Trump’s 2nd Administration
July 14, 2016 – Trump selects Mike Pence as his Vice-Presidential running mate. Pence served in the House of Representatives from 200-2012, and Governor of Indiana since then. He is viewed as staunchly Christian and conservative – the former a largely missing piece for Trump.
January 6-7, 2021 – Pence refuses to succumb to Trump’s demands that he not certify the 2020 election.
July 15, 2024 – Trump selects Vance as his Vice-Presidential running mate. Vance has none of Pence’s complimentary qualities. He’s not well known nor respected and doesn’t bring a connection to voters outside of the Trump following. Based on past comments such as the U.S. being run by “childless cat ladies who are miserable in their own lives… and want to make the rest of the country miserable too”, he could be a Trump clone. His one overriding quality is his willingness to affirm and support Trump always. He will certainly never certify an election lost by Trump.
2017 – Trump places several “respected” people into top posts. Included are General Mattis as Secretary of Defense, discussed above, and Rex Tillerson, former CEO of Exxon, as Secretary of State. Neither were “yes men” and had challenged and brief tenures. Tillerson was particularly at odds with Trump over policy toward Russia, and later said privately that Trump was a “moron”. Signaling a much greater concern, Mattis later said “he is more dangerous than anyone can imagine”.
July 24, 2019 – Mark Esper is appointed Secretary of Defense. Esper too was well-respected, having served as an army infantry officer in the Gulf War and as a senior executive in the private defense industry. Esper’s term was also troubled, particularly taking issue with Trump’s intention to deploy the military to suppress domestic protests, and even the suggestion of firing missiles at drug-related activities in Mexico. In the memoir of his experience, “A Sacred Oath”, Esper states “The starting point for a second Trump term will be the last year of his first term. The caliber of civilian leaders you would want to see in the Defense Department and elsewhere won’t be there. Loyalty will be the attribute Trump will be seeking above all else. He won’t pick people like General Mattis or me who will push back on him…”
Last week of January 2025 – Trump begins to assemble cabinet members and other key advisors. As stated by Esper, he is not interested in respectability, experience, or insight. Only undeniable Trumpers need apply. Many of the candidates are easy to identify…
From the pardons near the end of his first term:
- Stephen Bannon, Trump’s former chief strategist, indicted on wire fraud and money laundering conspiracies, taken into custody while on board the yacht of Chinese billionaire Guo Wengui;
- Michael Flynn, former National Security Advisor for Trump, pleaded guilty to charges related to lying to the FBI about dealings with the Russians leading up to the election;
- Paul Manafort, former campaign manager for Trump. Manafort spent his career as a high-level power broker and advocate for some of the most infamous clients in the world, including dictators Ferdinand Marcos and Mobutu Sese Seko. A GOP-led Senate panel released a report that detailed extensive contacts between Trump campaign advisers and Russian intelligence in 2016. The report calls Manafort a “grave counterintelligence threat.” It notes that Manafort had access to sensitive information and that he was willing to share it with people who had ties to Russian intelligence. Crucially, the report says that includes one of Manafort’s closest aides, a man by the name of Konstantin Kilimnik who the committee says is a Russian intelligence officer. Manafort pleaded guilty to a witness tampering conspiracy, and to a wide-ranging ‘conspiracy against the US’ that encompassed illegal foreign lobbying by himself and others. As part of the plea, Manafort admitted essentially all charged conduct, including his money laundering activities and bank fraud.
- Roger Stone, former Trump campaign strategist. Stone was indicted on charges of lying to Congress about what he and then-candidate Trump knew about Russian efforts to discredit Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential campaign, witness tampering and obstruction. Stone was found guilty in federal court for interfering with the congressional investigation into Trump’s 2016 campaign and its ties to Russia. He was convicted on 7 counts including witness tampering and making false statements. Subsequently, the Senate’s January 6 Select Committee report included Stone’s connection to extremist group leaders, singling out that of the Oath Keepers.
Just to mention two others of note:
- Mark Meadows – Trump’s White House Chief of Staff, now under indictment for his role in attempting to defraud the U.S. by overturning the 2020 election.
- Russel Vought – Self described Christian nationalist who promotes “radical constitutionalism”, rumored as possible Trump Chief of Staff. He was named policy director by the Republican National Committee for the 2024 platform.
Project 2025 – A 900 page policy “wish list” produced by the right-wing think tank Heritage Foundation. Reportedly dozens of former Trump administration officials contributed to the document, including Vought. These contributors are likely candidates in a new Trump administration. Of note is that Trump has said of Project 2025 “I have nothing to do [with it]”. This is quite plausible…
February-March 2025 – Trump addresses Project 2025, again stating this is not his statement of policies. While he appreciates the direction of the Project, he has clear policy objectives and needs no “guidance”. He also appreciates the support of the contributors to the document – “really good people” and has indeed brought on many in his new administration.
He further states that his key cabinet and senior official positions are well along toward being filled.
The destruction of our democracy is well underway.