A TV star government: Trump’s controversial appointees face Senate scrutiny

When Donald Trump first ran for president as the Republican nominee in 2016, he presented himself as an outsider and promised Americans that he would drain the “Washington swamp” by clearing out its established political elites. However, it quickly became evident that this task was easier said than done. Lacking both political experience and his own team, Trump found himself relying on mainstream Republicans — the very establishment he had vowed to dismantle — once he entered the White House.

This reliance led to frequent clashes between Trump and members of his administration, often resulting in high-profile resignations and firings. At the same time, the Republican mainstream acted as an extra check, tempering Trump’s most risky and extravagant ideas — such as bombing Iran, deploying troops to suppress Black Lives Matter protests, or overturning the results of the presidential election.

However, even after leaving the White House, Trump maintained his grip on the Republican Party, easily winning its primary process in 2024 and becoming just the second American president to return to the presidency — a feat last accomplished by Grover Cleveland in 1892. Once more, Trump crafted the image of an outsider battling against Democrats, whom he accused of stealing the 2020 election and of conspiring with the so-called “Deep State” to bring politically motivated charges against him, subverting what he claimed was true democracy.

Trump has once again pledged to purge Washington's bureaucracy and replace it with loyal supporters. But while the loyalty of his high-level nominees appears to be assured, his incoming administration can hardly be called ideologically uniform. It includes both hawks and isolationists, advocates of free trade and ardent protectionists. Billionaires from Wall Street and tech libertarians from Silicon Valley share the stage with Christian nationalists and former Democrats.