Cabinet of Donald Trump

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The farce that typified a Trump cabinet meeting: 3 of the 4 nameplates say "acting", and the guy without a nameplate is an actor. The actor needs a photo of himself front-and-center for self-assurance.
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Persons of interest

The Cabinet of Donald Trump was the wealthiest in American history,[1] in addition to being the least qualified overall.[2]

Major members[edit]

People are listed alphabetically according to their first names.

A-H[edit]

  • Alex Azar,Wikipedia former President of pharmaceutical company Eli Lily, as Secretary of Health and Human Services. Spent most of his tenure trying to dismantle ObamaCare and trying to define transgender people out of existence.[3] Azar is a joyful regulator.[4]
    • Azar replaced Tom Price,Wikipedia former Congressman from Georgia, who got pushed out after 8 months for using military jets for personal travel.[5]
  • Alexander Acosta,Wikipedia as Secretary of Labor is unusual as he doesn’t appear to be a clueless, millionaire/billionaire hack or someone actively loathing the agency he is in charge of. However, he wasn't Trump's first pick. Resigned due to public pressure from his having in 2007-2008 as US Attorney granted billionaire pedophile scumbag Jeffrey Epstein immunity for all but two crimes.
  • Ben Carson — Secretary of Housing and Urban Development: To his credit (if nothing else), Carson at least admits to being a terrible pick for the job — that didn't stop him from taking the job though.[8]

I-J[edit]

Barr replaced Jeff Sessions.[10] He saw some tension with the Trump, especially after recusing himself from the Russia probe. In November 2018, he resigned at the request of President.[11] Barr's statement that the DOJ found no widespread election fraud in the 2020 U.S. presidential election infuriated Trump[12] — perhaps Barr was tired of the circus by that point.
  • James "Mad Dog" Mattis, a retired Marine general, as Secretary for Defense (I thought you knew more than the generals, Donnie?). One of the few people in the Administration with the relevant qualifications and expertise. Left early.
  • John F. Kelly,Wikipedia a retired general, as Secretary of Homeland Security, and Chief of Staff.[13] Another rare case of a person being right for the job. Also left early.

K-Q[edit]

  • Matthew Whitaker, Sessions' former chief of staff, as acting Attorney General. Whitaker is a GOP loyalist and Trump supporter[14] who worked for a company that was shut down and fined for scamming veterans.[15] He also sold a scammily bizarre 'masculine toilet'.[16] Whitaker is openly critical of the Trump-Russia investigation and asserted there was no evidence for collusion or Russian interference in 2016 U.S. presidential election.[17] He believes that the Special Counsel has overstepped his mandate by investigating Trump's finances.[18]
  • Reince Priebus,Wikipedia Chairman of the RNC, as White House Chief of Staff. He left early.

R-Z[edit]

  • Rick Perry, Secretary of Energy. In 2011, he said that he wanted to eliminate this department — that was his main qualification evidently.
  • Ryan ZinkeWikipedia as Interior Secretary.[21] Gone. But not forgotten: he's being investigated by the Department of Justice as to whether he lied to the Interior Inspector General's Office.[22] He may also face corruption-related criminal charges.
  • Steve Bannon (a.k.a., the Grim Reaper[23]) was a US Navy officer in the 1970s, worked as an investment banker in the 1980s in the Murders and Executions[24] Mergers and Acquisitions Department of Goldman Sachs,[25] CEO of Breitbart, and Trump campaign chief, as Chief Strategist to the President. He quit.
  • Steven Mnuchin,Wikipedia a Goldman Sachs banker, film producer,[26] and Trump campaign finance chief, as Secretary of the Treasury. Scumbag, but an understandable pick.
  • Wilbur Ross,Wikipedia a Wall Street banker and Trump campaign donor, as Secretary of Commerce. As Secretary, he's been busy conducting insider trading by short-selling stocks based on his personal knowledge of forthcoming negative news stories.[27][28] He even profited from a short sale based on his own corruption investigation.[29]

