The future team of President Donald Trump. President Trump's team: who are these people? Let the exodus begin
President-elect Donald Trump is about to take office. For the transfer of cases, a transitional administration is being formed, which should ensure the continuity of government.
The American press indulged in its favorite pastime - the publication of lists of candidates for the most important government posts. These lists are unofficial, compiled on the basis of rumors and conjectures, but in the main points they coincide.
Number one candidate for secretary of state is former Speaker of the House of Representatives Newt Gingrich. He retired a long time ago. In 2012, he tried his luck in the presidential election, but lost the primaries. In this year's presidential campaign, Gingrich has emerged as a staunch supporter of Donald Trump. Although he does not hold any office, Gingrich's authority in the Republican Party is still high.
The short list also includes names former ambassador US at the UN John Bolton and Richard Haass- a former high-ranking diplomat, and now a prominent international expert. His latest book is called "Foreign Policy Starts at Home" - Haass thinks America should do more internal problems, then its authority in the international arena will be higher.
The post of Minister of Defense can take Stephen Hadley Former national security adviser to President Bush. It was Hadley, along with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who claimed responsibility for the unconfirmed information that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, which in 2003 became a pretext for war. Among other contenders for this post is the former director of intelligence of the Pentagon, General Mike Flynn and senator Jeff Sessions, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, on which he chairs the Strategic Forces Subcommittee. General Flynn was seen at a dinner with President Putin on the occasion of the anniversary of RT.
Banker and film producer may be appointed Minister of Finance Stephen Mnuchin. He was chief financial officer on Donald Trump's election committee. The former mayor of New York, and before that, the Attorney General of the State of New York, claims to be the Attorney General, who is also the Minister of Justice Rudy Giuliani. During the presidential campaign, he repeatedly stated that Hillary Clinton's actions as Secretary of State should be the subject of a criminal investigation.
What will President Trump do in the first hundred days of taking office? By tradition, candidates announce the list of their top priorities at the final stage of the election campaign. Donald Trump did this at the end of October.
The first item on his program is a draft amendment to the Constitution to limit the term of office in Congress. According to Donald Trump, a member of the lower house should not hold a seat for more than six years, a senator - more than 12 years. Currently, members of the House of Representatives are elected every two years, members of the Senate every six years, but the total term of their tenure in these elected positions is not limited by law.
Second, President Trump intends to freeze hiring in all federal departments in order to reduce the overall size of the Washington bureaucracy in a natural way - the number of positions in the state apparatus will decrease as the officials who held these positions retire.
With these and similar measures, Donald Trump expects, as he puts it, to "drain the Washington swamp", that is, to achieve the effectiveness of the government.
Next up are plans to protect the domestic producer and the American worker. President Trump is about to start negotiations on changing the terms of US participation in the North American zone free trade and withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership. He also promises to limit the import of foreign-made products with protectionist tariffs.
The most conflict-prone part of the 100 Days program is related to the possible deportation of millions of illegal immigrants. President Obama, after failing to get immigration reform through Congress, has issued executive orders protecting certain categories of illegal immigrants from deportation, in particular those who came to America as a child. Donald Trump intends to cancel these decrees. He is also determined to build a wall along the border with Mexico and ban immigration from areas of high terrorist activity.
At the same time, Donald Trump has softened his position on the obligatory health insurance system introduced by President Obama - Obamacare. In an interview with CBS News, which will air in full on Sunday evening, he said certain provisions of the law would be retained. He also expressed a desire to take the advice of Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.
Donald Trump's victory was a heavy blow to liberal commentators. The morning after the elections, their columns appeared in the major newspapers, in which they stated that they did not recognize and did not respect the choice of voters. One of the sharpest opinions was expressed by TV presenter Keith Olbermann. "The terrorists won," Olbermann said. "What was their goal 15 years ago? To strip the world's greatest power of its traditions of tolerance. To mutilate the country's international interests based on moral values - it followed these values with difficulty, but still more consistently than any another country. To take our energy to help the whole world and direct it inward so that we fight each other, inside our own borders."
Each time, the winning side almost apologizes for their victory.
