Trump Cabinet Picks In Their Own Words

Following his victory in the 5 November election, US President-elect Donald Trump quickly announced nominations of the people who will make up his cabinet. They range from hardline Zionists to an alleged white nationalist and everything in between.

For example, Attorney General nominee Matt Gaetz called for the US to invade Niger in May after that country’s government booted US troops that had been stationed there under the auspices of US Africa Command (AFRICOM). If confirmed, Gaetz will be in the company of other war hawks in Trump’s cabinet, such as Marco Rubio, whom Trump nominated for secretary of state. In 2018, Rubio called for a US military attack on Venezuela. Although Rubio likes to refer to himself as a ‘son of exiles,’ his Cuban parents migrated to the US more than two years before the revolution. For as long as he’s been in the public eye, Rubio has used aggressive language against Cuba, calling the beloved communist leader, Fidel Castro, a ‘thug,’ and advocating for the US to continue a 64-year-old embargo on the island nation.

Trump’s nominees share hardline anti-Palestine positions, so much so that they may fit perfectly in the inner circles of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. For instance, Trump’s pick for US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, is a preacher and former Arkansas governor who not only supports Tel Aviv’s annexation of Palestinian territory but also claims that ‘there’s really no such thing as a Palestinian.’ Trump’s choice for Secretary of Defense is not any better. Pete Hegseth has argued that the Bible gives Israelis the right to occupy Palestine.

The pro-Israel lobby has rewarded some nominees with significant financial contributions for their hardline positions.

With such a cabinet, it is clear that the positions of the US government will continue to tilt more dangerously towards the right. Unfortunately, Israel will be, without a doubt, one of the greatest beneficiaries.