Other members[edit]

File:Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari poster.jpg
An earlier incarnation of an authoritarian's cabinet: The Cabinet of Dr. CaligariWikipedia
  • Boris Epshteyn — Trump's son Eric's friend from his alma mater, Georgetown University, briefly served as White House spokesman[30]
  • Christopher Hagan — confidential assistant at the Agriculture Department. Qualifications: cabana attendant.[31]
  • Dan Scavino — Trump's ex-golf caddie, now the White House director of social media[30]
  • David Matthews — confidential assistant at the Agriculture Department. Qualifications: developed scented candles, legal receptionist.[31]
  • Hope Hicks — ex-fashion model who worked for Ivanka Trump, now the White House communications director,[30] providing hope for Hicks. She admitted to lying for her boss and has resigned.[32]
  • Joe diGenova — one of Trump's lawyers, and a deep state conspiracy theorist[33]
  • Kyle Yunaska — Eric's brother-in-law, had a senior Energy Department job[30]
  • Linda McMahon — professional wrestling magnate and Trump's close friend, was the Small Business Administration chief[30]
  • Lynne Patton — wedding planner for Eric, now senior official at the Department of Housing and Urban Development[30]
  • Nick Brusky — confidential assistant at the Agriculture Department. Qualifications: truck driver, no college degree.[31]
  • Sam Clovis — ex-nominee for chief scientist at EPA. Qualifications: talk show host, non-economist economics professor. During the campaign, he supervised George Papadopoulos, who plead guilty in the FBI investigation of Russian hacking of the 2016 election.[31][34]
  • Sid Bowdidge — assistant to the Secretary of Energy for energy efficiency and renewable energy. Qualifications: manager of a Meineke Car Care branch.[31]
  • Steve Kopec — home improvement contractor who married into the Trump domestic staff, now a special assistant with the Environmental Protection Agency[30]
  • Taylor Weyeneth — 23-year old deputy chief of staff of the Office of National Drug Control Policy. Qualifications: lying on his résumé, stopped showing up to work at his previous job as a legal assistant, his "only professional experience after college and before becoming an appointee was working on the Trump campaign and transition."[35]
  • Victoria Barton — congressional relations for Regions II, V and VI, Department of Housing and Urban Development. Qualifications: office manager, bartender/bar manager.[31]

References[edit]