The opposite side was not shy in expressions either. Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh compared Trump's victory to the US victory over Japan in World War II on his latest show. He said he wanted to "destroy some of the myths that arise every time after the elections - myths about unity, about inter-party harmony, about working together." "Every time the winning side almost apologizes for their victory," Limbaugh said, adding that "for the last eight years we have been ruled against our will." "To unite after we forced them to capitulate, as we did with the Japanese in World War II?" The radio host concluded with a comparison.
The victory of Donald Trump was also welcomed by the formal head of the Republican Party, the speaker of the lower house of Congress, Paul Ryan. He is also a winner in this campaign - the Republicans have retained control of both chambers, and now it will be much easier for the new president to carry out his bills and appointments to high government posts. During the presidential campaign, Paul Ryan repeatedly criticized Trump for his politically incorrect statements and refused to campaign for him. However, he now enthusiastically received the President-elect at the Capitol and showed him where the inauguration ceremony would take place.
A dual position was taken by former presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders, who lost the primaries to Hillary Clinton. He was called a socialist, but his agenda overlapped a lot with that of Donald Trump. So now Sanders is ready to cooperate with President Trump on some issues and oppose him on others. Sanders said that we must look to the future, and he will look into it like this: “I intend to work with President Trump to solve problems in the interests of the middle class and working families of America. I will strongly oppose him if he resorts to racism, sexism or other discriminatory measures that he mentioned during his campaign."
Little, whimpering, snot-blown, cowardly whiners who squeaked "Trump never" are simply not worthy of our attention.
But are the winners going to cooperate with the losers? Potential Secretary of State nominee Newt Gingrich dismissed the possibility of cooperation even with those of his party who did not support Trump: "Little, whimpering, snot-blown cowardly whiners who squealed "Trump never" are simply not worthy of our attention. Let them slide into the gutter of history , and we will go ahead and work with Donald Trump and the Republicans of the lower house and the Senate and create a radically new future," Gingrich said.
By the way, in the summer of this year, discussing the attack in a nightclub in Orlando on a talk show, Gingrich proposed to recreate the Committee to Investigate Un-American Activities. “In the late 1930s, President Franklin D. Roosevelt faced Nazi infiltration into the United States. The Un-American Activities Committee was originally set up to detect Nazis. We passed several laws for this purpose in 1938 and 1939 and made Nazi assistance illegal. We are going to take similar steps now," Gingrich said at the time.
Yes, the committee was set up to identify Nazi sympathizers, but after the war switched to communism sympathizers - the infamous witch hunt began. It all depends on the definition of what is un-American activity, and there are many in the ranks of the Republicans who consider liberals America's enemies.
So far, the elected president himself does not allow any aggressiveness towards the losing side and is preparing to take office.
Donald Trump is an American hero who always triumphs in the movies, but who seemed not to exist, and perhaps never was in real life. The rule that there is no warrior alone in the field turns out, alas, usually fair, it is difficult for a lone individualist to achieve victory in real life. Even as prominent as President Trump, he also needs a team. The bright charismatic personality of the billionaire who came into politics initially did not have it, he was his own director. However, as you know, a holy place is never empty.
Who is included in the presidential army?
We saw these people at Trump's first speech in New York, before the election was even over, but his rival Hillary Clinton had already congratulated him on his victory. The billionaire acted for the first time in the status of the president of the country. One of these people - Trump's understudy - was recognized by America and the whole world this summer. This is Vice President Mike Pence, a lawyer by education, governor of Indiana, a former congressman. Conservative politician, born in 1959, representative of the middle class, a prominent figure in the so-called. The Tea Party movement, launched in 2009 to protest the excesses of democratic rule that have made America increasingly unlike itself.
Nothing out of the ordinary, Pence, who stood next to him at President Trump's first speech and looked at him with feeling, has yet to score. Except that he won the only vice-presidential debate against his rival, Democrat Tim Kaine, although CNN actively encouraged him. Pence has everything ahead, since the power of the vice president, who is at the junction of the executive and legislative branches, is very great. And if something happens to Trump, it is he who will lead the country.
But in this historic hour, Americans and the whole world saw other people on whom Trump will rely and who, whether he wants it or not, will - one way or another - "do" him.
