Humor-Satire Trump Staff Picks, Co-Conspirators and the Revolving Door of Departures [2024 Edition]

[KaraBulut]

Time for a new thread to track the comings and goings of the spoils system in the Trump Administration between 2024 and however long he lasts this time. The sequel may be even worse than the original.

The 2016 Edition (84 pages!!!) can be found here:

Thread 'Trump Staff Picks, Co-Conspirators and the Revolving Door of Departures'

Nov 20, 2016

So the news all this week is Trump's very public parade of candidates for his cabinet and staff to meet with Trump. I just did a spit take on hearing that Laura Ingram is being considered for Press Secretary. What do you think of the folks being considered so far and what this telling of about what Trump's White House will be like.

• Stardreamer
• Replies: 1,668
• Forum: Current Events and Politics

 

[KaraBulut]

Attorney General nominee, Matthew "Matt" Louis Gaetz II, age 42.

Mr Gaetz has a BS in "interdisciplinary studies" from Florida State University and a JD from College of William & Mary Law School.

In 2010, Mr Gaetz was elected to the Florida House of Representative replacing a representative who resigned after being charged with corruption. In 2016, Mr Gaetz ran for the US House of Representatives.

Mr Gaetz has been the subject of Federal and Congressional Ethics Committee investigations for misuse of campaign funds, of corruption, for drug use and for transporting a minor across State lines for sexual purposes.

John Clune, the attorney for the minor that Mr Gaetz is accused of trafficking, has released a statement:

"Mr. Gaetz's likely nomination as Attorney General is a perverse development in a truly dark series of events. We would support the House Ethics Committee immediately releasing their report. She was a high school student and there were witnesses".

Matt Gaetz, a Bomb-Thrower for the Justice Department

President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to be attorney general has set a new bar for in-your-face nominations.

www.nytimes.com

In selecting Representative Matt Gaetz to be his attorney general, President-elect Donald J. Trump has chosen an undisguised attack dog to preside over the Department of Justice.

Mr. Gaetz, 42, a Florida Republican and an unswerving loyalist to Mr. Trump, has a history that under conventional circumstances would make his confirmation prospects appear insurmountable.

He was investigated by the Justice Department on suspicion of child sex trafficking. This year, after the government case was shuttered, the House Committee on Ethics opened its own inquiry into the matter, which effectively ended on Wednesday night after Mr. Gaetz resigned from his seat. Mr. Gaetz has also been accused of showing photos of nude women to colleagues on the House floor and of seeking a pardon from the previous Trump White House. He has denied each of these allegations.

Picking an Attorney General

Donald Trump has nominated a loyalist, Matt Gaetz, to lead the Justice Department. But his confirmation is not a sure thing.

www.nytimes.com

 

[KaraBulut]

Donald loves him some handsome menz. He can never have enough handsome men around him. Masculine, hunky men... just can't get enough.

Trump has nominated oh-so-hunky Fox News contributor, Pete Hegseth, to be Secretary of Defense. Hegseth is straight (no pun) out of GI Joe casting central. Tough. Smart. A true believer in America First. And those pecs! Yum.

Pete Hegseth's chance of getting confirmed, betting odds show

Donald Trump nominated the Fox News host as the next secretary of defense earlier this week.

www.newsweek.com

Fox News host Pete Hegseth appears to be a firm favorite for confirmation by the Senate after being announced as President-elect Donald Trump's pick for secretary of Defense, according to online betting platform Polymarket.

Trump announced his nomination of Hegseth, who served as a National Guard officer before becoming a pundit, to lead the military in a post to Truth Social on Tuesday night. The president-elect praised Hegseth as "tough, smart and a true believer in America First."

Hegseth's nomination immediately sparked backlash. Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America Association founder Paul Rieckhoff, in a post to X, formerly Twitter, called him "undoubtedly the least qualified nominee for SecDef in American history" and "the most overtly political" nominee.

Could the swim across the heavily polluted Hudson River be Hegseth's personal brain worm moment?

Oh... this looks like the lido deck on a Gay Atlantis Cruise!

 

[rareboy]

I am equally horrified by the appintment of Tulsi Gabbard to National Intelligence.

Putin's favourite choice no doubt.

 

[KaraBulut]

Loving the archived clips of Pete Hegseth that are resurfacing.


View attachment SethMeyers-PeteHegseth_20241115.mp4

 

[rareboy]

It isn't just his 'alpha male' axe clips that are coming back up for review...there is the bit about him being removed from Jaunary 6th mission to secure the Capitol....

