The intent of this brief diary is not to promote undue optimism by Democrats. Nor to discourage people from rolling up their sleeves and doing all in their power to oppose Trump and his policies. But this week has unveiled a string of nominations that fuel a conclusion we had already reached with our eyes: Trump’s mind is going south.
My purpose is to highlight the multiple Pandora’s boxes that Trump has just opened, all at once. How these furies, once unleashed, are not likely to climb back in. And how this is just the beginning of one of the most epic self-owns in political history. Let’s start at the top:
Matt Gaetz as Attorney General
Even if it wanted to, the GOP House of Representatives will not be able to bury the Ethics Committee report on Gaetz — there are enough members of the GOP Senate Caucus to prevent this as political matter. Knowing this, there is a frenzied effort underway as we speak to get Trump too walk this back. While it is possible he might do so, I’d guess he would rather have a fight with the “RINO’s.” MAGA types with his ear are certainly urging this course. Possibly, he’d try to get Gaetz in via recess appointment, but that has to wait until after January and for a recess. Taking such a route would be the worst of both worlds for the non-MAGA GOP (a group that will grow in numbers in time). A recess-appointed AG is not going to be viewed as being as effective, while Gaetz will still carry all the baggage. And make no mistake, an AG Gaetz is going to start his own chain of dumpster fires if he actually gets an office at 10th and Pennsylvania.
Secretary of Defense Hegseth
The Pentagon is huge and complex, and like an AG Gaetz, this guy has zero experience running anything that large. This is also not a peacetime Pentagon — US Central Command is mired in low intensity combat in the Red Sea, Syria and Iraq. Africa Command is not all that quiet either. And then there is Ukraine and NATO. Hegseth, as a FOX personality, has a record of ridiculous and outrageous remarks — including on women in combat. I suspect we have only seen the tip of the iceberg. On top of it, is this Warrior Board scheme, which if it actually gets off the ground (I have my doubts) will unleash chaos across the ranks in the middle of all these other real-world challenges.
Director of National Intelligence Gabbard
It is hard to accept, but this one is probably a close rival to Gaetz in ridiculousness. Ditto with having zero background for the job she is nominated for. But on top of it, she comes with an existing reputation as an “asset” for America’s enemies. Bear in mind, an “asset” under this nomenclature doesn’t necessarily mean she has a Swiss bank account packed with rubles. Or that she is even a witting tool. No, this means that on the geopolitical balance sheet, her ascension would at least go into the “useful idiot” column in Moscow, Beijing and Teheran. Leave aside the chaos she will unleash within the most sensitive corners of the US national security establishment. The impact will arguably be greater with close allies (Five Eyes, NATO, Japan, ROK). Optimal intelligence business depends on shared trust relationships. No ally in their right mind is going to share the good stuff with Tulsi.
Musk and Ramaswamy as “Government Efficiency Tsars”
This one comes last, not because these characters aren’t capable of causing some damage, but because it is already delivering value as comedy. Head of an agency that doesn’t exist. The best part? Their “recommendations” are slated to be released in July 2026 — far too late to be acted on in Trump’s term, but just in time for the Democrats to use them in the 2026 Congressional midterms. To conjure his “report,” Elon is calling on “high IQ” people willing to work 80-hour weeks for no salary. Folks, you just can’t make these things up.
To Sum Up
What all these appointments (let’s credit the Musk/Ramaswamy one as such, for the sake of argument) have in common is they were apparently undertaken without any serious vetting of the candidates, any grasp of the real-world political dynamics (especially in both GOP caucuses), or even a dim awareness of what will happen when you hand even bigger microphones to a pack of attention whores. The guard rails, such as they were the first time around, aren’t there this time. For God’s sake, news of the Gaetz appointment was broken by bottom-feeder Roger Stone!
Trump remains Trump, when all is said and done. He wants fealty, not just loyalty. He wants to be able to say “you were nothing! I made you! You owe me for all you are and ever will be!” This is the cry of a man who, despite having been elected the second time as President, realizes that everyone around him is just there for what he can do for them. As soon as he turns his back, and as soon as they think no one will hear them, they say what they really think of him. And it’s not pretty. Trump knows that from all the things his first term appointees said once they felt free to speak.
Say what you will about Trump’s modus operandi during his first term. At least, at that time, there is evidence he had a dim awareness of his need for experienced hands. That dim awareness is gone. Replaced by who-knows-what inside his head.
In the first part of a villain arc, the villain typically runs amok. Then things begin to shift. Usually, the cause is hubris. The villain abandons the careful calculation that fueled their rise. Allies are betrayed. Lines are crossed. At the end, as the building opposition crests and submerges him, the villain often can’t grasp why.
