Kakistocracy, noun – a government run by the worst, least qualified, or most unscrupulous citizens.
Donald J. Trump has been nominating candidates for positions in his government. The list is very revealing about both Trump himself and about the type of government he is about to subject us to.
He started out with his ill-fated choice of accused sex trafficker and rapist Matt Gaetz for Attorney General. Gaetz’s nomination failed not because of his questionable moral character, but because his fellow Congress persons didn’t like him.
Then we learned that the nominee to be the Secretary of Defense, Faux News commentator Pete Hegseth, has a drinking problem, a history of financial mismanagement, a record of sexual harassment, and has paid off a woman who accused him of rape. (The public may not care about this, since they elected a President who is a known serial philanderer who has been found legally liable for sexual assault.)
Perhaps even more frightening, the nominee to be the Director of the FBI is Kash Patel. Patel has actually published an “enemies list,” and has promised to “come after the people in the media.” (Everyone knows that Trump would absolutely love to have the FBI investigating his perceived “enemies” and harassing the mainstream media.)
Then there is Tulsi Gabbard. She has been an apologist for Bashar-al Assad and a cheerleader for Vladimir Putin. Unbelievably, Trump wants her to be the Director of National Security (!!!). This appointment would literally put our national security at risk.
These people (and most of Trump’s other nominees) are a toxic blend of incompetence, ignorance, and unabashed ego. They are all self-absorbed bullies. They are a destructive force that will seriously damage the government departments Trump wants them to lead. (Perhaps that is Trump’s intent).
In making these nominations, Trump is not interested in experience, expertise, or even competence. His sole criteria in selecting the people he wants in charge of the various government departments is personal loyalty to him.
There is an old saying that, “Birds of a feather flock together.” People who share similar interests, values, or characteristics tend to associate with one another. Trump’s nominees are just like him – inept, ignorant, and narcissistic.
If the US Senate allows these people (and others like them) to join the President’s Cabinet and other positions in the Executive branch, the rule of law and the security of the United States will be seriously, perhaps fatally, compromised.
Sources:
June Kim, Karren Yourish, and Jasmin Lee, “Tracking Trump’s Cabinet and Staff Nominations,” The New York Times, December 4, 2024.
Kathryn Watson, Caitlin Yilek, “See the List of Trump Cabinet Picks and more White House Appointments so far,” CBS News, December 3, 2024.
S.V.Date, “When the president is a criminal, should his appointee’s backgrounds matter?” HuffPost, December 3, 2024.
Jane Meyer, “Pete Hegseth’s Secret History, The New Yorker, December 1, 2024.
Natasha Korecki and Sahil Kapur, “Kash Patel once said he would ‘come after’ journalists. It now hangs over his FBI candidacy.” NBC News, December 4, 2024.
Tom Nichols, “Tulsi Gabbard’s Nomination is a National Security Risk,” The Atlantic, November 13, 2024.
Note to Reader:
If you think that the title of this blog post has a double meaning, you are correct.
Trump intends to set up a dictatorship. The appointment of these characters is a means of destroying the current order. The Church newspaper has not said anything negative on Trump since they called for him to drop out of the 2016 race upon hearing his bragging getting into women’s pants. Since then – NOTHING!
What is the Church’s position on Trump? If his mass deportation proposal is implemented, including Spanish wards, will they say anything? I am beyond confused.