What did Trump himself say about his aides?
"They said that we have a small headquarters. But not so small,- said, representing his inner circle, Trump. - Look at all these people - Kellyanne, Chris, Rudy, Steve and David. We have all very talented people here. And special. I also want to give special thanks to our former Mayor (of New York) Rudy Giuliani. He is awesome. He traveled everywhere with us, was at all meetings, and Rudy never changes. Governor (New Jersey) Chris Christie was great. Thank you, Chris. A wonderful man, the best senator, an outstanding politician. By the way, he is very respected in Washington. Senator Jeff Sessions. great person strong fighter...
"Dr. Ben Carson Trump continued. - And where he? Mike Huckabee is around here somewhere, and he's incredible. Thanks a lot. General Mike Flynn. Where is Mike? And General Clogg. Over 200 generals and admirals have supported our campaign, and they are all special people. We have 22 people in our team who have been awarded the Medal of Honor."
And then Trump mentioned the person whom he singled out from among everyone and even offered to speak to the activists of the Republican Party at the hour of his celebration, sharing a place at the microphone with him: "A special person who was written about as not getting along with me. But we always had a good relationship. A real star. He ... Well, you guessed it? Let me tell you about Reigns. Look at all these people around. Reigns is a superstar. Raines, I said they couldn't call you a superstar if we lost. And he's very hardworking, and thanks to me in a way. Come here, Raines."
"Ladies and gentlemen, this is the new President of the United States, Donald Trump. Thank you. It was a great honor. God bless you and God bless you,"- said the chairman of the Republican National Committee (RNC) Reins Priebas, "Secretary General" of the Republicans. Saying “there is a new president of the United States in front of you,” Priebas pointed the finger at Trump, but at that moment it certainly seemed to some that he himself might someday be the new president of the United States. And that Trump also understands this and does not even mind.
Reins Priebas
Introducing his associates, President Trump said: “They say today is a historic event, but to make it truly historic, we need to work hard, and I promise I won’t let you down. We will do a great job. I look forward to when I am your president, and I hope that in two years, or three, four or even eight years, you will say that you are proud to have worked with me, and I will thank you."
Who else can join Trump's team?
There is no doubt that the new US leader will form his own political team from the mentioned persons and some other politicians who were not at this truly historic moment next to him on the podium. Political scientists, in particular, are predicted by the new Secretary of State of the ex-Speaker of the House of Representatives Newt Gingrich, the head of the Treasury Department - the former banker and Hollywood producer Steve Mnuchin, the Secretary of Defense - General Flynn.
Tell me who your friend is and I'll tell you who you are
Let's take a look at the biographies of some of these individuals to better understand what we can all expect from Trump.
Rudolph Giuliani
Rudolph Giuliani is a very well-known political figure in the United States and abroad, who could well claim at one time for the presidency of the United States. He is 72 years old and he did not look very good on the podium. It is obvious that he is very tired. It is known that - unlike Trump - the ex-mayor of New York is unhealthy and is kept by willpower. It is not only this that makes him related to Trump: both politicians are known for their unconditional support of Israel and even married three times. Giuliani successfully fought crime and unemployment in New York. Trump promises to do this nationwide. He needed such assistants, connections in political circles are never enough.
Chris Christie, the governor of New Jersey, a lawyer and political scientist by training, is a very curious person who, however, cannot be denied resourcefulness and political flair, as long as he manages to govern in a state that is democratic and liberal by definition, being a Republican. A few years ago, he was considered the main candidate of the party in the 2016 presidential election, but a series of scandals and a complete failure in the primaries buried these prospects. He bet on Trump on time, back in February of this year. Then it became a sensation and increased the chances of the latter to secure consent to his candidacy of the Republican establishment, which until recently considered Trump a clown, which will lead the party to a grand election failure.
Chris Christie
A year ago, Christie, in an interview with Fox News, allowed himself a series of aggressive statements about Russia and its president, immediately becoming a laughingstock among Americans. He stated, in particular, in an interview with Fox News about his readiness to "enter the ring" against Putin, meaning the political ring, but it still turned out to be very comical.
