President-elect Donald Trump is wasting no time filling his cabinet and other administrative positions with loyal supporters.
Two former White House officials, both of whom worked under Trump during his first term, shared differing opinions on Trump's recent nominations.
Marc Lotter, press secretary for former Vice President Mike Pence and Trump's special assistant, spoke to NPR in his capacity as chief communications officer of the America First Policy Institute. The group was founded in 2021 to advance Trump's policy agenda.
On the other hand, John Bolton served as Trump's third — but not final — national security advisor during his first term. Though a Republican himself, he is critical of some of Trump's nominations.
The two spoke about some of Trump's most controversial nominations like Tulsi Gabbard, former Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii and military veteran, as director of national intelligence, and Matt Gaetz, former Florida congressman, as attorney general.
Gabbard and Gaetz have arguably received the most push back from members of both parties.
"They're like hand grenades waiting to go off," Bolton said.
"Neither one of them has the competence or the character or the moral fitness to hold those positions," he added. "There's so much about them we don't yet know. And the more that comes out, the more difficult their confirmation process will be.
Gabbard has made news by meeting with Syria's leader Bashar al-Assad and repeating Russian conspiracy theories about Ukraine, among other things. Gaetz's nomination shocked many due to his lack of experience in law enforcement and the fact that he was once the subject of a federal sex trafficking investigation, among other things.
Lotter argues that Gaetz is qualified and ready to serve as attorney general, but his fate lies within the Senate.
"It's been widely noted that the Senate, regardless of the partisanship of the White House and the Senate, usually rejects at least one nominee just kind of to flex their muscles and remind the president that they're constitutionally required to be in this process," he said. "We'll see if the former congressman can get through that scrutiny. But I know right now he has the full trust and support of the president-elect."
Despite their individual reputations, Gabbard and Gaetz highlight Trump's attempt to build an administration of loyalists. After being the subject of numerous Justice Department investigations, Trump is looking for people to execute his agenda, said Bolton.
"I think what the president wants in national security, for sure, is a group of yes men and women," he said.
After just a year of service as Trump's national security advisor, Trump ousted Bolton, who also served in the role to George W. Bush. Trump tweeted that he "disagreed strongly" with most of Bolton's advice.
Lotter said he believes Trump's decisions are fulfilling the will of the people who elected him.
"What you see with the president-elect and what his cabinet choices are showing across the board is he's looking at people that are going to come in with a fresh set of eyes," Lotter said. "Not just go in there and accept what we've been doing for the last 20, 30, 40 years is necessarily what we should be doing moving forward."
This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.
Steve Inskeep: What makes [Matt Gaetz] the right match for attorney general?
Marc Lotter: He's young. He's a lawyer. He's also a former member of the House Judiciary Committee. So, he understands how the judicial process works. And he's someone that the president trusts is going to go in there and make sure that the Justice Department is getting back to doing its job rather than pursuing partisan activities and partisan prosecutions and really make sure that we get we end this weaponization of the Justice Department in the federal government.
Inskeep: John Bolton questioned Gaetz's character based on the accusations of having sex with a minor, the way that he behaved in the House, on and on. Are you in a position to say that you believe that his character is of the highest order?
Lotter: That's something that the Senate's going to have to take a look at. Obviously, that's part of their due diligence. I'm sure that will get a lot of scrutiny. It's been widely noted that the Senate, usually, regardless of the partisanship of the White House and the Senate, usually rejects at least one nominee just kind of to flex their muscles and remind the president that they're constitutionally required to be in this process. We'll see if the former congressman can get through that scrutiny. But I know right now he has the full trust and support of the president-elect.
Inskeep: Do you think that he even has the competence to [run the Justice Department]? I mean, he hasn't managed anything.
Lotter: Well, I think sometimes, you know, I think what you see with the president-elect and what his cabinet choices are showing across the board is he's looking at people that are going to come in with a fresh set of eyes, not just go in there and accept what we've been doing for the last 20, 30, 40 years is necessarily what we should be doing moving forward.
Inskeep: You worked closely with Vice President Pence. As you know very well, Pence declined to endorse Trump after the events of Jan. 6. How do you think about Pence's concerns and reservations about Trump now that Trump is heading back into office?
Lotter: I see that the former vice president congratulated the president-elect on his victory shortly after that was declared. And I think 99% of what the president-elect is championing and is running on are things that the former vice president probably supports. And he was there as one of those allies during the first Trump term. Obviously, where they have their disagreements, they will continue to probably have those.
Inskeep: Do you believe that the former president, the president-elect, is going to follow the Constitution as it is broadly understood, granting a difference of opinion here and there, but as it is broadly understood?
Lotter: Absolutely. And I think he did that during his first term. And I think he will do that during his second term. Ultimately, what they want to do is enact those America First policies to get our country moving in the right direction again. And with the support of the majority of the American people, I think the president-elect will do it.
H.J. Mai edited the radio and digital versions of this story.
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