Trump picks loyalists for top jobs, testing loyalty of Senate GOP

(NPR) The nominees for several key Cabinet posts in the new administration of President-elect Donald Trump caught officials in Washington off guard this week and ignited a firestorm of criticism — not all of it from Democrats.

At this point, the newly elected Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota is hedging his bets. "None of this is going to be easy," he said Thursday.

That is an understatement as at least four of Trump's second-term picks to date could qualify as a "problem nominee." Any one of them could be the focus of negative media coverage and the cause of enormous discomfort for Republican senators who must vote to confirm.

Trump has made clear he expects his party members to fall in line, and if they don't, he has often found ways to get around them. Thune is respected by his colleagues and well liked by his GOP confreres. He worked hard and raised impressive sums of money to help his party seize back the majority this fall. But soon he will essentially face a choice between Trump's demands and the political and personal preferences of the Republican senators who chose him as leader. When those coincide, as they usually will, fine. When they don't, Thune will need to find a compromise or choose sides.

https://www.npr.org/2024/11/17/g-s1-34452/trump-picks-loyalists-for-top-jobs-testing-loyalty-of-senate-gop