"The only American he (Putin) can knock out in the ring is Barack Obama. Let me enter the ring against Vladimir Putin, and everything will be fine with us," he argued. In response, a flurry of mocking responses from Americans rained down, suggesting that Christie was "out of shape" and would not last even 15 seconds against Putin, "will die in the first round of a heart attack or stroke". "Chris, no offense, but he'll bend you in half"- one of the viewers wrote to the TV channel. Another suggested that the governor of New Jersey would certainly beat Putin, but only if it was an eating contest.
In questions foreign policy Christie, as a candidate for the presidency of the United States, also managed to demonstrate a great dislike for Russia. Thus, he demanded an end to Europe's "energy dependence" on Russian energy supplies, teaming up with Mexico and Canada for this. He proposed "returning" US missiles to Poland, and introducing a significant military contingent to the Baltic states. In Syria, he proposed introducing a no-fly zone in the interests of terrorists in order to protect "those people who are trained by the United States", criticizing Obama for inaction. However, a serious post on the "foreign policy line" is not predicted for this Republican.
Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions, who previously supported Trump's Texan rival Ted Cruz, was appointed by the billionaire on March 1 as his chief national security adviser and chairman of the Committee of National Security Advisors. Sessions, like Trump, is a fierce opponent of Muslim migration to the US and, as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, is known as one of the top Republican hawks. At the same time, he categorically opposes the neocons and the overthrow of regimes in the Middle East under democratic slogans, believing that this is contrary to US interests. Sessions emphasizes that "a foreign policy based on national interests, supported by the strongest armed forces represents a stark contrast to interventionist ideas that could drag us further into regional chaos."
Jeff Sessions
Initially a supporter of a tough attitude towards Russia in order to stop "Putin's aggression in Ukraine and everywhere," Sessions, after being included in the Trump team, became kinder to our country: "I think his emphasis on a more realistic, pragmatic policy is very good. I think that there is no the need to confront Russia and the United States. Somehow we have to move this matter forward. It is not strategically justified for both countries. It may not work. Maybe with Putin it will not be possible to find mutual language, but I don't blame him for instinctively trying to do it."
The senator is also a supporter of US dominance in Europe, an opponent of the rise of China and a tough attitude towards Iran, the nuclear deal with which allegedly threatens Israel's security...
Lieutenant General Michael Flynn is another of Trump's key foreign policy advisers. In 2012-2014, he headed the Intelligence Agency of the US Department of Defense. This is an ardent supporter of rapprochement with Russia, primarily in the field of combating terrorism and Islamic extremism. Flynn participated in the celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Russian television company RT, sitting next to Putin during the banquet.
And now - special attention
And finally, Reins Priebas, born in 1972. He is also a lawyer, the "general secretary" of the Republicans, who, according to people who know him well, dreams of becoming the president of the United States and methodically moving towards this goal. It is thanks to this man that one can say that Trump was not "eaten" by the Republican establishment. It was he, who has a very strong position in it, in particular, who helped elect the current speaker of the House of Representatives, Paul Ryan, who in many ways made Trump president, realizing his potential. He had to maneuver, show miracles of flexibility, either defending or criticizing Trump, for example, for his "sexist statements", which the billionaire called "joking chatter in the locker room."
Reins Priebas
Priebas also had to deal with the famous letter sent to him and signed by some 70 influential members of the Republican Party, in which they urged him to withdraw his support for Trump, whose “recklessness, incompetence and record unpopularity threaten that the Democrats will crush” the Republicans in this election ...
Priebas coped brilliantly with his "impossible mission": Trump did not go to the polls alone, as he periodically threatened, faced with the obstruction of the Republican bigwigs, but as a representative of one of the two largest US political parties, which helped him win. Therefore, Trump called Priebas in his "throne" speech a "superstar", whose political fate is closely connected with his own.
Such a diverse team has united around President Trump. It seems that these people will balance each other within the system of checks and balances, allowing Trump to consult when necessary, but to carry out his own line. And yet a lot will depend on these people too, especially on some.
Let's start with the fact that there are much more than ten such "friends of Trump", so it was rather difficult to select the most important ones, but you can already start cramming the names of these people, because you will see them in the news for at least four years .
