After Donald Trump’s reelection as U.S. president, his cabinet selections have stirred a large debate: many questioning the qualifications, backgrounds, and potential impacts of his choices.
Some of the cabinet picks that have been under the greatest scrutiny right now have been those who have faced allegations of sexual misconduct. Trump’s initial choice for attorney general was former representative Matt Gaetz, who has allegations of having sex with a 17-year-old. There has also been some conversation sparked over a bill passed in 2017 to combat human trafficking, in which the only vote against it was Gaetz.
Many Republicans have also criticized his behavior after trying to taunt former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in July. Following the allegations and criticism, Matt Gaetz announced that he withdrew as the attorney general nominee on Thursday.
Lexie O’Brien, a senior at ERHS, says, “I heard about Matt Gaetz, and I don’t like that a lot of [the nominees] have like, sexual allegations against them.”
“I personally feel that we should have trustworthy people in the government and stop allowing corrupt people.”
Another cabinet pick who is facing sexual misconduct allegations is Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is Trump’s selection for the secretary of Health and Human Services. In a Vanity Fair story, the accuser described when she worked as a nanny for his family in the 1990s. She accuses him of groping her, in which he would have been 45 years old and married, and she would have been 23. Kennedy has not directly addressed the allegations, but reportedly texted Cooney an apology.
Along with these allegations, many people have criticized RFK Jr. for misinformation about vaccines, COVID-19, fluoride, and other topics. Many have expressed concerns about his possibility of becoming the Health and Human Services secretary despite his multiple counts of health misinformation.
Trump’s pick for defense secretary, Fox News commentator and former Army National Guard officer Pete Hegseth, is also currently facing sexual assault allegations. According to official police records that were released to NBC News, a California woman alleges that Hegseth blocked her from leaving a hotel room, and then sexually assaulted her in 2017. Hegseth told police that the two did have a sexual encounter, but it was consensual. The report includes clashing narratives and accounts of the events. According to Hegseth’s attorney, a confidential settlement agreement was made in order to stop the accuser from filing a lawsuit.
Amy Chan, a senior at ERHS, says, “I was shocked that Trump even hired them because in my head I was like, ‘Wow, these are the people running the government now.'”
“I was frustrated and confused.”
Hegseth is also under fire for his lack of experience from a managerial standpoint. If he were to be confirmed for defense secretary, he would be the least experienced in the history of the republic leading 1.3 million active troops with a budget of over $800 billion. He is also under scrutiny for expressing his desire for purging diversity policies in the military.
On the “Shawn Ryan Show” podcast, Hegseth said, “…any general that was involved, general, admiral, whatever, that was involved in any of the DEI, woke s— has got to go.”
“…I’m straight up just saying we should not have women in combat roles. It hasn’t made us more effective, hasn’t made us more lethal. [It] has made fighting more complicated.”
One more Trump cabinet pick that has been controversial is Kristi Noem, nominated for secretary of Homeland Security. She is under scrutiny for admitting in her 2024 book, No Going Back, to killing her misbehaving dog with a gun. In the same book, she also describes shooting and killing her family goat.
Along with animal killings, Noem has been involved in other controversies. After saying that they have been invaded by drug cartels, she has been banned from visiting the reservations of all South Dakota’s official Native American tribes. Her allegations that tribal leaders profit off of drug cartel activity has led to the tribes clashing with Noem.
On the House Floor, Representative Jim McGovern speaks about Trump’s cabinet picks: “These are like, beyond insane.”
“Someone who is credibly accused of having sex with an underage girl. Someone who sucks up to foreign dictators and has attracted major concern that they can’t be trusted to protect America’s secrets from our adversaries. Someone who paid hush money to cover up a sexual assault accusation, you know, to lead our military. He’s picked because Donald Trump likes him on Fox News? Someone who says that tap water turns kids gay?”
He continued, “I mean, this is the dream team? This is the dream team? Really? I mean, seriously, it would be funny if it weren’t so sad. And hopefully, the United States Senate has a backbone and insists on a thorough confirmation process.”