In his book, he claims he was removed for having a Jerusalem Cross cross tattoo. But he also has a Deus vult cross tattoo – a symbol rooted in the First Crusade, where it served as a rallying cry in Christian battles against Muslims and Jews. Hegseth also has the words "Deus Vult" -- the phrase is Latin for "God wills it" -- inked on his biceps near the cross.

Today, the words and symbol, especially taken together, have largely been co-opted by neo-Nazi and far-right groups, frequently surfacing in extremist protests, including the violent 2017 rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Combined with his 'no women in combat roles' in the military stance, there is cause for worry among the military...although again, everyone is tiptoeing around this because no one, including Democrats seems to want to call his nomination out for what it is...incredibly dangerous and incompetent.

'He's Going to Have to Explain It': Surprise Defense Secretary Pick's History Takes Center Stage

Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's surprise pick to be the next defense secretary, has an extensive history of combat in the culture wars that have been brewing over the military for the past decade.

www.military.com

 

[KaraBulut]

Where's JD? Did anyone tell him that he's the VP?

Trump Completely Humiliates Elon Musk in Front of House Republicans

Elon Musk joined Trump on Capitol Hill for a meeting with Republicans—and the president-elect used the opportunity to ridicule the richest man in the world.

newrepublic.com

Donald Trump is wasting no time making a punch line out of some of his key allies, including Elon Musk.

During his first meeting with Republican lawmakers on the Hill as president-elect, Trump asserted his power over Musk, mocking the tech billionaire for sticking around for so long.

“Elon won’t go home. I can’t get rid of him,” Trump said Wednesday. “Until I don’t like him.”

The world’s richest man has reportedly spent “nearly every single day” of the last week at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, according to CNN. Musk has been spotted golfing with the president-elect, dining with him and his wife, Melania, and has even been in the room while Trump phones world leaders, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

 

[KaraBulut]

And Kevin is workin' the phones and sharpening the stiletto.

Notice the bolded section.

https://thehill.com/homenews/house/4990312-kevin-mccarthy-matt-gaetz-feud-donald-trump-cabinet/

Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) predicted Wednesday that former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), President-elect Trump’s pick for attorney general, will not get confirmed by the Senate.

Asked for his response to Trump’s Cabinet picks so far, McCarthy told Bloomberg Television in an interview, “I think the choices are very good, except one.”

“Look, Gaetz won’t get confirmed,” he continued. “Everybody knows that.”

McCarthy, a loyal Trump ally while serving in the House, was asked why the former president would bother tapping Gaetz if he knew the Florida Republican couldn’t get confirmed.

“You can talk to [the] president, but it’s a good deflection from others, but it also gives …” McCarthy responded, cutting himself off. “I’ll let it stand at that.”

 

[smokeshadow]

Musk is requiring anyone who wants to work for his DOGE has to submit resumes thru X; which, in order to do so, one has to become a paying member And, since DOGE isn't a "governmental agency", it isn't under ethics rules

'Another Ethics Conflict': Musk Directs Candidates to Apply to DOGE via His X Platform

Billionaire Elon Musk is directing candidates interested in working in his new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to submit their résumés through his social media platform X, apparently granting himself and X access to what he describes as “super high-IQ small-government revolutionaries...

www.thenewcivilrightsmovement.com

 

[KaraBulut]

Wanted: Nubile, young woman with model-like figure and working understanding of English for full-time companion. Must be able to demonstrate ability to freeze face in forced smile. Disturbing interior decorating and design issues a plus. Apply at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, DC.


Joe Biden invited the Trumps to the White House for the traditional post-election photo op.

Donald showed. Melania passed. Jill Biden did prepare a hand-written note and asked Donald to give the note to Melania.

Breaking Tradition, Melania Trump Rejects Jill Biden’s White House Invitation

Mrs. Trump declined the invitation for the traditional meeting between the current and future presidential spouses.

www.nytimes.com

Breaking Tradition, Melania Trump Rejects Jill Biden’s White House Invitation​

Mrs. Trump declined the invitation for the traditional meeting between the current and future presidential spouses.

Rumors are that Melania will not be living in the White House full-time.

https://www.cnn.com/2024/11/13/politics/video/melania-trump-white-house-plans-analysis-klein-cnc-digvid

'Unprecedented': CNN reporter reacts to Melania Trump's White House plans

Melania Trump is unlikely to move to Washington full-time in her second go-round as first lady, multiple sources tell CNN.

New York is where I'd rather stay!