It is generally accepted that Donald Trump is a stranger, not related to the political establishment, which means that it will be difficult for him to assemble a strong administration that would be completely loyal to him. Of course, the posts of secretaries will become the subject of behind-the-scenes bargaining with the leadership of the party. But the choice of personnel for the elected president is certainly much narrower than that of any of his predecessors. It is all the more interesting to take a closer look at those who led Trump to victory, because this is part-time a team that can take leadership positions in the White House.
Mike Pence
The second person in the state under President Trump will be his closest associate, Vice President Mike Pence, who, unlike Trump, has remarkable political experience. For many years he was a congressman from the state of Indiana, and since 2013 he has served as governor, in which position he was able to achieve recognition of the state as one of the most prosperous and calm in America. By betting on Trump's support during the party elections in Indiana, Pence was not mistaken. He is considered a hardline conservative, a supporter of the right-wing political movement "Tea Party" and a consistent opponent of abortion. According to FiveThirtyEight's political rankings, Pence could be "the most conservative vice president in 40 years."
Rudolph Giuliani
The charismatic former mayor of New York, Rudy Giuliani, successfully fought crime in his post, and after the September 11, 2001 attacks, he showed his best professional and human qualities in organizing assistance to the victims. He began his political career as Assistant Deputy Attorney during the Ronald Reagan administration. In 2008, Giuliani tried to run for president, but his campaign failed. As NBC News reported, citing its sources, Giuliani may apply for the position of Attorney General in the Trump administration.
Chris Christy
The governor of New York's neighboring state of New Jersey is also a member of the "Trump team." He ran in the Republican primaries, but fell out of the race due to low ratings and began to actively campaign for Trump. Christie has a law degree and has been the governor of New Jersey since 2010. Christie opposed the legalization of same-sex marriage in his state, but his veto was rejected by the court. The decision to support Trump was costly at first for Christie: his ratings dropped seriously, and several influential newspapers called for him to resign, but now, I think he has nothing to regret. The role of the governor in the future government is not yet completely clear: Trump previously offered Christie to head the US transitional administration, and now he claims to be the Minister of Justice.
Steve Mnuchin
The second most unexpected person on the list. Former top manager of Goldman Sachs bank may become the head of the Treasury. Donald Trump spoke about this back in July. Although Mnuchin was previously listed as a financial donor to Hillary Clinton, this year he joined the Trump campaign, where he oversaw fundraising. By November of this year, Mnuchin had raised between $500 million and $600 million for the campaign, according to US media.
Lieutenant General Michael Flynn
The former head of US military intelligence, the equivalent of the Russian GRU, retired Lieutenant General Flynn is one of the most visible senior military supporters of Donald Trump. He was considered as a potential vice president for Trump, but Trump later settled on the candidacy of Pence, making Flynn an adviser. According to media reports, Flynn came into conflict with the leadership of the Pentagon because of the situation in the Middle East. The general believed that the United States should become an ally of Bashar al-Assad in the fight against Islamist groups in Syria. Flynn has advocated strengthening ties with Russia and serves as arguably Trump's main link to Vladimir Putin. In an interview with the Washington Post, he said that he flew to Moscow and gave a speech at the corporate party of the RT television channel in 2015, where he sat at a table next to Putin.
Newt Gingrich
An influential conservative, one of the architects of the "Republican Revolution" of the 90s, who proposed the Treaty with America - a program that allowed the Republican Party to gain a majority in Congress for the first time in 40 years. That victory led him to the chair of the Speaker of the House of Representatives. He participated in the party elections of the Republican Party, but lost to Mitt Romney, who then mediocrely merged the Oval Office to Barack Obama. In the recent primaries, the now-retired and acting consultant Gingrich was drafting a similar reform agenda for Trump rival Paul Ryan, but after the billionaire's victory, he joined his banner and was even considered as a candidate for vice president. The authority and political weight of Gingrich is such that he can claim the most significant positions in the future administration, including the post of Secretary of State - at one time, Donald actively consulted with him on foreign policy issues.
Jeff Sessions
Another well-known conservative, one of my favorite American politicians, who was considered as a potential vice president, is a former state attorney and now a senator from Alabama. In his first speech as president-elect, Trump specifically stressed that Sessions is highly respected in Washington because he is "the smartest one." The senator was one of the first to support the future president and is his adviser on migration policy and national security.
