Trump Cabinet picks soften past statements amid Senate scrutiny, while others plunge ahead
Some of President-elect Donald Trump’s most vulnerable Cabinet picks are racing to smooth out or overwrite past statements before contentious Senate confirmation fights.
Some of President-elect Donald Trump’s most vulnerable Cabinet picks are racing to smooth out or overwrite past statements before contentious Senate confirmation fights, a political concern not shared by the duo of influential Trump allies who have been given wide-ranging power to recommend up to $2 trillion in cuts in federal spending.
The contrast illustrates a key split defining Trump-world as it prepares to take over the federal government. The incoming president has spent the weeks since winning the election preparing to stock key administration posts with high-profile conservative media stars who have ably used that ecosystem to bolster their right-wing policy proposals.
But facing the political pressure of getting confirmed by the Senate, some of those Cabinet picks are now having to moderate. Meanwhile, others in non-Senate confirmable positions — co-chairs of the “Department of Government Efficiency” Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy — can continue mostly unbothered by any prospect that their seats at the table could get yanked away.
“The truly shaky to get 50 votes are in full bleach mode,” said one longtime Republican consultant involved in Senate campaigns. “What conservative pod and show ratings do not necessarily get is senators’ votes.”
Another Republican strategist noted that when media personalities are nominated, past comments and positions will always become hurdles.
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