US President-elect Donald Trump chose Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida to be his attorney general on Wednesday, bypassing more experienced choices in favor of a loyalist who has built a national reputation as a filibuster and pledged to overhaul the Justice Department.
Trump also announced that he has nominated Senator Marco Rubio of Florida to serve as Secretary of State. He chose Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democratic congressman and presidential candidate, to serve as Director of National Intelligence.
The selections continued a pattern of Trump filling his cabinet with loyalists he believes he can trust to carry out his agenda rather than veteran officials with experience in their fields. Gates’ selection, in particular, was considered a shock. The Florida lawmaker was not among the more high-profile lawyers mentioned as contenders for the position.
Trump announced the decision in a post on his Social Truth Network, saying that “Matt will end armed government, protect our borders, dismantle criminal organizations, and restore Americans’ severely damaged trust in the Department of Justice.”
Gaetz represents much of the Florida Panhandle and became a conservative star when he joined Congress, appearing as a frequent forceful defender of Trump on cable news.
He angered fellow GOP lawmakers in early 2023 when he introduced the resolution that successfully ousted former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. McCarthy then helped fund a primary challenge to Gaetz that included commercials claiming he paid for sex with a 17-year-old, an allegation currently being investigated by the House Ethics Committee. Gaetz has denied any wrongdoing. The Department of Justice ended its sex trafficking investigation without bringing charges against him.
Even Trump’s allies in the Senate are turning away from Gaetz.
“We’ll see,” said Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin when asked if he would vote to confirm the congressman.
Sen. John Cornyn, a Republican from Texas, suggested that the Senate look more closely into the Gaetz case, including a House Ethics Committee investigation.
“I’m sure she’ll have a confirmation hearing for the popcorn,” said Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina.
The announcement came shortly after Trump confirmed that he had chosen Rubio, a conservative lawmaker, as the country’s top diplomat. Rubio, once a critic, has evolved into one of the president-elect’s fiercest defenders, who will become the first Latino to hold the position, is a prominent hawk on China, Cuba and Iran, and was one of the finalists to be Trump’s running mate this summer.
On Capitol Hill, Rubio is vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He has pushed for a tougher stance against China and targeted the social media app TikTok because its parent company is Chinese. He and other lawmakers assert that Beijing can demand access to user data whenever it wants.
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“He will be a strong defender of our nation, a true friend to our allies, and a courageous warrior who will never back down from our adversaries,” Trump said of Rubio in a statement.
Trump made the announcement while returning to Florida from Washington after his meeting with President Joe Biden.
The president-elect was expected to pick Rubio for the job, but he also faced pressure from allies of Rick Grenell, who served as acting director of national intelligence during Trump’s first administration.
Grenell responded to the news on Channel X, writing: “Congratulations Senator. You will be great for America!”
The selection comes as a culmination of a long and complicated history between Trump and Rubio. During the tense contest for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016, Rubio was particularly vocal in his criticism of Trump, calling him a “con artist” and “the most vulgar person to ever aspire to the presidency.”
He tried to keep up with Trump’s often crude attacks by joking about the size of Trump’s hands in reference to his masculinity. Trump responded by calling Rubio “Little Marco,” a nickname that stuck with the senator for years.
But like many Republicans who have sought to remain relevant in the age of Trump, Rubio has changed his rhetoric. As speculation grows that Trump might choose him as his running mate, Rubio has sought to play down the tension since 2016, suggesting that the heated tone simply reflects the intensity of the campaign.
“This is like asking a boxer why he punched someone in the face in the third round,” Rubio told CNN when asked about his previous comments. “That’s because they were boxers.”
Rubio was first elected to the Senate in 2010 as part of the Tea Party wave of Republicans sweeping through Washington. He quickly gained a reputation as someone who could embody a more diverse and welcoming Republican Party. He was a key member of a group that worked on a 2013 immigration bill that included a path to citizenship for millions of people in the country illegally.
But that legislation faltered in the House, where conservative Republicans were in control, signaling the sharp shift to the right that the party — and Rubio — would soon embrace. Now, Rubio says he supports Trump’s plan to deploy the US military to deport those in the country illegally.
“We’re going to have to do something, unfortunately, we’re going to have to do something dramatic,” Rubio said in an interview with NBC in May.
Meanwhile, Gabbard will serve as Director of National Intelligence.
“As a former Democratic presidential nominee, she has broad support in both parties — and now she’s a proud Republican!” Trump said in a statement. “I know Tulsi will bring the courageous spirit that has defined her illustrious career to our intelligence community, defending our constitutional rights, and securing peace through strength. Tulsi will make us all proud!”
Both Vice President-elect J.D. Vance and Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., have been advocating for Gabbard to get a position in the administration, after she approached them during the campaign.
She helped prepare Trump for his debate against Vice President Kamala Harris, announced she would become a Republican at a Trump rally during the final stretch of the race, and received big cheers from his crowds at events.
Gabbard, who served in the Army National Guard for more than two decades, deploying to Iraq and Kuwait, will take on the role as something of an outsider, compared to her predecessor. The current director, Avril Haines, was confirmed by the Senate in 2021 after several years in a number of senior national security and intelligence positions.
Gabbard has not worked directly in the intelligence community, outside of House committees, including two years on the Homeland Security Committee. Like others Trump has chosen to lead his agency, she was among his most popular political surrogates, often eliciting thunderous reactions from crowds as she stumbled with him in the final months of the campaign.
Earlier Wednesday, Trump announced that four of his longtime aides would also join his administration.
Longtime aide Dan Scavino, who first worked for Trump as a caddy at one of his golf courses and later became his social media mentor, will serve as deputy chief of staff. James Blair, the campaign’s political director, will serve as deputy chief of staff for legislative, policy and public affairs. Taylor Budwich, who ran the pro-Trump political action committee Maga Inc. before joining the campaign, will serve as deputy chief of staff for communications and personnel. All will have the rank of Assistant to the President.
Trump also formally announced that Stephen Miller, an immigration hardliner and one of Trump’s longest-serving aides, will serve as deputy chief of staff for policy and homeland security adviser.
