How is Trump 2.0 Cabinet different from Trump 1.0?

When looking at the list of members that President-elect Donald Trump announced one by one, it is easy to see that Mr. Trump chose cabinet members for term 2.0 who are all loyal to him.

US President-elect Donald Trump gestures to Republican lawmakers at the House of Representatives, Capitol Hill, Washington, November 13 - Photo: REUTERS

Loyalty is arguably the most important quality for Mr Trump, despite criticism that his pick has no previous experience in senior leadership positions in the field of responsibility, such as that of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Lessons learned

Trump's choice of extremely loyalists may stem from his frustrations in his first term, when he had at least two secretaries of state and two secretaries of defense in just four years of his term, many of whom were replaced in quick succession with just a tweet. And many subordinates "betrayed" or opposed him when he left the White House. Surely this time, Trump has learned a lot in choosing personnel. The Trump 2.0 cabinet currently consists of 15 federal agencies, each headed by a secretary. Together with the vice president, these officials advise Trump and implement policies that will bring about drastic changes not only in the US but also affect global geopolitics and geoeconomics. On immigration, Trump has chosen a "trio" of hard-line loyalists: Stephen Miller will be deputy chief of staff for policy and adviser to the Department of Homeland Security; Tom Homan as “border czar” and Kristi Noem as head of the Department of Homeland Security. Miller played a key role in Trump’s immigration policies during his first term, including the Muslim ban. Homan is the former acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and a supporter of the family separation policy for illegal immigrants. Noem has been a strong Trump ally for more than a decade.

Restore Trump 1.0 policies

A tough line on Beijing on everything from national security to trade will also be evident as Trump appoints Florida politicians known for their China hawkish views, such as national security adviser Mike Waltz and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Rubio is also known as a prominent supporter of Hong Kong and Taiwan. In 2020, Rubio and several other US politicians were banned from China for negative comments regarding Hong Kong.

“Waltz and Rubio understand that we are in the early stages of a new cold war, and to win, we need to restore deterrence and prioritize hard power,” said Mike Gallagher, who previously headed the House China Committee and is familiar with both Waltz and Rubio. Trump’s appointees understand not only the need for “America First,” but also the importance of competing with China in other areas, including economics and technology. Trump’s proposed 60% tariffs on Chinese imports would impact not only China but also across Asia. Analysts at the London School of Economics and Political Science estimate that Trump’s proposed tariffs would reduce China’s GDP by 0.68%, while neighboring India and Indonesia would face smaller losses of 0.03% and 0.06%, respectively. Trump also picked Pete Hegseth, 44, a Fox News commentator and military veteran, as defense secretary. Tulsi Gabbard, 43, a former congresswoman who is seen as friendly to Russia, was also picked as director of national intelligence. This signals a decline in American leadership in Europe, especially in US support for the NATO alliance and Ukraine. Geopolitics in continental Europe will change dramatically as European countries like France and Germany must spend more on their military while Ukraine will likely be forced to negotiate with Russia. In addition, European and American commitments on climate change are also being seriously challenged by Trump's appointment of a loyal ally, Zeldin, 44, to head the Environmental Protection Agency but who lacks experience in the field. Mr Trump, a climate change skeptic, has promised to overhaul US energy policy with the aim of maximising oil and gas production by removing cumbersome regulations and speeding up permitting.

Ambition to abolish bureaucracy

In a new move this term, Mr. Trump has also appointed Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy to head a Government Efficiency Board that seeks to “dismantle the federal bureaucracy.” The board is intended to “provide advice and guidance from outside the government,” with the hope of cutting about $2 trillion in federal government costs. It is unclear how this “fresh air” agency will actually operate under Mr. Trump’s authority. However, there are concerns about ethics and potential conflicts of interest as the two businessmen could enjoy huge federal government contracts for their businesses if they do not divest.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/noi-cac-trump-2-0-khac-gi-trump-1-0-20241114224914044.htm