Trump Strikes Out in Senate with Failed Nomination of Gaetz; Who's Next?

What other controversial Cabinet nominees will also bite the dust?

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As President-elect Trump announces a new wave of nominees to fill out his Cabinet, it's worth taking one more look at the Senate's smackdown of Matt Gaetz's for Attorney General (AG). That's one down with many more to go.

QUESTION: Which of Trump's Cabinet nominations do YOU think will be withdrawn or rejected by the Senate next?

• Pete Hegseth at DOD (Defense)
• Tulsi Gabbard at DNI (National Intelligence)
• RFK, Jr at HHS (Health & Human Services)
• Dr. Mehmet Oz at CMS (Medicare and Medicaid)
• Someone else?

Please share your predictions in the comment section below. I'm going with Hegseth for Secretary of Defense.

Senate Smackdown

It only took 8-days for Trump’s surprise choice of Gaetz for AG to go down in flames.

To use a wrestling analogy, Trump came ready to rumble but was swiftly smacked down by a handful of Republican senators who body slammed the nomination — and the president-elect by extension.

This is good news for America.

• The Senate Republicans opposition to the Gaetz nomination shows the constitutional system of checks and balances is still working, at least for now.

Additionally, by handing Trump his first loss right out of the gate, the Senate has compelled him to nominate more qualified people to head other Cabinet Departments.

That’s no small feat. Three cheers for the Senate!

• Now, hopefully the Senate Republicans can keep their backbones strong by rejecting the other woefully unqualified people Trump announced in his initial waves of nominations.

Regardless of what you think about other Trump's nominees, the fact is that elections have consequences, as President Obama has said.

Bullying Tactics

Trump failed to recognize that enough Republican senators would NOT fall prey to his bullying tactics, at least for now.

Senators see themselves as the hunters, not the hunted.

• Many senators actually have a political backbone and won’t bend at the knee to the president-elect, not yet anyway.

Trump tried hard to push through Gaetz’s nomination with Senate Republicans, rather than selecting a more qualified and less controversial nominee.

Nevertheless, that’s what ultimately happened anyway once the lurid details about Gaetz’s alleged sex crimes began to leak in The New York Times and other media.

Then it became a crisis communications situation for the Trump transition.

• Did the president-elect want to risk daily details leaked to the media of embarrassing information about Gaetz’s alleged sex crimes with minors?

Apparently not.

Once Gaetz withdrew his nomination, Trump moved quickly in naming former two-term Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi as the new Attorney general nominee.

Bondi is another Trump loyalist who is close to the MAGA movement. She has legal and prosecutorial credentials which Gaetz sorely lacked.

Bondi also defended Trump during his first impeachment trial, in addition to helping him challenge the results of the 2020 election via dozens of frivolous lawsuits that were dismissed by courts.

When the Levy Breaks

Whether in foresight or hindsight, Gaetz nomination as Attorney General was not meant to be. The political levy holding back alleged damning details about Gaetz started to break mid-week.

This should have been expected because the Gaetz allegations have been previously reported by the national media. Thus, it was no secret.

First, depositions of the women who were subjected to Gaetz’s alleged sex crimes were leaked to the media.

• Then, the New York Times dropped bombshell reporting on Wednesday night (11/20) that was the last straw that broke Gaetz’s longshot confirmation chances.

Gaetz simply did not have enough support in the Republican-led Senate. Too many Republican senators (about five) made clear they would not vote to approve him.

Once the loss became clear, Trump told Gaetz the nomination was dead. Gaetz then tried to save face by announcing on social media that it was his decision to withdraw from the confirmation process.

• This is a big loss for Trump on his first big test as president-elect. Everyone knows how much Trump hates to lose.

Despite the electoral mandate Trump claims to have from voters, his first Senate nominee has miserably failed to even last long enough for a confirmation hearing.

The Gaetz debacle does not bode well for Trump’s other controversial nominees who face various allegations about their professional and personal conduct.

The Takeaway

If there’s one thing we know about Trump, it’s that he likes being the boss and loves all the adulation associated with it.

But Trump should know by now that most Senators don’t easily get rolled, not even by U.S. Presidents. Nevertheless, Trump's incoming White House communications director, Steven Cheung, struck a combative tone:

• "President Trump appreciates the advice and consent of senators on Capitol Hill. But ultimately this is his administration."
• "Voters gave President Trump a mandate to choose cabinet nominees that reflect the will of the American people and he will continue to do so."

It's worth reiterating that with the recent unprecedented Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity, Trump will be the most powerful incoming President of the United States the nation has ever seen.

And Trump may bring tyrannical tendencies to the White House during his second presidency. These tendencies might result in unconstitutional actions which Congress cannot tolerate.

Everyone knows that Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson is in Trump’s back pocket because that’s who hand selected him.

• That’s why the Senate is the last bulwark against any nefarious or ignominious actions Trump takes that may violate his sworn constitutional oath of office on Inauguration Day.

The good news is that most senators are utterly serious about exercising their constitutional duty of “checks and balances” as well as “advice and consent” in the presidential nomination process.

It need not matter if Trump thinks otherwise.

Hopefully, the Senate will continue acting as a profile in courage, not cowardice, in standing firm as a powerful check on Trump’s forthcoming imperial presidency.

Final Thoughts

Trump mistakenly assumed he could muscle though the Gaetz nomination by cajoling and threatening wavering senators who had already soured on the firebrand former congressman.

Regardless, Trump is entitled to nominate whomever he wants to join his Cabinet. But Senate Republicans are entitled to reject nominees who they deem unqualified.

Ultimately, Trump’s bullying tactics failed to win over enough Senate Republicans to save the Gaetz nomination.

Still, Trump spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt pointed out: "President Trump will continue to appoint highly qualified men and women who have the talent, experience and necessary skill sets to Make America Great Again."

• But what about the other controversial pending nominees who are completely unqualified like Gaetz, and should likewise suffer his fate?
• Will Republican senators who opposed Gaetz now soften up on other contentious nominations to appease Trump?
• Will Republican senators get on their knees to kiss Trump’s ring and kiss away their constitutional power?

For the sake of American democracy, let’s hope not.

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• Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: My experience in government and politics spans 25 years, including work at The White House, the Presidential Transition Office, two winning presidential campaigns, the U.S. Congress and federal agencies. You can learn more about me here.