Trump's inner circle: united in loyalty, but unpredictable on the world stage

After his first term, Trump harbored distrust towards national security and law enforcement agencies, believing that many in the Department of Defense and intelligence services were Democrat sympathizers who had sabotaged his policies. As a result, Trump has appointed his most loyal supporters to key positions in this area.

The head of the Pentagon in his new administration will be Pete Hegseth, a prominent conservative TV host. Hegseth served nearly 20 years in the National Guard, participating in military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, but he lacks leadership experience within the Department of Defense. In 2019, Hegseth persuaded Trump to pardon three soldiers convicted of killing civilians in Afghanistan. At the time, Hegseth argued, “We sent them to do this dangerous, dirty, and difficult job that no one else would do, and then we judge them for how they carried it out.”

As Secretary of Defense, Hegseth promises to restore the combat readiness of the U.S. military and fight the promotion of “left-wing” agendas in the armed forces. For instance, rumors suggest that thousands of transgender people could be expelled from the military. Hegseth has also stated that women should not participate in combat and has called for the resignation of the current Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Charles Brown. Although Hegseth was involved in a sexual assault investigation in 2017, he reached a non-disclosure agreement with the woman who accused him of misconduct, so this fact is unlikely to hinder his appointment.

Former congressman John Ratcliffe will become the new CIA Director under Trump. In the once-and-future president’s first administration, Ratcliffe briefly served as the Director of National Intelligence. His nomination back then faced opposition from members of both parties, who argued that he lacked the necessary experience. It is unclear where he might have gained that experience since then.

In a surprising decision, Trump has nominated former Democratic Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard to serve as his Director of National Intelligence. Like Ratcliffe, Gabbard lacks experience in this field. In 2020, she ran for president as a Democrat but later left the party and supported Trump. Gabbard's appointment has sparked discontent among members of the intelligence community, who accuse her of promoting a variety of false narratives from hostile foreign governments — primarily those of Russia and Syria.