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Trump Supporters Are in for a Rude Surprise
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The Stakes with John Harwood

Trump Supporters Are in for a Rude Surprise

While the rest of us need to get ready for a Trump presidency that will be far more destructive than his first.

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John Harwood
Nov 20, 2024
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Trump Supporters Are in for a Rude Surprise
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Trump smiles during the UFC 309 event at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 16, 2024, in New York City. Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

No one knows how much Donald Trump’s second presidency will harm America’s national security, global leadership, social fabric, and material well-being. But we should expect much worse than the first time around.

Two months before returning to the Oval Office, the president-elect has already inflicted fresh damage upon our country. His public pronouncements and Cabinet choices make a mockery of the government he will lead.

He would place Matt Gaetz, a wildly irresponsible lawmaker who, like Trump, has faced investigations over sex offense allegations, atop the Department of Justice; Pete Hegseth, a Fox News host bearing tattoos associated with Christian extremism who has also faced a sex assault allegation, in charge of the vast, diverse Department of Defense; Tulsi Gabbard, a former congresswoman who shares Trump’s suspicious affinity for the interests of Russia, as director of National Intelligence; and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a conspiracist crank at war with medical expertise, as overseer of the public health system.

Sean Duffy, another Fox host who, like Trump, once hosted a reality TV show (it was called “Road Rules”), would run the Department of Transportation. The former host of the Dr. Oz show, Mehmet Oz, would superintend the giant Medicare and Medicaid programs.

All lack qualifications. And, like Trump, some display active hostility to the legitimate purposes of government and the interests and values of the United States itself.

Superficially, their wrecking-ball plans appeal to angry elements of Trump’s constituency who have been deluded into believing government causes the problems in their lives. They don’t realize he has played them for suckers, soon to be his victims.

Our prosperity and civic order depend on the rule of law. Our citizens’ health, not to mention that of people around the globe, depends on the promotion and advancement of medical science. Our security and that of the free world depend on the professionalism of our military and intelligence community, built on the principle of abjuring domestic politics.

The mere announcement of Trump’s nominees – whether or not Republican senators can find the guts to reject them – erodes confidence in the competence and intentions of the United States. It undercuts free nations, like Ukraine and our European allies, and emboldens autocratic adversaries like Vladimir Putin.

Trump Supporters in for Rude Awakening

These reckless picks also signal seriousness about pursuing the most ominous parts of his campaign rhetoric.

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