The Orange Fox And Friends

The Orange Fox And Friends

By

Leonard Zwelling

The initial appointments to Donald Trump’s Cabinet and White House staff are rolling out and he is sure keeping his friends close. Without going into detail about the qualifications or lack thereof of his appointees, they share their fealty to The Donald and will undoubtedly do with their offices what he asks them to do.

If I remember correctly, Abraham Lincoln was famous for forming a “team of rivals” (according to Doris Kearns Godwin). in his cabinet so he could hear the advice of all sides. John Kennedy also had a very diverse group of advisors and department leaders without whom he could not have navigated the Cuban Missile Crisis so effectively.

Clearly, Mr. Trump thinks differently. He wants people around him who think as he does and will do what he asks. Their loyalty is far more important than their ability or knowledge. I simply cannot get my head around the appointment of a governor from South Dakota to oversee southern border security.

My guess is that there will be more to come. Trump will probably try to get rid of FBI Director Christopher Wray who he appointed. I think he would like to fire Jerome Powell at the Federal Reserve, but that’s not within his power and Powell is not going anywhere.

But the big appointment everyone is seeking to hear about is that of Attorney General. It is not impossible that Trump could appoint our own Ken Paxton who, as you remember, was recently impeached and on trial with his wife as a potential juror (she did not vote). No matter who Trump chooses to lead the Justice Department, it is reasonable to expect that person to dismiss all charges against Trump, work with Trump to free jailed criminals from January 6, and begin judicial pursuit of those on Trump’s enemies list starting with the Bidens.

You can tell a lot about a leader by examining the people he or she has around him or her. If Trump, the Orange Fox, continues to appoint his friends, each of them will be tested when their boss requests something untoward or frankly illegal of them. It’s bound to happen, particularly to the Attorney General.

This is precisely what is happening and has happened at MD Anderson in both the DePinho and Pisters presidencies with vice presidents of questionable expertise and a demonstrable paucity of managerial ability, let alone ethical clarity.

It’s what happens when there is too much power centered in a leader with no consequences to autocratic decision making.

With Congress likely to be in full GOP control and the Supreme Court ethically bankrupt, I see no check on the exercise of power by Trump. It may be that only the military is between the United States and chaos and that’s a frightening thought.