Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs President-elect Donald Trump’s demand for his incoming administration to be free of those with ties to a long list of Republican enemies and others with “Trump Derangement Syndrome” appears to ignore one of his own Cabinet picks.Why It MattersTrump boasted of having already hired “over 1,000 people” to serve in his administration in a social media post on Wednesday, while warning supporters against attempting to “recommend” appointees with ties to several influential conservative figures that he considers “disloyal.”Former Fox News host Pete Hegseth, the president-elect’s nominee for Department of Defense secretary, previously served for years as chief executive of a group funded by one of the blacklisted conservatives that Trump specifically mentioned—billionaire Charles Koch.What To KnowTrump posted the following to Truth Social on Wednesday night:”As of today, the incoming Trump Administration has hired over 1,000 people for The United States Government,” Trump’s post reads. “They are outstanding in every way, and you will see the fruits of their labor over the coming years. We will MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, and it will happen very quickly!”In order to save time, money, and effort, it would be helpful if you would not send, or recommend to us, people who worked with, or are endorsed by, Americans for No Prosperity (headed by Charles Koch), ‘Dumb as a Rock’ John Bolton, ‘Birdbrain’ Nikki Haley, Mike Pence, disloyal Warmongers Dick Cheney, and his Psycho daughter, Liz, Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan, General(?) Mark Milley, James Mattis, Mark Yesper, or any of the other people suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome, more commonly known as TDS. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
President-elect Donald Trump is pictured during a news conference at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, on January 7. Trump warned his supporters on Wednesday against recommending administration staff with links to billionaire Charles Koch and…
President-elect Donald Trump is pictured during a news conference at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, on January 7. Trump warned his supporters on Wednesday against recommending administration staff with links to billionaire Charles Koch and other figures, despite his defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth’s tenure as chief executive of a Koch-funded company.
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Scott Olson
Hegseth, who faced tough questions during a Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing on Tuesday, served from 2013 to 2016 as chief executive of Concerned Veterans for America, a controversial advocacy group funded by Charles Koch and his late brother David Koch.The brothers, and later Charles alone, also funded the group Americans for Prosperity. Trump has raged against the group in recent years because it opposed his 2024 presidential campaign and instead backed the rival campaign of former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley.Concerned Veterans for America faced backlash under Hegseth’s leadership for lobbying for the privatization of the Department of Veterans Affairs and the potential rollback of health care and other federal benefits for veterans.Newsweek reached out for comment to Trump’s office via email on Wednesday night.What People Are SayingRepublican communications and marketing specialist Nicole Tardif, who also formerly worked for Charles Koch, in a post responding to Trump’s demands, on X, formerly Twitter: “… Pete Hegseth worked for Charles Koch.”Lawyer Elliot Malin, chair of the Nevada Holocaust Education Council, on X: “Just a reminder that Hegseth, the nominee for Sec Def, worked for the Koch network.”What Happens NextThe Senate Armed Services Committee may vote to approve Hegseth’s nomination as early as Monday, the same day that Trump is set to be inaugurated and begin his second term. Hegseth must be approved by a majority of the full Senate to serve in Trump’s Cabinet.Due to the closely divided nature of the Senate, just a few Republican votes against Hegseth could sink his confirmation, assuming that all Democratic senators vote against him.
