Political commentator Mark Halperin predicted that all five of President-elect Donald Trump’s “problematic” recent nominations to his administration will be confirmed.
Halperin told his 2Way audience that five of Trump’s Cabinet appointees—Matt Gaetz, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Pete Hegseth, Tulis Gabbard and Kristi Noem—will be confirmed by the Senate. Republicans have 53 of the 100 seats in Senate, forming a majority that could potentially help Trump get his picks through, even if they are controversial.
“We’re dealing with at least five, almost unfathomable choices for the normal rules,” Halperin said. “These are five people whose qualifications for these significant jobs whether it’s ideological or managerial or biographical are deeply in question by any standard, and it now falls to…John Thune and his 52 colleagues to decide what they want to do about this.”
Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File
Trump has nominated former Gaetz, a former GOP representative from Florida, as his attorney general. Former independent presidential candidate Kennedy was nominated Thursday as the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Former Democratic Representative Gabbard of Hawaii was nominated to be the Director of National Intelligence. Noem, the governor of South Dakota, was chosen for Secretary of Homeland Security. And Fox News presenter Hegseth was picked for Secretary of Defense.
Halperin noted that some aides and officials have suggested that “these three will get through but those two won’t.” There is no consensus around which two nominees are not confirmed either. Halperin suggested the “focus” will be on Gaetz and Kennedy but that people should not “underestimate the potential of the other three to be really problematic.”
“You hear Democrats already saying and some people in the media Trump is forfeiting his mandate. He’s forfeiting his political capital. He’s dooming this term in the first 100 days and any legislative progress by asking the Senators to devote time to deciding up or down,” Halperin said. “I continue to put my finger on the side of that I think it’s more likely that all five are going to be confirmed.”
Halperin believes Gaetz will have “opposition research dumped on him from both sides.” Gaetz has been the center of a probe, which stems from accusations that he was involved in recruiting women online for sex, including a 17-year-old girl.
Gaetz has vehemently denied that he did anything improper and blames the accusations on a smear campaign. The Department of Justice (DOJ) last year told Gaetz that he would not face federal sex-trafficking charges.
“I find this very complicated to understand that the fact after yesterday’s reaction to Gaetz, he went forward with RFK,” Halperin said. “No normal president-elect would do that.”
AP Photo/Alex Brandon
Kennedy aims to remove fluoride from drinking water, which has sparked concern over the damage it will have on teeth. He has also prompted fears that vaccines could be banned. While vaccine makers have seen their stocks fall Friday and Kennedy has said he wouldn’t “take away anybody’s vaccines,” the idea is fairly popular with many Americans, even if medical professionals are calling him an “extraordinarily bad choice.”
“In a normal election, the nomination of Bobby Kennedy to HHS – enormously controversial on many levels – would be like the biggest thing,” Halperin said. “It would raise questions about the judgement of the operation.”
Gabbard has drawn skepticism for being extremely critical of U.S. foreign policy. Critics accuse her of spreading Russian propaganda, specifically in light of the war in Ukraine. It has also come to light that her political ambitions stem from the Science of Identity Foundation, a group founded in Hawaii that has been labeled by some, including former members, as a cult.
“The focus will be on and is on Gaetz and Kennedy. But do not underestimate the potential of the other three to be really problematic,” says @MarkHalperin, referring to Pete Hegseth, Kristi Noem and Tulsi Gabbard. “Gaetz will have opposition research dumped on him from both… pic.twitter.com/oSrohJv0sZ
— 2WAY (@2waytvapp) November 15, 2024
Noem faced a sharp decline in the support as one of the favorites to be Trump’s vice presidential running mate after he publication of extracts from her 2024 biography No Going Back, in which Noem described shooting her 14-month old dog Cricket after concluding it was “untrainable.”
In addition to the killing of Cricket, Noem has been engaged in a number of other controversies throughout her career. The Republican governor was banned from the lands of several Native American tribes, accused of fabricating a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and criticized after promoting a cosmetic dental surgery in Texas.
Hegseth was investigated for an alleged sexual assault in California seven years ago. The city manager’s office in Monterey confirmed the sexual assault investigation in a news release on Thursday that provided few details. No criminal charges were filed.
Each of Trump’s nominees need at least 50 votes from senators to be confirmed, with Trump’s Vice President JD Vance being able to cast tie-breaking votes. They will vote on 24 candidates, which also currently includes Marco Rubio for Secretary of State.
“It’s going to be fascinating to see how some of the Republican senators, including Mitch McConnell, adjudicate these folks,” Halperin said.
