President-elect Donald Trump's second administration is shaping up to be much different from his first.
The first Trump Administration had its share of establishment Republicans and traditional conservatives who clashed with him, including those who served as secretary of state (Rex Tillerson), national security director (John Bolton), White House chief of staff (John F. Kelly) or U.S. attorney general (Jeff Sessions). And some members of the first Trump Administration — former White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham and ex-Mike Pence national security aide Olivia Troye — endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election and spoke at the National Democratic Convention in Chicago.
In contrast, many of the picks for Trump's second administration are hardcore loyalists and far-right MAGA Republicans. And quite a few critics, from Democrats to Never Trump conservatives, are warning that the president-elect is trying to put together an administration of extremists.
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Conservative attorney George Conway, a Never Trumper, isn't optimistic that Trump's most "appalling" nominees will encounter a lot of resistance from "spineless" senators in 2025. But Conway has pointed out that the GOP's U.S. Senate majority will be only a small one, and that four or five Republican defections could sink a nominee if Senate Democrats stick together.
In "Senate Republicans Could Still Deny Trump His Worst Picks," an article published by the conservative website The Bulwark on December 16, journalist Jill Lawrence argues that it's too soon to assume that all of Trump's worst nominees will be rubber-stamped by Senate Republicans next year.
"Each day, the damning information mounts about one Trump pick or another, with more reasons for various senators to vote against them," Lawrence explains. "I cannot predict, for instance, whether Sen. Mitch McConnell — a polio victim as a toddler, before vaccines — will support anti-vax Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the nation's top heath leader, especially since we now know that RFK Jr.'s lawyer wants the government to withdraw approval for the polio vaccine, and McConnell has said that is dangerous for public health and potentially disqualifying for RFK Jr.’s nomination."
Lawrence adds, "So I don't think it's fair to predict what McConnell will do next year, when he is no longer the GOP leader and is unlikely to run for reelection in 2026."
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Lawrence notes that when Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) spoke at a recent No Labels gathering, she was vehemently critical of Trump allies who are trying to bully Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) into rubber-stamping Trump's more controversial nominees.
"It's not fair to give up on any potential Republican resistance at this point — before Trump is president; before anyone has been officially nominated; before FBI background checks and continued revelatory reporting by journalists; before it is necessary to cast a series of fateful votes," Lawrence argues. "Most Senate Republicans will vote to confirm all of Trump's personnel choices. But a fluid group of four GOP no votes, depending on the nominee and added to the Democratic opposition, could block those with the most potential to cause havoc or tragedy."
Lawrence adds, "With that in mind, I'm not going to indulge in anticipatory disappointment. Even though I may be disappointed in the end.
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Jill Lawrence's full article for The Bulwark is available at this link.