Losing a Cabinet nominee to the confirmation process isn’t unheard of for incoming presidents — including for Donald Trump when he was elected the first time.
Matt Gaetz’s decision to pull his name Thursday from consideration for Attorney General — amid continued fallout over a federal sex trafficking investigation — represents the first indication of resistance that the President-elect could face from his own party, including picks facing allegations of sexual misconduct or other questions.
Here’s a look at some recent difficulties with presidential Cabinet picks and some of the criticism for Trump’s current slate:
Republicans voicing their doubts
After Gaetz was chosen last week, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Judiciary Committee member who is among Trump’s top Senate allies, predicted Gaetz would “have to answer some tough questions” in a confirmation hearing.
U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, a Trump critic, said of Gaetz, “I do not see him as a serious candidate.”
Other Trump picks face questions, too.
Pete Hegseth, Trump’s pick for Defense Secretary, was accused by a woman of sexually assaulting her in 2017. Hegseth has denied her allegations.
Tulsi Gabbard, the former Democratic Congresswoman chosen to be Director of National Intelligence, has expressed sympathy for Russia and repeated false Russian theories about Ukrainian bioweapons. Gabbard, a military veteran who became one of Trump’s top 2024 surrogates, has attracted criticism for meeting with Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad and has voiced skepticism that Assad was behind chemical attacks on his own people.
Nikki Haley, who was the last major GOP opponent against Trump for this year’s presidential nomination, argued against confirming Gabbard, saying the post was “not a place for a Russian, Iranian, Syrian, Chinese sympathizer.”
Haley also said Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services — should face “hard questions” from Senators due to his opposition to vaccines and other views decried by public health officials.
“He’s a liberal Democrat, environmental attorney trial lawyer who will now be overseeing 25% of our federal budget and has no background in health care,” Haley said. “So some of you may think RFK is cool, some of you may like that he questions what’s in our food and what’s in our vaccines, but we don’t know, when he is given reins to an agency, what decisions he’s going to make behind the scenes.”
Republicans will have 53 votes in the Senate in January and can break 50-50 ties with Vice President-elect JD Vance. That means four Republicans would have to break ranks to defeat any nominee if all Democrats oppose a Trump pick.
This has happened before — including to Trump
Every recent president has had some doomed Cabinet nominations — including Trump himself.
In early 2017, Trump’s choice for Labor Secretary was the first Trump nominee to withdraw his name from consideration. Fast food CEO Andrew Puzder’s exit came after Republicans expressed concern over his failure to pay taxes promptly on a former housekeeper who wasn’t authorized to work in the U.S., and Democrats had complaints about Puzder’s business record and remarks about women and workers at his company, which owns Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr.
Puzder’s name has been floated recently again as a possible pick in Trump’s second administration.
Trump also ousted his first National Security Adviser, Michael Flynn, after just weeks on the job because Flynn wasn’t truthful about his contacts with Russian officials during the transition.
The first year of Trump’s first term, Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price resigned after his costly travel triggered investigations that overshadowed the administration’s agenda and angered his boss, serving less than eight months. According to the Brookings Institution, which tracks presidential administration turnover, Trump’s first term resulted in the turnover of a total of 14 people, nearly twice the amount — eight people — of President George H.W. Bush’s term in office, a distant second place.
Other Presidents’ picks
Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and both Bush and his son George W. Bush all had to come up with new names after nominees for their Cabinets ran into trouble.
Obama took three tries to find a Secretary of Commerce. New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson withdrew his name after the word surfaced that a grand jury was investigating allegations of wrongdoing in the awarding of contracts in his state. Republican U.S. Sen. Judd Gregg of New Hampshire backed out citing “irresolvable differences” with the policies of the Democratic President.
In 2001, Linda Chavez — George W. Bush’s pick for Labor Secretary — swiftly withdrew after it emerged that she had housed an immigrant living in the country illegally.
Bill Clinton went through several attempts at selecting an Attorney General, nominating Janet Reno after both of his first two choices withdrew over word that they had hired people who had been in the U.S. illegally for household work and babysitting.
The Senate rejected George H.W. Bush’s Defense Secretary pick, former Texas Sen. John Tower, in 1989 after several waves of reports over allegations of alcohol abuse and womanizing.
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Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
11 comments
Larry Gillis, Libertarian (Cape Coral)
November 22, 2024 at 9:27 am
IF TRUMP “LOSES” ANOTHER NOMINEE,
I will then be in a position to remind everyone of a famous quote from one of my favorite authors:
“To lose one parent … may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness.”
(Oscar Wilde, “The Importance of Being Earnest”)
A day without Libturds
November 22, 2024 at 9:32 am
Oh well. I’m sure the libturd losers will still stomp their little feet and cry about whoever is picked. The Cenk vs Allan Lictman clown show was very entertaining with Piers Morgan egging them on just for ratings. Head over to Bluecry with Allan and check out their cultist echo chamber. It’s hysterical
A Day without MAGA
November 22, 2024 at 9:35 am
He will lose the first 3 nominees Google Hagseth Semen
A day without Libturds
November 22, 2024 at 9:45 am
You will whine moan and complain, as I just predicted for the next 4 years like the little bitch that you are
Florida is Red
November 22, 2024 at 10:17 am
Anyone is better than Granholm, Buttabug, Mayorkas, Blinken, Austin. Jan can’t come soon enough.
A day without Libturds
November 22, 2024 at 10:57 am
Garland too. The democrat clown show is coming to an end. Good riddance to bad rubbish.
Mark
November 22, 2024 at 11:00 am
Ah, the tough talkin’ keyboard warrior.
A day without Libturds
November 22, 2024 at 12:55 pm
You lack the spine to talk in person, libturd
A day without Libturds
November 22, 2024 at 1:22 pm
But I like that lack of spine, it means you’re flexible while you are making my anus look like a victim of Moms For Liberty 3-way pegging party.
Mark
November 22, 2024 at 4:13 pm
I’m not the one hiding behind a anonymous avatar hurling threats and insults. Why is it you and others on here, like Earl, have a preoccupation with anuses and feces?
If I lacked a spine, I couldn’t type, silly! Now get off the computer, your sister has to do her homework.
Red Storm
November 22, 2024 at 7:52 pm
So Trump just named another female to his cabinet as Surgeon General. A real, biological female at that. Anyone seen Mark Cuban?
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