In emphasizing loyalty as he selects his team for a second administration, President-elect Donald Trump often has overlooked another quality typically required for such jobs: High-level experience.
In the past, serving in a presidential Cabinet or as the head of a major federal agency usually came after many years of relevant experience at the heights of government or the private sector.
But Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Education has just a year of experience overseeing public schools, his nominee to lead the FBI has top-level experience in national security but not the criminal justice system and his pick to lead the Department of Defense left the National Guard as a midlevel officer.
Additionally, his pick to run the nation’s intelligence agencies is a midlevel reserve officer with limited intelligence experience, his pick to run the Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Transportation are former congressmen not known for expertise in those fields and his selection for health secretary is an environmental attorney and health activist turned longshot presidential candidate.
Many of these individuals have never managed large numbers of people, yet are poised to lead federal agencies that have tens of thousands of employees. In the case of Pete Hegseth, Trump’s nominee for Defense secretary, he would lead roughly 3 million people after most recently working as a Fox News host.
Trump allies tout the picks as outside-the-beltway disruptors and strong communicators who will fulfill the president-elect’s promises to shake up the system. Their lack of time spent in Washington, D.C., is an asset, not a liability, some argue, making them less beholden to a system they view as needing reform. Many Trump voters across the nation are excited about the selections.
