Former George W. Bush aide David Frum expressed grave concerns over President-elect Donald Trump’s recent Cabinet nominations, including Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) as attorney general and former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence. In an interview with MSNBC’s Ari Melber, Frum warned that Trump’s divisive picks could trigger a protracted Senate battle within his own party, ultimately weakening his administration’s ability to accomplish its goals.
Melber asked Frum for his take on the situation, to which Frum responded, “Well, the appointment is certainly alarming.” He described Gaetz’s nomination as “kind of ludicrous” and called Gabbard’s selection for national intelligence “sinister all the way through,” citing her as “thoroughly untrustworthy” for the role.
However, Frum offered a silver lining for those concerned about Trump’s plans, explaining that a president with an ambitious agenda would typically seek to streamline Cabinet appointments to move quickly on policy initiatives. “You have very limited time to get a big agenda done,” he explained, “so a president with a big agenda, an Obama, a Ronald Reagan… they pick broadly acceptable people who get through the Senate easily because the clock’s ticking.”
In contrast, Frum argued, “Donald Trump decided to take minutes off the board and use them to have a huge fight over an attorney general who is loathed within his own party.” Frum emphasized Gaetz’s polarizing nature, suggesting that if Senate Republicans voted by secret ballot, Gaetz “would not be appointed to anything.
They wouldn’t let him in the caucus; they wouldn’t let him serve lunch.” He further questioned Gabbard’s selection, noting her “extreme mistrust” among Republican senators. Similarly, he questioned the qualifications of Trump’s pick for secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, calling his appointment “absurd” and “crazy” due to his lack of experience leading a military organization of such magnitude.
Frum anticipated that Trump’s controversial nominations would consume weeks of Senate debate, detracting from the time needed to pass substantive legislation. “We are going to spend weeks and weeks, probably, engaged in this battle,” he predicted, warning that this would cut into Trump’s time to achieve any meaningful policy advancements.
By nominating figures likely to divide his own party, Frum argued, Trump risks starting his administration on a weakened footing and embroiling the Senate in an internal conflict, making it difficult to enact his legislative agenda with an already slim House majority.