 

[rareboy]

I knew Trump would tire of Musk quickly...but this was faster than I expected.

 

[rareboy]

Wanted: Nubile, young woman with model-like figure and working understanding of English for full-time companion. Must be able to demonstrate ability to freeze face in forced smile. Disturbing interior decorating and design issues a plus. Apply at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, DC.


Joe Biden invited the Trumps to the White House for the traditional post-election photo op.

Donald showed. Melania passed. Jill Biden did prepare a hand-written note and asked Donald to give the note to Melania.

Breaking Tradition, Melania Trump Rejects Jill Biden’s White House Invitation

Mrs. Trump declined the invitation for the traditional meeting between the current and future presidential spouses.

www.nytimes.com

Rumors are that Melania will not be living in the White House full-time.

https://www.cnn.com/2024/11/13/politics/video/melania-trump-white-house-plans-analysis-klein-cnc-digvid

View attachment 2782882

I suspect that Trump won't be spending a lot of time in the White House either.

 

[KaraBulut]

I knew Trump would tire of Musk quickly...but this was faster than I expected.

The fastest way to get dumped by Trump is to steal his spotlight.

I suspect that Trump won't be spending a lot of time in the White House either.

They still haven't signed the transition agreements, so there has been no transition and his appointee-candidates aren't getting briefings.

Trump still forgoing ‘critical’ agreements for transition planning

Officials on President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team said this year’s transition planning efforts will be “about as different as possible” from 2016.

federalnewsnetwork.com

 

[smokeshadow]

Washington. . .We have a problem

Backlash as Trump Skips FBI Background Checks — One Nominee Called ‘Likely Russian Asset’

Ethics experts, legal experts, and current and former members of Congress are blasting Donald Trump and his transition team for skipping critical FBI background checks on at least some of the President-elect’s nominees to top posts in his upcoming administration, leading one member of Congress...

www.thenewcivilrightsmovement.com

 

[rareboy]

It is an open secret that Gabbard is a Kemlin asset since 2016. And her repetition of Kremlin propaganda and appearances on Kremlin TV propaganda shows should have disqualified her right away from any position, let alone Director of National Intelligence.

Shows how far the US has actually sunk.

 

[KaraBulut]

It is an open secret that Gabbard is a Kemlin asset since 2016. And her repetition of Kremlin propaganda and appearances on Kremlin TV propaganda shows should have disqualified her right away from any position, let alone Director of National Intelligence.

Shows how far the US has actually sunk.

There was a humorist who used to be featured on 60 Minutes by the name of Molly Ivins. Molly was from Texas and she used to refer to Texas as "The National Laboratory for Bad Government".

In Texas, there's a war underfoot in the state Capitol. A Democrat hasn't held state-wide office since 1994. It's a one-party State. For years, the business lobby (aka the "Chamber of Commerce" faction) in the Republican Party poured millions into the Texas Republican Party in order to get Republicans into power. About 8 years ago, the Republicans turned on them. There's a civil war going on in Texas between the old-time business-oriented Republicans and the MAGA crowd that is funded by a handful of White Christian Nationalist billionaires.

Similar things are happening in Florida. No one would have guessed that a weak governor like Ron DeSantis would have said, "Fuck you" to Disney, one of the State of Florida's largest employers. It's the same phenomenon: the Republican Party turning on the companies that help put it into power.

View the lunacy in the appointment process as part of a nationalized Republican civil war. It's a war between the business lobby in the Republican Party and the Tea Party/MAGA insurgency that has taken over the Republican Party (and made it a branch of the Trump Organization). It's a war between MAGA and the Reagan-Bush factions of the Party. It's a war between the Republican Senators and the Republican House Freedom Caucus. Trump's strategists is setting up a loyalty test in order to set up a primary purge of any Republican who won't blindly do what he wants. It's what happened in 2018 with old-line business conservative Republicans like Bob Corker (R-TN) and Jeff Flake (R-UT).

If the Republican Senators don't stand up to Trump, they will lose the power granted to them by the Constitution to control the Executive.

 

[cityboy-stl]

There was a humorist who used to be featured on 60 Minutes by the name of Molly Ivins. Molly was from Texas and she used to refer to Texas as "The National Laboratory for Bad Government".

In Texas, there's a war underfoot in the state Capitol. A Democrat hasn't held state-wide office since 1994. It's a one-party State. For years, the business lobby (aka the "Chamber of Commerce" faction) in the Republican Party poured millions into the Texas Republican Party in order to get Republicans into power. About 8 years ago, the Republicans turned on them. There's a civil war going on in Texas between the old-time business-oriented Republicans and the MAGA crowd that is funded by a handful of White Christian Nationalist billionaires.

