Nominations for Trump’s Second Administration Make Clear That US Faces Radical Times Ahead

On Nov. 5, Americans decided to entrust Donald Trump with a second term in office. It is looking now like the future president can also count on a Senate and a House of Representatives that are firmly in Republican hands, at least for the first two years. If the supermajority in the Supreme Court is also included, Trump will have a power base unlike any other president has had in a long time.

Those who reassure themselves with something like “the first time wasn’t actually all that bad” should urgently take another look at the decisions that Trump is making now — because with the swift nominations for his administration, Trump is putting himself in a direct position to execute his extreme plans, unlike in 2016. “Hit the ground running,” as the Americans say. Trump’s first administration was defined by ineffective clowns, many unfilled posts, and establishment Republicans who were more worried about the rule of law than about Trump’s wishes. Now, Trump is appointing MAGA supporters who are focused on one thing above all else: completely implementing Trump’s agenda.

The Senate can still prevent unfit candidates from being appointed. But, first of all, the Republicans are in charge there, and they are squarely under Trump’s thumb. Additionally, Trump is currently trying to maneuver around the Senate to distribute positions.

Pete Hegseth, for instance, could be a future cabinet member who couldn’t count on that much support in the Senate. The veteran is poised to become Secretary of Defense. For most Europeans, he is an unfamiliar name, but he is a well-known face among Fox News viewers. After leaving the military, where he no longer felt welcome because of his right-wing views, he became a moderator at the outlet. He is considered a harsh critic of “woke ideology” in the military. In Hegseth’s opinion, women shouldn’t be on the front lines, for instance. This decision “has made fighting more complicated.” He wants to fire all generals responsible for “woke” initiatives and replace them with Trump loyalists.

Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy are set to lead the “Department of Government Efficiency.” This is a department that does not currently exist and is not supposed to be an official government institution. Instead, it is supposed to become something of an advisory arm but will still be financed with tax dollars. Musk and Ramaswamy, however, would not be federal employees and thus would not have to account for their actions. They are supposed to put all government branches through their paces. That could result in government programs that don’t accord with Trump’s worldview soon being cut. Musk’s businesses also have billions of dollars worth of contracts with the federal government. In his new position, he could represent contracts from competing businesses as “inefficient” and dissolve them. The name of the new department — DOGE — seems to be a play on another of Musk’s many investments, namely the cryptocurrency dogecoin, which the billionaire regularly promotes.

Trump has already announced several other new positions: Lee Zeldin is to become head of the Environmental Protection Agency and wants to lift “unnecessary” restrictions on day one. Trump’s campaign manager, Susie Wiles, will become chief of staff. She is considered to be extremely efficient. She will be supported by Stephen Miller, one of the more extreme right-wing members of the first Trump administration. Tom Homan will be responsible for security the borders. “I will run the biggest deportation force this country has ever seen,” he said in July. He is considered an architect of the controversial family separation policy from Trump’s first administration — and seems to want to continue the policy in the second administration.

In short, the fears of the people who warned about a second Trump administration are on their way to becoming true.