EDITORIAL: MAGA board room: Trump's cabinet picks should concern you

Since President-elect Donald J. Trump won the election, he has made headlines with his controversial and unorthodox cabinet picks.

These selections will have a large impact on the U.S., as these people will be closest to the president and have the greatest influence on him.

While the picks have been interesting, to say the least, the common theme is that Trump values loyalty in his administration and, by extension, within the Senate.

One of the most prominent examples is Trump's decision to have Robert F. Kennedy Jr. lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Kennedy seemingly does not have the qualifications for this job, given his background as an environmental attorney.

Unfortunately, Kennedy's unscientific health claims, such as vaccines causing autism and the dangers of fluoride in drinking water, spell potential concern for what the HHS will look like for the next four years.

Kennedy could heavily alter agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Food and Drug Administration and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). He already plans to fire 600 NIH employees and replace them with presumably loyal individuals, reducing checks and balances within the administration.

Also, he could make certain vaccines not covered by health insurers, resulting in fewer Americans being vaccinated for deadly diseases like measles.

Another measure Kennedy could implement is removing fluoride from drinking water. Fluoride was first put into water in the 1940s to prevent tooth decay. That being said, the fluoride that is present in most mouthwashes and toothpaste has led to IQ loss in children, according to Kennedy.

The relationship between fluoride and IQ is murky at best, based on evidence from the NIH. But taking fluoride out of the water has been shown to lead to an increase in requests for dental care and its costs.

A Kennedy-run HHS could very well be a governmental institution that promotes scientific falsehoods and threatens the health of millions of Americans.

Kennedy is not the only person involved in the Trump administration that people should be worried about.

Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, and Vivek Ramaswamy, a former Republican presidential candidate, will both have roles in Trump's cabinet as part of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). They plan to reduce approximately two trillion dollars of federal spending and fire hundreds of government employees.

While The Daily Targum has covered the massive national debt the U.S. is facing, the cuts that Ramaswamy and Musk are planning on will have severe consequences. Important governmental functions like collecting taxes and education will be threatened.

While the DOGE does not have enforcement power over these decisions, given the closeness between Trump and Musk, the 47th president will likely be receptive to their changes.

Regarding enforcing laws, Trump's selection of former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) for Attorney General certainly raises suspicions.

While Gaetz has a law degree from William and Mary Law School, he does not seem particularly qualified to serve in the role, especially given his legal troubles regarding allegations of pedophilia and sex trafficking. Even though Gaetz withdrew from the nomination, it still indicates that Trump prioritizes loyalty over character.

The decision to select Gaetz sends a clear message to Senate Republicans: Will they do Trump's bidding or will they be a problem?

Trump's new pick for Attorney General is Pam Bondi, former Florida Attorney General. She follows the trend of being one of Trump's loyalists, as she was one of his lawyers when he was first impeached. She also backed him on his voter fraud claim.

Furthermore, Gaetz is not the only pick with accusations of sexual assault.

Pete Hegseth, Trump's pick for Secretary of Defense, was also accused of sexual assault in 2017 at a Republican women's event. A Hegseth-run Department of Defense would also be a disaster for marginalized communities.

Hegseth has voiced support for removing women from active combat roles, as well as for Trump's transgender military ban.

These policy changes will likely harm military readiness. Limiting roles for people in the military also puts extra strain on existing members to pick up the slack. Given that the military is in a recruiting shortage — along with American involvement in conflicts in areas like Ukraine and Gaza — from an advisory standpoint, having an under-supported and ineffective military would spell disaster.

While most of the controversial Trump selections have been loyalty tests for Republicans, some of the underreported picks have the potential to do damage. Chris Wright, Trump's pick to be Secretary of Energy, is the clearest example of this.

While not as flashy or controversy-ridden as Kennedy, Gaetz or Hegseth, the policies that Wright supports are concerning. 

Wright is the CEO of Liberty Energy, a fracking company. Wright denied the existence of climate change and is expected to cut environmental regulations. This could threaten policies President Joseph R. Biden Jr.'s administration has set up, such as the electric vehicle tax credit and the year-long pause on natural gas export permits.

The second Trump administration is shaping up to be his vision of politics — one where his decisions are final, loyalty is the primary currency and existing institutions are shaken up by untraditional candidates.

We will have to wait and see how many of these picks materialize into actual appointments, given that the Senate has to confirm them. But Trump's influence in the Republican Party is at its zenith. We should brace ourselves for a second, more unhinged administration.