Trump's Cabinet Nominations: Welcome to the Upside-Down World of Authoritarianism ~~ Ruth Ben-Ghiat

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Many of us are feeling profoundly unsettled as the incoming Donald Trump administration announces its nominations for Cabinet appointments. Each one of these choices makes sense within a political worldview based on loyalty to the leader. Most of them testify to the fact that for authoritarian leaders, loyalty and ideological zeal matter far more than expertise or experience.

Several of Trump’s nominations, if confirmed, would also be examples of “the upside-down world of authoritarianism,” as I call it. This is a dystopian world where “law and order” initiatives are a cover for crime, anti-corruption initiatives enable thievery, Fascism is billed as freedom, Communism as true democracy, and so on.

As Attorney General, we would thus have a lawless individual: former Rep. Matt Gaetz, who scorns the idea of compliance with professional and ethical norms of conduct, in multiple areas of activity. An ethics panel has been investigating Gaetz off and on since 2021 for alleged sexual misconduct, illicit drug use, accepting improper gifts, obstruction, and other behavior.

Rep. Matt Gaetz at a Trump rally in Nevada, Oct. 2024. Mike Blake/Reuters.

As Secretary of Defense and leader of the U.S. military, a strictly nonpartisan institution, we would have an individual who evidently is so attached to far-right extremism that he has tattoos associated with these beliefs. That would be Fox News host Pete Hegseth.

An image from Pete Hegseth’s Instagram account.

As head of Health and Human Services, we would have RFK, Jr, who does not believe in vaccines or fact-based medical and scientific research. Instead of being a steward of wellbeing, he would facilitate the spread of disease, misery, and ignorance.

RFK, Jr. Kevin Deitsch/Getty images.

Finally, we have Tulsi Gabbard’s nomination for Director of National Intelligence. She is considered by many Russia and intelligence experts to be aligned with the Kremlin, and has a history of taking positions that enhance Russian goals and echo Russian views on geopolitical affairs.

This nomination is particularly significant because Russian President Vladimir Putin, who comes from the intelligence sector, knows that the most valuable currency today is information. Nominating Gabbard for Director of National Intelligence is the way to Putin’s heart, and it tells the world that America under Trump will be the Kremlin’s ally rather than an adversary. And so we would have a national security official who would potentially compromise our national security.

Tulsi Gabbard. Francis Chung/POLITICO. .

These appointments remind us that “Make America Great Again” is actually a crusade on an unprecedented scale to take down America, weakening the country both domestically and internationally.