  1. Who Had The Wealthiest Cabinet by Patrick Wagner (Apr 13, 2018) Statista.
  2. How The Donald Trump Cabinet Stacks Up, In 3 Charts by Danielle Kurtzleben (December 28, 20161:03 PM ET) NPR.
  3. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/21/us/politics/transgender-trump-administration-sex-definition.html
  4. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/18/upshot/alex-azar-trumps-health-and-human-services-secretary-joyful-regulator.html
  5. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/29/us/politics/tom-price-trump-hhs.html
  6. Pruitt tapes revealed: Evolution's a 'theory,' 'majority' religions under attack. Politico. March 2, 2018.
  7. Scott Pruitt Quits As Head of US Environment Agency. BBC News. July 6th, 2018.
  8. Ben Carson made it clear that he was too inexperienced for a Cabinet job. Now Trump says he's considering Carson for one by Evan Halper (Nov. 22, 2016, 9:59 a.m.) Los Angeles Times.
  9. Senate confirms Trump pick for NASA administrator over Democratic objections by Seung Min Kim & Christian Davenport (April 19, 2018 at 2:57 PM) The Washington Post.
  10. The Signal Sent by Picking Jeff Sessions for Attorney General: The United States' top law-enforcement official possesses sweeping discretionary power — and the Alabama senator’s record suggests how he'll use it by Garrett Epps (Nov 21, 2016) The Atlantic.
  11. Trump fires Attorney General Jeff Sessions. BBC News. November 7, 2018.
  12. Disputing Trump, Barr says no widespread election fraud by Michasel Balsamo (December 1, 2020) AP.
  13. 13.0 13.1 Donald Trump's Cabinet Is Taking Shape. He is now Secretary of State. Here’s the Latest List. (Updated Feb. 14, 2017) The New York Times.
  14. New acting attorney general is a GOP loyalist from Iowa. Associated Press. November 7, 2018.
  15. Acting Attorney General Sat on Board of Company Accused of Bilking Customers. The New York Times. November 8, 2018.
  16. [https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2018/11/democrats-demand-info-on-acting-attorney-general-matthew-whitaker-masculine-toilet-scam Dems Demand Info on Acting Attorney General’s “Masculine Toilet” Scam Matthew Whitaker’s past allegedly involves a number of shady business ventures.] by Bess Levin (November 14, 2018) Vanity Fair.
  17. What the acting attorney general thinks of the Mueller probe. PBS NewsHour. November 8, 2018.
  18. Jeff Sessions Forced Out As Attorney General After Constant Criticism From Trump. NPR. November 7, 2018.
  19. Any connection between Tillerson and Russia is merely a coincidence. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6alHr_ZTdQI/
  20. Betsy DeVos, Trump’s Education Pick, Has Steered Money From Public Schools by Kate Zernike (Nov. 23, 2016) The New York Times
  21. Ryan Zinke is One Step Closer to Becoming Interior Secretary. Washington Post.
  22. https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/423715-zinke-under-doj-investigation-for-possibly-lying-to-inspector
  23. https://youtu.be/pZOF9q5fzfs?t=49s
  24. The term used in Bret Easton Ellis' 1991 book American Psycho for this department ("I'm into, oh, murders and executions mostly."), p. 206. ISBN 0679735771.
  25. Another Goldman Sachs Alum Joins Donald Trump's Campaign by Dan Primack (Updated: Aug 17, 2016 5:43 PM PDT) Fortune.
  26. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6518391/
  27. Wilbur Ross says he shorted two more stocks during his time as Commerce secretary by Lori Ann LaRocco & Dan Mangan (Published 3:53 PM ET Mon, 2 July 2018 Updated 7:19 AM ET Tue, 3 July 2018) CNBC.
  28. Wilbur Ross Denies Insider Trade in Shorting Russia-Linked Firm by Bill Allison (June 19, 2018, 8:42 AM PDT; Updated on June 19, 2018, 4:01 PM PDT) Bloomberg.
  29. Commerce chief Wilbur Ross' financial holdings get new scrutiny in report that highlights short sale of Russian-linked shipping firm by Dan Mangan (Published 4:08 PM ET Mon, 18 June 2018 Updated 10:46 AM ET Tue, 19 June 2018) CNBC.
  30. 30.0 30.1 30.2 30.3 30.4 30.5 30.6 Trump isn’t hiring enough friends and family by Dana Milbank (February 27, 2018 at 7:38 PM) The Washington Post.
  31. 31.0 31.1 31.2 31.3 31.4 31.5 The other huge scandal Mueller brought to light this week by Dana Milbank (November 1, 2017 at 9:34 PM) The Washington Post.
  32. Rep. Stewart: Hope Hicks' white lies answer 'a setup' by intel Dems. CNN. March 2, 2018.
  33. Trump just hired a deep-state conspiracy theorist as his lawyer. Here’s what Joe diGenova has said. by Aaron Blake (March 19, 2018 at 2:55 PM) The Washington Post.
  34. Sam Clovis withdraws his nomination for USDA’s top scientist post after being linked to Russia probe by Juliet Eilperin & Philip Rucker (November 2, 2017 at 11:58 AM) The Washington Post.
  35. Trump's 24-year-old drug policy appointee was let go at law firm after he 'just didn't show' by Dalton Bennett (January 20, 2018) The Washington Post.