In an interview with Joe Rogan immediately before the November election, Trump said he was too trusting of Washington, D.C. insiders during his first term when it came to cabinet selections and vowed not to make the same mistake in 2024.
Boy, has he lived up to his word. President Trump’s nominees for his new administration can easily be called a Dream Team. From conservative stalwarts like Pam Bondi and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) to reformers like Robert Kennedy, Jr. and former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, his appointments reflect the values and beliefs of his broad base of supporters.
But that doesn’t mean every choice has been perfect, and understandably so. When staffing an entire executive branch, mistakes are bound to happen.
Thankfully, however, President Trump has so far made just two nominations that could generously be termed “flops.”
The first was the appointment of Hillsborough Florida County Sheriff Chad Chronister to run the Drug Enforcement Agency.
Chronister arrested a pastor for holding services in my home state during the COVID pandemic. He accused him of showing “reckless disregard for human life” for choosing to host services.
When word got out, the conservative grassroots and political class understandably threw their hands up in opposition. Chronister, realizing that he would not have the votes, quickly withdrew his name from consideration.
President Trump’s selection for Surgeon General has also raised eyebrows.
Like Chronister, Janette Nesheiwat is a “Covidian.” She praised the vaccines as a “gift from God,” expressed excitement over the approval of the third booster shot, and mimicked some of the worst trans-propaganda, including the term “gender-affirming care.”
Unfortunately, there are now talks of a third lousy selection — one with a law and order and crony capitalism problem.
Politico is reporting that Trump is considering Andrew McKenna to head the U.S. Air Force. McKenna heads a small investment firm that provided consulting services for the Saudi-funded LIV Golf Tour. One of those services included monitoring and tracking the families of 9/11 victims who raised concerns about the tour and its relationship with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The Air Force Heritage Flight Foundation has also criticized McKenna for not having the U.S. Air Force’s best interests in mind. A letter to him noted that he violated Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) policy by inviting an unauthorized pilot to join the United States Air Force Heritage Flight.
“You invited a non-approved pilot to join the arrival formation into Oshkosh [Wisconsin] with the F35 demonstration team. This is a plain violation of the LOA [Letter of Agreement] that authorizes the program. This placed the program at significant risk,” the Foundation wrote.
Its letter continued, stating that his lack of judgment in this unauthorized action is “gravely concerning and brings significant doubts as to [his] ability to follow [the Foundation’s] governing regulations and best represent the USAF.” The final kick was that the Foundation formally removed McKenna from the program.
At a time when the airborne army requires steady, principled leadership, appointing someone with such a controversial history — from FAA violations to ties to the Saudi-funded LIV Golf Tour — would undermine confidence in the institution and jeopardize its integrity.
To be fair, the Trump administration is working hard to ensure the executive branch remains clear of non-believers in Trump’s second term. They are reportedly being asked “which candidate the applicants had supported in the three most recent elections, what they thought about the events of Jan. 6, 2021, and whether they believed the 2020 election was stolen.” These are great questions that will help to ensure The Swamp does not hijack the Trump administration’s agenda this time around.
Perhaps McKenna will pass this test. Perhaps his Trump donation history casts off the illusion that he will remain loyal to the administration unlike many nominees from the first Trump White House. However, I and many others fear that more often than not in his career, the only thing McKenna has proven loyal to are the moving vehicles that he perceives as able to provide him with more power, money, or status.
Swamp creatures should have no place in the Trump administration, not even if they appear loyal to Trump at the present moment.
There is no need for an unforced error. President Trump should look elsewhere for someone to head the Air Force.
Edward Woodson is host of "The Edward Woodson Show," which airs weekdays on WZAB and streams online at EdwardWoodson.com.
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