The Afternoon Dispatch is written by BillOReilly.com staff.
Remember Rex Tillerson? How about David Shulkin, Scott Pruitt, or Alexander Acosta?
Probably not, and neither do most people outside their immediate families. They were all in Donald Trump’s Cabinet when his first term began in 2017. And now? Unlike most movies (‘The Godfather Part II’ notwithstanding) the sequel is far better than the original. The Trump Cabinet Part II has some stars that rival Al Pacino and John Cazale.
Probably not, and neither do most people outside their immediate families. They were all in Donald Trump’s Cabinet when his first term began in 2017. And now? Unlike most movies (‘The Godfather Part II’ notwithstanding) the sequel is far better than the original. The Trump Cabinet Part II has some stars that rival Al Pacino and John Cazale.
In the past few days, we’ve watched a few of them verbally eviscerate Senate Democrats. There was Secretary of State Marco Rubio mocking Chris Van Hollen for fawning over an illegal criminal; EPA boss Lee Zeldin mauling Sheldon Whitehouse over spending priorities, and HHS head Robert F. Kennedy Jr. accusing Patty Murray of ignoring America’s health crisis.
Cabinet members used to dread going to Capitol Hill to be grilled by hostile Senators, but now it’s often the Senators who are doing the dreadin’. It’s not just that the Cabinet is stocked with competent people; it also seems like they’ve been coached to take go on offense from the very first question.
Trump was a Washington neophyte the first time around and relied on advice from long-time swamp dwellers. This time, the president picked fighters and got all of them, aside from the ill-considered Matt Gaetz, confirmed by the Senate. Trump the First began firing department heads a year into his term, and only six survived the entire four years. Meanwhile, Joe Biden’s team had the job security of a postal worker. No one, not even Merrick Garland, Lloyd Austin, or the execrable Alejandro Mayorkas, was shown the door.
Trump’s apostles will certainly stumble. Homeland Security’s Kristi Noem recently face-planted when asked about the fundamental right of habeas corpus. Perhaps the comely Secretary can skip a few photo ops and bone up on the Constitution. And no doubt the volatile president will give someone the boot, but it’s hard not to be impressed thus far.
In addition to ‘The Godfather Part II,’ another much-praised movie sequel was ‘The Empire Strikes Back.’ For the moment, that may also be a very fitting title for Donald Trump’s second term.
