Loyalists, firebrands get top posts in Trump cabinet

US President-elect Donald Trump chose loyalists with little experience for several key cabinet positions on Wednesday, stunning some allies and making clear that he is serious about reshaping – and in some cases testing – America’s institutions.

Trump’s choice of congressman Matt Gaetz, 42, for US attorney general, America’s top law enforcement officer, was a surprising pick. The former attorney has never worked in the Justice Department, or as a prosecutor, and was investigated by the Justice Department over sex trafficking allegations. His office said in 2023 that he had been told by prosecutors he would not face criminal charges.

Trump chose Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence. The former Democratic congresswoman-turned-Trump-ally has in the past spoken out against military intervention in the civil war in Syria under former president Barack Obama and implied that Russian President Vladimir Putin had valid grounds for invading Ukraine, America’s ally.

“I know Tulsi will bring the fearless spirit that has defined her illustrious career to our intelligence community, championing our constitutional rights and securing peace through strength,” Trump said in a statement.

Gabbard has little direct experience with intelligence work and had not been widely expected to be selected for the post, which oversees 18 spy agencies.

On Tuesday, Trump chose Pete Hegseth, a Fox News commentator and veteran, to be his secretary of defense. Hegseth has opposed women in combat roles and questioned whether the top American general was promoted to his position because of his skin colour. He also lobbied Trump during his 2017-2021 term to pardon service members who allegedly committed war crimes.

Sprinkled in with those personnel choices were more conventional selections. On Wednesday, Trump also nominated Senator Marco Rubio, who is a hardliner on China, as his new secretary of state.

But on the whole, his selections signal a radical shift in the way the US government conducts its business and in the role America will play in the world over the next four years.

Trump has said he wants to end the “weaponization” of the Justice Department, which he said brought politically motivated criminal cases against him to hurt his presidential candidacy. The department says it acts without political bias.

One common thread for Trump’s picks: He chose unfailingly loyal people who are unlikely to push back against his most controversial orders, analysts said.

Trump pledged on the campaign trail to go after his political enemies, including Democratic President Joe Biden, a pledge that Gaetz, his attorney general-designate, is unlikely to stand in the way of.

“Gaetz will do exactly as Trump says, which is why he was picked I guess,” said a source close to Trump, after Gaetz’s selection as was announced.

A half dozen sources close to Trump world, including donors, consultants and fundraisers, said privately that they were shocked by the choice of Gaetz because of his limited qualifications and past DOJ investigation into him.