicly called for Wilke’s resignation or firing.”
Since then, Wilkie has worked at the America First Policy Institute: a far-right think tank. (We can only imagine the crazy ideas they’re thinking up over there.) He is now head of the ‘defense transition’ efforts in search of a new defense secretary.
Fool us twice, shame on us!
It should come as no surprise that Trump and Wilkie chose a Fox weekend host and Christian Nationalist, Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense. It’s amazing that this inexperienced, accused sexual predator could possibly replace the honorable (and qualified), retired four-star general, Lloyd Austin.
Dozens of loyalists have been selected that have absolutely no experience in government; and some of these nominees have been chosen apparently to sabotage their own departments. Why else would Trump put wacky billionaire Linda McMahon, ex-WWE President, in charge of the ‘woke’ Department of Education? He said repeatedly he wanted to eliminate it.
What better way than to body slam the culprit out of the ring?
Here are a few of the fat-cats picked to dismantle the administrative state:
Elon Musk, worth over $300 billion: Department of Government Efficiency.
Vivek Ramaswamy, worth $800 million: DOGE.
Scott Bessent, billionaire hedge fund manager: Treasury.
Tulsi Gabbard, Putin apologist worth $40 million: National Intelligence.
Doug Burgum, former North Dakota governor worth $1.1 billion: Interior.
Pam Bondi, two-time Florida AG, worth $7 million: US Attorney General.
Brendon Carr, multi-millionaire, wrote the FCC chapter in Project 2025: yep, FCC.
Dr. Oz, TV huckster worth $200 million: Transportation
Howard Lutnick, Wall Street billionaire: Commerce.
The list goes on and on…
…but how many billionaires and fat-cats does it take before you call it an oligarchy? Millions of Americans voted for Trump, but they didn’t give him a blank check; and they sure didn’t sign up for this insanity.
“There are two tragedies in life: not getting what you want, and getting it!”
We still have over 40 days until Donald Trump’s grand coronation, and there’s already some remorse.
These are the top questions on Google after the election: Can I change my vote? Will tariffs cause inflation? Things to buy before tariffs? (Sad but true.)
At the moment half of America is jubilant and the other half is depressed. But we liberals don’t have to bury our heads in the sand. We have to stand up and fight for what we believe in and make our voices heard. We must be vigilant and pay attention to what’s going on all around us. Racism, misogyny, inequity and intolerance never sleep.
My happy-go-lucky neighbor, Leroy, doesn’t concern himself with politics and doesn’t fret about most anything. So I asked him one question. “What is the biggest problem in America today — ignorance or apathy?”
He scratched his head and replied, “I don’t know! And I don’t give a damn!”
(Try not to argue at the Thanksgiving table.)
DC has been a frustrated musician for over fifty years, and now has decided to become a frustrated writer. Learn more at DCDuncan.com. He’ll keep you posted.