These 'relatively traditional' Trump Cabinet picks are actually 'spineless cowards': analysis

04 February

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent are considered some of the less controversial members of President Donald Trump's administration. Although Senate Democrats have vigorously opposed some of Trump's nominees — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth didn't receive a single Democratic vote — Rubio and Bessent were easily confirmed along bipartisan lines.

Rubio and Bessent have a reputation for being traditional conservatives rather than far-right MAGA Republicans. But the Washington Post's Catherine Rampell, in a February 4 opinion column, lays out some reasons why she believes they are acting like "spineless cowards."

"Many of President Donald Trump's appointees have been self-evidently bad — unqualified, ethically-conflicted cranks," Rampell explains. "A few, though, were supposed to be competent. Responsible, even. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, a respected hedge fund manager, was considered a relatively traditional pick, allowing him to clear his confirmation vote with the help of 16 Democrats. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, similarly, sailed into his Cabinet post with unanimous support from his former Senate colleagues."

Rampell continues, "Yet, two weeks in, they have both turned out to be spineless cowards. Both are complicit in the ongoing dismantling of the federal government and shredding of the Constitution."

The Post columnist argues that both the U.S. Treasury and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) are under attack by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), headed by Elon Musk. And she contends that Bessent isn't doing enough to protect the integrity of the U.S. Treasury Department, while Rubio "repeatedly praised" USAID in the past but "remained silent" when Musk "went nuclear on the agency."

"On Monday, (February 3)," Rampell writes, "Rubio belatedly announced that he was taking control of USAID, assuming it continues to exist. Meanwhile, Rubio has nothing to say about Trump's decision to strip legal protections from 350,000 Venezuelans who have been living and working in this country lawfully."

The columnist adds, "They are now vulnerable to deportation back to their repressive homeland — a fate Rubio described in 2022 as a 'death sentence'…. The 'adults in the room' sometimes failed in Trump's first term. Now, they're not even pretending to try."

Catherine Rampell's full Washington Post column is available at this link (subscription required).

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