Ben Carson
Trump's rival in the primaries, who later supported his candidacy, is a famous African American neurosurgeon. With the elected president, he is related by the almost complete lack of ties in the political establishment and high media coverage. Carson is one of the most consistent proponents of the abortion ban. He also spoke out loudly on the topic of climate change several times, arguing that the role of human activity has nothing to do with this process. There is a high chance that he can take the post of Minister of Health and Welfare.
The Western media do not stop trying to predict what team the newly elected President of the United States will pick up for himself. Mitt Romney, 69, a well-known Republican politician who lost the 2012 presidential election to Democrat Barack Obama, is being considered as Secretary of State, according to MSNBC.
Meanwhile, the Associated Press reports that Trump has already offered the position of national security adviser to retired Lieutenant General Michael Flynn, also a Republican, who was his adviser during the presidential campaign. According to the latest reports from the American media, Flynn accepted this offer.
Romney and Flynn have a lot in common in political positions, but on such important issues as the situation in the Middle East and building relations with Russia, their views are diametrically opposed.
© AP Photo / Rick Bowmer, File
© AP Photo / Rick Bowmer, File
The essence of contradictions
Mitt Romney is a religious conservative and supporter of family values. As a Mormon, he left Stanford University as a young man to do missionary work in France. Like Donald Trump, he advocates a ban on abortion, the preservation of death penalty, tax cuts, against financing environmental programs, for giving legal status to "special interrogation techniques" for terrorist suspects, and spoke equally favorably of the Guantanamo Bay prison.
Romney is known for his sharp criticism of the policies of the leadership of Russia, China and Iran. His 2012 presidential campaign was largely about attacking the Kremlin.
In his book No Excuses: The Cause of American Greatness, he called Russia "America's No. 1 geopolitical enemy."
Romney's top security priority for the United States is to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. Concerned about the growing influence of China and does not exclude the unleashing of a trade war against Beijing (which Trump also spoke about).
Romney supported the invasion of American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, criticized Barack Obama for indecision and lack of activity in Libya.
Michael Flynn, unlike Mitt Romney, was not always a staunch Republican. He joined their camp only in 2016, when he began to serve as an adviser to Trump in the election race. Previously, he positioned himself as a supporter of the Democrats.
© AP Photo / Carolyn Kaster
© AP Photo / Carolyn Kaster
A graduate of Rhode Island, Flynn had a distinguished military career, and in 2011 he became head of the US National Military Intelligence, the equivalent of the Russian GRU General Staff. But in 2014, he resigned, having come into conflict with the leadership of the Pentagon.
The controversy arose over the situation in the Middle East: Flynn insisted that the United States act in alliance with the government of Bashar al-Assad against terrorist militias in Syria, which he considers the main threat emanating from the region. Flynn is a staunch supporter of strengthening ties with Russia and is proud of his personal acquaintance with Vladimir Putin.
The division into "hawks" and "doves" is always rather arbitrary. In the camp of the Republicans, the situation with the "pigeons" is generally tense, and even a freshly minted Republican - military intelligence officer Flynn - can only be called a peacemaker with a big stretch.
Nevertheless, in regard to the situation in the Middle East and relations with Russia, the general, of course, looks more like a "dove", in contrast to the religious politician Romney.
A dove won't peck out a hawk's eye
Is Donald Trump running the risk of turning his administration into a kind of debating club by recruiting such a controversial (albeit not only on some very important issues) team?
Speech in this case it’s not about politics at all – it’s just a technology for working with personnel that is inherent in Donald Trump, says Timofey Bordachev, director of the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies at the Faculty of World Economy and World Politics at the National Research University Higher School of Economics.
"All those who studied the business biography of the newly elected president noted that his managerial feature has always been to pit his high-level subordinates. Pushing them head-on, he always stays above the fray. He conducted his presidential campaign as a promotion of goods, and there is no doubt that he will lead the country, first of all, as the head of a large business: he will listen to different points of view, and make decisions on his own,” the analyst says.
