This Trumpside-down world

President-elect Trump said in his first go-round as president that he would choose the “best people.” And indeed, several members of his first administration were very capable public servants who stayed on to right a careening ship. Many left in disgust at his lack of interest in important briefings and his attitudes toward the military.

Like many things in the former president’s Trumpside-down world, using the word “best" these days is ludicrous (at best) when referring to his nominees.

And what’s the thread that runs through all Trump’s nominations? Loyalty to him. Not character, experience, competence, or loyalty to the rule of law.

Take Pete Hegseth, Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense. Depending on your source of information, you may not know that Hegseth seriously mismanaged two veterans’ nonprofits, and people he worked with at Fox News and elsewhere say he has an alarming problem with alcohol. There’s more: he’s been accused of rape. (Charges were dropped, but a hush money payment was made to the woman.) Hegseth pushed for Trump to pardon three members of the military convicted of war crimes even though the men they served alongside wanted to see them held accountable.

And I wish I could underline this part: He does not have management experience. He would oversee almost 3 million vital employees who keep us safe.

By the time you read this, Hegseth may, like Matt Gaetz, withdraw because the press has exposed serious concerns that Trump’s vetting process missed or skipped past. Several other nominees for important positions are not the best candidates but in fact the worst. Luckily Senators Ossoff and Warnock will vote against those who are unqualified. That will keep America strong if other Senators do what’s right, too. 

I know some of you reading this think (or — with these shocking nominations -- once thought) that Trump was the best candidate. Now that the unqualified, often-crass, and sometimes Russian-leaning Cabinet nominees are on the table, I hope all of you will be ready to pay more attention if things begin to unravel in America. 

And remember: Trump does not in fact have a sweeping mandate. Once all the votes were counted he had slightly less than 50% of the popular vote.

In the challenging years ahead we need to work together to see that Democracy holds. I don’t know what that will entail, but it will require the best in us. There is so much at stake.

Pat Priest

Athens