Donald Trump has made a handful of personnel decisions in the six days since he won the White House — and who he’s picked (and passed over) tell us plenty about his approach to staffing his second term.
So far, these are Trump’s choices:
Susie Wiles, chief of staff
Tom Homan, “border czar”
Elise Stefanik, Ambassador to the United Nations (This is reported but not confirmed)
And, as importantly, here’s a Trump post from Truth Social over the weekend on who he won’t be picking:
What does all of that tell us? Exactly what we suspected: The MOST important trait for being selected by Trump to serve in his administration is loyalty to him. It’s likely the second and third most important trait too.
Wiles managed Trump’s 2024 campaign from the start. Stefanik was one of the loudest and most ardent voices in Congress in favor of his run. Homan has been a regular presence at Trump’s rallies for years.
As for Haley, well, she ran against him in the 2024 primary — after pledging she wouldn’t. And while she tried to make nice — she endorsed him and urged her voters to back him — Haley still said plenty of nasty things about Trump. And he hasn’t forgotten.
Pompeo was one of the stars of the first Trump term, but he, too, considered a run for president in 2024. During that brief flirtation, he was critical of Trump — especially on the spending front. “President Pompeo or any conservative president” would do better on fiscal restraint than Trump, he told Fox News.
Trump has made no secret that he wants to reward his friends and punish his enemies in the 2nd term. His early hires suggest he meant it.
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The Morning: It's the loyalty, stupid