Donald Trump released his political blacklist through a social media post. He derided those who worked with him in his previous administration, including his political opponents.
Trump gleefully declared on Truth Social that his administration has hired over 1,000 people to serve the United States government. “We will MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, and it will happen very quickly!” However, Trump also had many vitriolic things to say against those who’ve opposed him in the past.
The president-elect proceeded to list Charles Koch, John Bolton, Nikki Haley, Mike Pence, Dick Cheney, Liz Cheney, Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan, Mark Miller, James Mattis, and Mark Esper. Trump, of course, had mocked these figures through his online post. Although these people are also part of the Republican Party, all of them clashed with Donald Trump.
Liz Cheney alone has endorsed outgoing Vice President Kamala Harris over Trump during the 2024 presidential election. Cheney notably denounced the Capitol Attack led by Trump’s MAGA supporters. Mike Pence, who was Trump’s very own vice president, certified Biden as the winner of the 2020 presidential election. Nikki Haley, despite having allied herself with Trump, has also criticized the president-elect’s cabinet picks.
No room for opposition
It seems that for Donald Trump, uncompromising loyalty is mandatory to be in his good graces. Trump further accused those he listed on his social media post as suffering from “Trump Derangement Syndrome” (TDS). It assumes that most criticism hurled at Trump is inherently toxic. If even his supposed allies shouldn’t be able to oppose him, then nobody else can. It should be no surprise, then, that the president-elect’s cabinet picks are fiercely loyal to him. Trump even went as far as to pick his own family members to play key administrative roles. Anyone who steps out of line is either berated by Trump himself or persecuted by his MAGA followers.
Published: Jan 17, 2025 07:51 am