Similar things are happening in Florida. No one would have guessed that a weak governor like Ron DeSantis would have said, "Fuck you" to Disney, one of the State of Florida's largest employers. It's the same phenomenon: the Republican Party turning on the companies that help put it into power.

View the lunacy in the appointment process as part of a nationalized Republican civil war. It's a war between the business lobby in the Republican Party and the Tea Party/MAGA insurgency that has taken over the Republican Party (and made it a branch of the Trump Organization). It's a war between MAGA and the Reagan-Bush factions of the Party. It's a war between the Republican Senators and the Republican House Freedom Caucus. Trump's strategists is setting up a loyalty test in order to set up a primary purge of any Republican who won't blindly do what he wants. It's what happened in 2018 with old-line business conservative Republicans like Bob Corker (R-TN) and Jeff Flake (R-UT).

If the Republican Senators don't stand up to Trump, they will lose the power granted to them by the Constitution to control the Executive.

I do not think republican senators want to stand up to Trump. They are all in it for Trump. They are all in it to destroy democracy and to install a neo-Nazi dictatorship, and they have been all along. Giving up their power to control the Executive is their plan. Project 2025 is their plan. It is what they want. They are, what Trump is. Trump is, what they are. I've been saying this for years.

The fascist apocalypse is now underway.

 

[KaraBulut]

I do not think republican senators want to stand up to Trump. They are all in it for Trump. They are all in it to destroy democracy and to install a neo-Nazi dictatorship, and they have been all along. Giving up their power to control the Executive is their plan. Project 2025 is their plan. It is what they want. They are, what Trump is. Trump is, what they are. I've been saying this for years.

The fascist apocalypse is now underway.

It's the House that is all in on the Trump agenda. The Senators are on 6 year terms and they like to use their power to get their own agendas at the feeding trough.

Senators are in it to get re-elected. They're also in it to get campaign donations to get re-elected.

Now that the Republicans are back in power, there will be several Senators who play the Manchin-Sinema power game to get things they want in exchange for their votes. There are also a few Senators who aren't up for re-election in the next 3 years who may join the power play.

Trump didn't get Scott (R-FL) as majority leader (it was a closed-door vote). I'm hearing Thune, the new majority leader (and McConnell's pick for his replacement) saying things like, "We have a process..." which means that he's signalling Senators that they can interfere with Trump's appointee nominations, if needed.

The Republican Senators will rue the day that they let Trump get away without a conviction in the previous impeachments. They are getting what they all deserve for the next 4 years. They'll also rue the day that they lowered the filibuster threshold on nominees down to 51. I suspect that the Republicans will fall into infighting like they have for the past few years. The Democrats should follow Pelosi's advice to let them decay into chaos.

 

[KaraBulut]

And the Press begins to do its thing...

Oh noes. Two of Trump's nominees have a sexual assault problem. Who knew?

https://www.cnn.com/2024/11/15/politics/trump-transition-hegseth-allegations/index.html

President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team was in the middle of announcing new Cabinet picks this week when they were informed of a sexual assault allegation about one of his previous selections, Pete Hegseth, stunning several members of Trump’s team who have since raised questions about the viability of his nomination, according to two people close to the situation...

The campaign was brought information that aligns with what Monterey, California, police described as an investigation into “an alleged sexual assault” involving Hegseth on October 8, 2017.

https://www.cnn.com/2024/11/15/politics/matt-gaetz-ethics-committee/index.html

The attorney who represents two women who were witnesses in the House Ethics Committee probe into former congressman Matt Gaetz said Friday that one of his clients told the panel she saw the congressman having sex with a minor.

“My client testified to the House Ethics Committee that she witnessed Matt Gaetz having sex with a minor,” said attorney Joel Leppard, whose clients sat for closed-door testimony before the committee as part of the now-dropped investigation into the Florida Republican.

 

[bendted]

I have 3 questions.

1) Will his side chick, Laura Loomer, be involved in this administration? I'm thinking an advisory role, behind the scene,of course.

2) Who will be the token black? Kind of how Ben Carson was installed in an unsexy position, HUD which is largely invisible, rarely makes news and no one cares much what they do, but hey, they have a black guy.

3) How to repay Lindsey Graham? Well, aside from keeping his "secret" safe. He's one of the MAGA tribe's biggest dick riders after all...I'm thinking
Whitehouse men's room attendant would be most appropriate.