Trump picks a new AG — and the rest of his Cabinet awaits

President-elect Donald Trump wasted little time in nominating a new attorney general after his first plan flamed out. Former Rep. Matt Gaetz, plagued by his sex scandals and the threat of a Senate confirmation impasse, rescinded his candidacy for the position in a social media post Thursday afternoon. By evening, Trump had appointed his replacement: Pam Bondi, a former Florida attorney general and a defense lawyer during Trump’s first impeachment trial.
The Gaetz nomination, Trump allies knew, would likely reach the Senate dead on arrival. Gaetz spent Wednesday blitzing around Senate offices, Vice President-elect JD Vance in tow, attempting to convince Republican lawmakers that he was legitimate and confirmable.
They failed on both accounts, it seemed: By midday Thursday, Gaetz had tossed in the towel. The New York Times and NBC both reported that Gaetz believed a cohort of four or five Republican Senators planned to oppose his confirmation, no matter what; among them, both outlets reported, was Utah Sen.-elect John Curtis. Gaetz, however, never met with Curtis, the senator-elect’s spokesperson said; in a statement, the spokesperson said Curtis “plans to carefully examine the records and qualifications of every nominee President-elect Trump sends to the Senate.”
Trump quickly accepted Gaetz’s resignation and curtly moved on. “He was doing very well but, at the same time, did not want to be a distraction for the Administration, for which he has much respect,” Trump wrote in a social media post. Six hours later, another post: “I am proud to announce former Attorney General of the Great State of Florida, Pam Bondi, as our next Attorney General of the United States.” He lauded Bondi’s 20-year career as a prosecutor and her role on the federal Opioid and Drug Abuse Commission under Trump. “She is smart and tough, and is an AMERICA FIRST Fighter, who will do a terrific job as Attorney General!” Trump wrote.
The move quickly earned cheers from Republican Senators. “She will be confirmed quickly because she deserves to be confirmed quickly,” Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, said. “I look forward to supporting her nomination in the Senate,” Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, added.
Gaetz’s hasty surrender shows that confirmations for Trump’s Cabinet picks — a motley mix of Trump loyalists — are not a foregone conclusion. Gaetz may have been a candidate with little-to-no chance of being confirmed, but the final 24 hours of his appointment — the blitz around Senate offices, the assumption that a GOP blockade existed — showed that Trump’s picks could, conceivably, face a challenge, even in a Republican-controlled Senate.
Beyond Gaetz, the steepest hill will likely be faced by Pete Hegseth, Trump’s nominee for Defense secretary. The author, Fox News personality and former Army National Guard officer has been plagued by criticisms of his little managerial experience and his own checkered history. In 2017, Hegseth was accused of sexual assault, and a contemporary police report — released via a public records request this week — offers detail into the allegations.
Hegseth claimed he was “completely cleared” of wrongdoing. Like Gaetz, Hegseth made the rounds on Capitol Hill this week, attempting to corral Republican senators behind his confirmation. At least one Republican who reportedly opposed Gaetz’s confirmation is on board with Hegseth: Sen. Markwayne Mullen, R-Oklahoma, said he visited with Hegseth Thursday and is “looking forward to getting him confirmed.”
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump’s pick to lead the Health and Human Services department, is an environmental lawyer and anti-vaccine activist. To Republican senators, though, his progressive climate positions or unorthodox health views are not the issue: His position on abortion is. Trump went silent on abortion in the final weeks of his campaign, after softening his position over the duration of his run; but it’s Kennedy, not Trump, who would play a much larger role in influencing abortion policy.
Even as the right to abortion is left up to the states, HHS oversees regulations on chemical abortions, funding for the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program and abortion reporting requirements in relation to Medicaid — all issues that the National Review demanded Kennedy speak to in order to “prioritize pro-life policy goals as HHS Secretary.”
As pro-life groups express concerns about Kennedy’s views, several Republican senators say they expect the issue to arise in Kennedy’s confirmation hearings. “There’s no question that this will be an issue,” Sen. James Lankford, Oklahoma, told Fox News. Sen. Todd Budd, R-North Carolina, added: “I would fully expect any of Trump’s nominees to be pro-life, as is President Trump.”
Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s pick to be the national intelligence director, is perhaps Trump’s most surprising. Gabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman, veteran and presidential candidate before changing her party affiliation, has faced sharp criticism for her perceived warmth toward global threats. On Wednesday, former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley called Gabbard “a Russian, Iranian, Syrian, Chinese sympathizer.”
But Senate Republicans have offered little resistance. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, among those who reportedly opposed Gaetz, said she doesn’t “know (Gabbard) at all, so it would be premature for me to reach a judgement.” Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said he has “no doubt (Gabbard) is a patriot.”
Others of Trump’s non-Cabinet selections — like his pick for “border czar,” Tom Homan — will not require Senate confirmation. “There is widespread misunderstanding about what a czar is,” Justin Vaughn, associate professor of political science at Coastal Carolina and author of “Czars in the White House,” said. “Typically, when someone is called a czar, it means they are the point person on an important issue, regardless of their formal title, and that they speak for the president, which conveys informal power since they typically don’t have much formal power otherwise.”