As Donald Trump prepares for his second term, only MAGA loyalists need apply

By Gram Slattery and Alexandra Ulmer

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (Reuters) – As Republican President-elect Donald Trump’s advisers and allies search for personnel to staff his incoming administration, one quality is absolutely paramount: unquestioning loyalty.

During his 2017-2021 term, Trump butted heads with key appointees, particularly those in the intelligence, national security and law enforcement communities, many of whom later recounted going slow or trying to persuade Trump to withdraw from his most controversial plans.

Without people around him who are inclined to push back, it would be easier for the president-elect to break longstanding norms in pursuit of his conservative agenda, Trump supporters and opponents alike say.

On Thursday, Trump named his campaign manager, Susie Wiles, White House chief of staff. And on Saturday, Trump said he would not invite back his former UN ambassador, Nikki Haley, nor his former secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, both of whom have criticized elements of Trump’s conduct and policies, even as they tried to repair lately. Monday.

Just days before the Nov. 5 election, one of Trump’s former chiefs of staff, John Kelly, called him a “fascist” in an interview. One of his national security advisers, John Bolton, has repeatedly described Trump as unintelligent. And the second secretary of defense, Mark Esper, recounted in his 2022 autobiography that he convinced Trump not to target Mexican drug cartels.

Instead, Trump attacked those former cabinet-level officials, going so far as to suggest that the second joint chairman of the chiefs of staff, Mark Milley, should be executed for treason. This time, Trump said only true believers in him — and his “Make America Great Again” movement — would be allowed into government.

“President Trump has said publicly that he learned from his first term,” Mike Davis, a conservative lawyer who speaks frequently with the president-elect, told Reuters. Davis, who helped Trump win election from the Supreme Court to the Senate as a top Capitol Hill adviser, has frequently drawn praise from Trump’s most conservative allies.

“Political appointees require both competence and loyalty. You can’t have just one or the other. You need both.”

On X last week, Davis put it bluntly: “Before I ask for help, I’m going to ask you to provide me with specific, concrete evidence of your loyalty to Trump,” he wrote. “If you can’t offer much of that, stop asking me.”

A forensic look

To keep actors deemed disloyal out of Trump’s administration, his transition team is scrutinizing each potential appointee for signs they might turn against their boss, even lower-level appointees such as assistant and deputy secretaries , according to two people involved in this process. effort.

Researchers contracted by Trump’s transition team are looking into past statements by potential appointees to see if they have ever spoken negatively about Trump, according to one of those people involved in the transition effort with direct knowledge of the matter. They also check whether potential appointees have donated to Democrats — or even to Republicans who have been harsh critics of the president-elect, the person said.

While such donations or negative statements are not necessarily disqualifying, the person added, they are demerits.

Davis identified the attorney general as a particularly crucial position.

Trump fired his first attorney general, Jeff Sessions, after he refused to close investigations into contacts between Trump’s 2016 campaign and Russian officials. Trump later said hiring Sessions was “his biggest mistake.”

Trump also fired his first FBI director, James Comey, under similar circumstances.

With a more loyal attorney general and FBI director, Trump allies say, he would be less likely to face damaging investigations. Trump would also likely face less resistance if he tries to follow through on campaign promises to investigate opponents, including Democratic President Joe Biden, a matter of great concern to Democrats and public officials.

A Trump spokesman did not address the dynamics of how the potential political appointees were selected, beyond saying that decisions on key appointments are imminent. Three appointments – White House chief of staff, US ambassador to the United Nations and border czar – have already been announced.

In a statement, the Democratic National Committee expressed concern that Trump is picking loyalists who they said would put Trump’s interests ahead of the nation’s.

“Instead of making sure agencies and law enforcement have the best and brightest resources they need, Trump and his cronies are looking to give job offers to loyalists who will put Trump ahead of the American people,” said Alex Floyd, a DNC Spokesman.

LOYALTY TO POLITICS – AND MAN

While it’s normal for presidents to choose loyal allies for key appointments, the emphasis on loyalty over subject matter expertise exceeds the norm, according to interviews with five Trump advisers and public statements made by associates of the president-elect.

In many cabinets, presidents often reach out to different wings of their own party so that distinct ideological factions have a seat at the table. Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, later said she would appoint a Republican to her cabinet.

“We’re going to give people the role based on their ability — and their fidelity and loyalty to the policy as well as to the man,” Howard Lutnick, co-chairman of Trump’s transition effort, told the Financial Times last month. .

A Trump aide predicted the president-elect would bring much of his campaign to the White House, many of whom have proven their loyalty in Trump’s eyes by running a disciplined and tight-lipped campaign. Last time, that aide noted, Trump hired officials from the Republican National Committee.

“Loyalty is super important,” said the Trump aide, who was not authorized to speak to the media.

“There will be a lot more campaign staff moving into the White House. Last time, many party people made it to the White House, but their loyalty was not to the president, but to themselves. “

(Reporting by Gram Slattery in West Palm Beach, Florida and Alexandra Ulmer in San Francisco; Additional reporting by Aram Roston in Washington; Editing by Ross Colvin and Howard Goller)