By putting "hawks" and "doves" in one "cage", Trump is pursuing quite certain political goals, the Americanist, associate professor at the Financial University under the Government of Russia Gevorg Mirzayan is convinced.
"Trump needs to consolidate the Republican Party. And, therefore, he must appoint representatives to the responsible posts of his administration different groups influence within this party in order to enlist their common support," the expert claims.
Trump's second goal, according to Mirzayan, is to shape the administration so that it looks neither too "dove" nor too "hawkish" - in order to avoid further accusations of excessive loyalty to Moscow.
“It will be easier for him to carry out the normalization of US-Russian relations if he obviously does not have the image of a “dove” that neglects the national interests of the United States,” says Mirzayan.
The United States has certain traditions of political decision-making, including in the White House, Mirzayan recalls. They are usually developed either on the basis of a compromise, or as a result of combining different points of view. different people. For such a decision to be effective and correct, it is necessary that representatives of as many different points of view as possible participate in its development, then the final position will take into account the maximum number of interests.
What is the consensus
A team that includes both supporters and opponents of cooperation with Russia can become a kind of insurance for Trump, facilitating his interaction with Congress, where the majority in both chambers is now represented by Republicans. And therefore, he will really need to combine in his policy the positions of different "wings" of this party, agrees Anatoly Tsyganok, head of the Center for Military Forecasting.
At the same time, the offer of the post of national security adviser to Michael Flynn, according to the expert, testifies to the persistence of Donald Trump in achieving the key goal that he originally stated. It consists in the fact that the United States, according to Trump, needs to focus on the destruction of the "Islamic State" (IS, banned in the Russian Federation). Russia in this context is seen not as a strategic adversary, but as a partner.
The elected 45th President of the United States, Donald Trump, continues to occupy the front pages of American newspapers. True, now the billionaire’s insults and moaning from the series “how can we live with him” have somewhat given way to systemic criticism of appointments to the Trump administration. The media somehow does not pay attention to Trump's actions to combat corruption in the ranks of his future administration (the new president has already announced that everyone who will work in his administration will be prohibited from engaging in lobbying for five years after his resignation) - there are more of them worries that the billionaire is recruiting white revolutionaries, just like him, into his team. A new national security adviser, as well as a potential attorney general and the head of the Pentagon (potential because, unlike the adviser, they still have to be approved by the Senate) turned out to be under the gun.
It's time to fly to Moscow
The National Security Adviser is one of the key foreign policy figures on the president's team, a position previously held by Henry Kissinger and Zbigniew Brzezinski. Now their work will be continued by General Michael Flynn, who served in 2012-2014 as head of the Pentagon's intelligence department. The new adviser has 35 years of military service behind him, as well as advising Trump on military issues throughout the entire election campaign. Of course, the role of the head of the Pentagon would be better suited for the general, but he cannot apply for it - in the United States, a professional military man can become secretary of defense, but only after 7 years have passed since his resignation (and Flynn left military service in 2014).
The general is criticized for two things. First, he dares to talk about Islamic terrorism. “Flynn is one of the authors of the view, which was reflected in the Trump campaign, according to which it was Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton who created IS,” said Vladimir Vasilyev, chief fellow at the Institute for the USA and Canada. “It was also thanks to Michael Flynn that the contents of a secret 2012 Defense Intelligence Agency report that said IS should be used to topple the Assad regime came to light.” Flynn had little sympathy for the Syrian opposition (which he sees as closely linked to the jihadists) and has repeatedly argued that it is not in the American national interest to overthrow the current Syrian president. However, his advice fell on deaf ears of the Obama administration. "I felt they didn't want to hear the truth," Flynn said of his experience with the 44th President's team. The media, on the other hand, ostracized the general’s position, noting his not so much anti-Islamist as anti-Islamic statements (in February, the general tweeted a record “concerns about Muslims are rational”).
However, much more American liberals do not like Flynn's other point of view - he is known as a supporter of a deal with Russia. The new national security adviser is broadly supportive of Moscow's fight against terrorism in Syria. At the same time, Flynn is personally acquainted with Vladimir Putin (the American media got around the photo from the reception on the occasion of the anniversary of RT, where General Flynn was sitting next to Russian President). That is why it is possible that a) the process of normalizing Russian-American relations will go it is through Flynn and b) that this will untie Trump's hands in choosing the secretary of state he needs, not the party. For example, the same Mitt Romney (who, although he called Trump a liar and a hypocrite, still enjoys the support of a significant part of the Republican establishment, whose location Trump needs in Congress).
