Donald Trump's new plan to completely destroy America
At this point, it’s hard to believe that there was a period when people—serious members of punditry and politics—expected Donald Trump to moderate his positions and be a more “traditional Republican” once he took office. His first Cabinet selections poached Republican members of both the House and Senate who had been among Trump’s biggest critics before he secured the nomination. And there were all those generals—Michael Flynn, John Kelly, James Mattis, and H.R. McMaster—all of whom were supposed to lend his incoming crew some “gravitas.” Considering that it also included names like Ben Carson and Linda McMahon, some kind of counterbalance was definitely needed, but the word “seasoned” was thrown around regularly in describing Trump’s incoming team.
While all those pundits waited for the magic moment when Trump became “presidential,” the residents of all those Cabinet offices came and went. Over time, every one of those generals managed to either find themselves indicted or rub Trump the wrong way. McMaster didn’t make it a year. Kelly and Mattis were both gone by January 2019. They weren’t the only ones. With every change of butts in seats, Trump got closer to what he wanted: a crew that was complaint and incredibly loyal to Trump über alles.
Trump was still making those changes right up until his last day, penciling in ever less reputable names for a parade of “acting” directors and secretaries who never bothered to stand for Senate approval. However, even the motliest crew still balked at getting fully behind Trump’s plan to be president for life, and behind them was a wall of nonpartisan long-term government employees who stubbornly refused to consider treason as part of their job description.
If Trump ever gets back in office, he has a detailed plan to make sure none of this is an issue.