Trump’s picks for key posts show he values revenge more than national security

Well, that didn’t take long.

Less than two weeks after his election victory, President-elect Donald Trump’s choices for top administration positions confirm his determination to impose revenge on perceived enemies. This is his primary goal, and toward that end, he is willing to politicize the military, sow chaos in the U.S. Department of Defense, and gut America’s intelligence agencies.

Experience, knowledge of their field, management chops, vision — none of those things appear to matter so long as they are yes-men and women displaying unquestioning loyalty to the boss. Trump expects the Republican-controlled Senate to quickly approve his choices, even though many levelheaded GOP senators are aghast at some of his key selections.

The president-elect has threatened to circumvent confirmation hearings by making interim appointments, and even to discontinue background checks because some of his choices are so dicey. He wants to make foreign policy based only on ill-informed instincts, without the benefit of any solid or critical advisers.

The first test will come even before his inauguration, with Ukraine.

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But before getting to Ukraine, let us consider three of the worst Trump choices, so far. For attorney general, the top U.S. legal officer, he has tapped Matt Gaetz, a Florida congressman with zero legal experience. Gaetz’s abnormal behavior is intensely disliked by many of his GOP colleagues (in part because he reportedly circulated nude female photos on the House floor).

Gaetz quit Congress Wednesday, just before the House Ethics Committee was set to release a report on his alleged sexual misconduct and illicit drug abuse. But he is a Trump attack dog who has pledged his eagerness to dismantle “every one of those three letter agencies,” including the FBI and presumably the CIA, which the president-elect openly detests.

These agencies have angered Trump because they confirmed Russian interference in U.S. politics, or refused to investigate his political enemies. In other words, Trump’s aim is not to make the agencies more effective but to cleanse them of anyone who fails to obey his commands.

Mass political firings would send these agencies reeling and create chaos, just at a time when their work is more vital than ever, with Russia out to weaken the West and the Chinese military growing stronger.

Yet, for director of national intelligence, the official who oversees all 18 U.S. intelligence agencies, Trump has picked former Democratic congresswoman-turned-uber-Trumper Tulsi Gabbard. Although she has served in the military, she has no intelligence experience, but spouts ugly Russian propaganda about Ukraine, which has often been rerun on Russian media. Giving such a person the highest security clearance is an invitation to disaster. Even more so if she were cleared without a serious background check.

Add up the offer of the top intelligence role to Gabbard plus the pro-Russian tack of Trump’s new best friend Elon Musk, and Trump’s publicly declared preference of Vladimir Putin’s word to that of U.S. intelligence agencies. What you get is an early and glittering Christmas gift to the Kremlin, which presents Moscow with an incredible opportunity at the center of U.S. power.

Don’t just take it from me. Former Trump national security adviser John Bolton — echoed by several GOP senators — has said that Gabbard and Gaetz were the two worst cabinet appointments in recent history. He told the Hill that the choice of Gabbard was “a serious threat to our national security,” which would signal to China “that we have lost our mind when it comes to collecting intelligence.” Both Gabbard and Gaetz ought to be subjected to a full FBI investigation, he added, before they even get a confirmation hearing.

Then there is Trump’s choice of Fox News talking head Peter Hegseth as secretary of defense. Although he has served in the military, he has no management experience and will be running a department overseeing three million military and civilian personnel. For Trump, Hegseth’s chief appeal seems to be his TV persona — and his frequent on-air denunciation of a “woke” military establishment in which he is eager to ax the top brass.

There is always room for reforming the Pentagon’s structure and staffing, but doing so on an openly political basis will cause chaos. And installing military sycophants, vetted mainly for loyalty to MAGA, will undercut performance and morale.

Which brings me to Ukraine.

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Trump’s first big foreign policy test, which he has pledged to resolve in 24 hours, even before taking office, is Russia’s war on Ukraine.

The president-elect just had a cordial two-hour transition talk at the White House with President Joe Biden (which contrasted starkly with Trump’s horrific behavior toward Biden in 2020). One presumes they discussed Ukraine, yet it is doubtful Trump listened.

Indeed, he appears determined to hand over Ukraine to Putin and continues to display incredible ignorance about Putin’s intentions and the geopolitical consequences of betraying Kyiv. Contrary to Trump’s claims, most of the military aid given to Ukraine is not a present to Kyiv officials but comes right back to the Pentagon to purchase new military equipment. Ukraine often gets the dated equipment in storage.

Also contrary to Trump’s claims, Europe contributes far more to Ukraine than the U.S. does, but doesn’t have the military capacity to replace U.S. aid if Trump cuts it off.

Moreover, Russia is the aggressor in this war, contrary to claims by Gabbard. Ukrainian troops are fighting for freedom against an imperial Putin who wants to reestablish the Russian empire by force.

Yet, Trump’s peace plan, as revealed by his acolytes, would demand a cease-fire in place, handing over 20% of Ukraine to brutal rule by Russia. Without guaranteed security for the rest of Ukraine — and Trump, repeating Putin’s demands, rules out Ukrainian membership in NATO — Russia will regroup and restart the fighting.

Trump’s betrayal will destroy NATO and reassure Putin and China’s Xi Jinping that the hated alliance of Western democracies is falling apart.

Trump’s other national security appointments, such as Sen. Marco Rubio for secretary of state, might have restrained his pro-Putin impulses, since Rubio used to be pro-Ukraine. But in order to join the president-elect’s cabinet, Rubio and the others have already sworn fealty to his positions.

Now we wait to see whether GOP senators dissatisfied with Trump’s focus will challenge his worst appointments, or whether they, too, will kiss the ring, even though they know Trump endangers national security and could doom Ukraine.

The only hope in this gloom is that Biden will finally realize he has nothing to lose if he immediately gives Ukraine permission to fire long-range U.S. missiles into Russia and improve their position before Trump takes office.

That is the least the current president can do to compensate for giving Kyiv too little, too late. All too soon, we will have a president with his team of flunkies ready to abandon Ukraine.