Let the exodus begin
During the election campaign, Flynn promoted not only the idea of fighting Islamic terrorism and a deal with Russia, but also the imprisoning of Hillary Clinton for her crimes. And if the first two tasks are now within his competence, then the latter now depends on another Trump appointee - Senator Jeff Sessions, who will become Attorney General (if he is approved by the Senate). And Sessions is unlikely to jail Trump's rival - her crimes are almost obvious, but the new prosecutor general already has enough enemies and problems inside the country.
On the one hand, the 69-year-old Sessions was in his place. He worked in the system of the Department of Justice for almost 15 years, rose to Attorney General of Alabama, and from there he went to serve the country in the Senate. Moreover, he is personally loyal to the president. Sessions was one of the first senators (if not the first) to support Trump's presidential campaign and has been a longtime and close supporter of the Republican candidate ever since. And in his new post he is going to implement the immigration ideas of the new president. He not only supports Trump's deportation projects, but also advocates a prison term of at least 5 years for those who try to enter the United States after deportation.
Which, in general, is not to the liking of American liberals, who see in the programmatic views of the new prosecutor general not a desire to defend law and order, but an elementary hatred of people of a different skin color. Sessions developed a reputation as a racist, which hindered his career growth (back in 1986, the politician wanted to become a federal judge, but the Senate rejected his candidacy due to evidence of racist statements). Human rights activists are already comparing Sessions to members of the Ku Klux Klan, with congressional colleague Luiz Gutierrez saying that "no one fights so desperately against the aspirations and hopes of Hispanics, migrants and people of color than Senator Sessions." At the same time, Congressman Gutierrez (and other liberals) somehow forget that as Alabama State Attorney, Sessions not only fought the local branch of the Ku Klux Klan, but, according to some, contributed to the death sentence for members of the Klan who killed 20-year-old black guy Michael Donald. And his mother's $7 million civil lawsuit against the Klan bankrupted the group's Alabama cell.
There are other claims to Sessions. Democrats are outraged that the new Attorney General is opposed to reducing sentences for drug dealers, and may even intervene in the gradual process of marijuana legalization at the state level. " Good people don't smoke marijuana," Sessions said.
Iran has no place here
Against the background of criticism of the “pro-Russian Flynn” and “racist Sessions”, Trump’s third appointee – the new head of the CIA Mike Pompeo – so far gets off with a slight fright. Although a scandalous trail also stretches behind him.
Kansas Congressman Mike Pompeo, 52, is seen as a racist and Islamophobic. In 2010, his campaign very politically incorrectly taunted Pompeo's congressional rival Rajiv Goyle, and in 2013 Pompeo claimed that all Muslim leaders who did not condemn acts of Islamic terrorism were "potential accomplices" in these attacks - they "should quote the Koran in as evidence that the killing of innocent people is not allowed.” In addition, Pompeo was opposed to the closure of Guantanamo and is a supporter of the death penalty for Edward Snowden. Finally, the congressman was among the harsh critics of Hillary Clinton. He was a member of a special commission to investigate the events in Benghazi in 2012 (when the American ambassador was killed by local freedom fighters). Together with Rep. Jim Jordan, they released their own report, which criticized Hillary's actions much more harshly than the report of the special commission. Pompeo wrote that the then secretary of state deliberately misled the public so as not to undermine the ongoing Obama campaign.
However, Pompeo's negative statements are offset by his "correct" position on a number of other issues. And it's not just his skeptical position regarding cooperation with Russia. Pompeo is known for his extremely hardline stance on the Iran nuclear deal, and suggests treating Iranian authorities "like the terrorists they are." Given Trump's similar stance, the new head of the CIA could begin the process of wrecking that deal, to the satisfaction of many Republicans in Congress. But how will this disruption affect the security of the Middle East and the process of fighting ISIS in Syria? The question, of course, is rhetorical.
