If it feels as though the new Trump administration is taking shape at warp speed, that’s because it is. It’s unusual for an incoming administration to announce all these Cabinet and staff nominations in such rapid succession but that’s part of the Project 2025 manifesto, to hit the ground running as fast as possible. And they’re using the Steve Bannon tactic of flooding the zone to keep the media and the opposition off balance.
Trump’s getting awards from Fox News, gallivanting around Paris with his best buddy, naming one billionaire after another to his administration and giving his family members anything they want. He has even named his son’s (reportedly former) fiancée, Kimberly Guilfoyle, as U.S. ambassador to Greece. And for any recalcitrant senators who still believe they have a say in any of it, he’s bringing the hammer down.
Take for example the case of Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, a former female combat officer who had serious reservations about Trump’s choice to be defense secretary, Pete Hegseth. After all, as someone who has experienced sexual assault, she was logically a bit disturbed by the rape allegations against Hegseth as well as his comments that he doesn’t think women should be allowed in combat.
Well, Trump and his henchmen made sure Ernst understood that they were not going to stand for any guff from her. Politico reported:
In recent days, allies of Trump adopted an approach that is not novel for the president-elect and his followers: Make life extremely uncomfortable for anyone who dares to oppose him. The swarm of MAGA attacks that Sen. Joni Ernst has experienced is a warning of what’s in store for others who express skepticism of his personnel choices.
Hegseth “became a cause,” said a Trump ally who was granted anonymity to speak freely. “Not even for the official Trump operation, but the movement who is going apeshit for him.”..
“Joni, I’m told,” said a Trump ally with insider knowledge of the transition process, “got the message loud and clear.”
On Monday Ernst said that she will now support Hegseth through the process and demanded that any of the women he assaulted come forward and testify against him or she would discount their accusations. She, of all people, knows exactly what will happen to them if they do.
Whatever resistance the Republican senators may have felt toward Trump’s autocratic demands has fizzled in the
