New book details infighting behind Trump’s ‘obviously unqualified’ cabinet picks | Trump administration
Donald Trump chose Kristi Noem as Homeland Security secretary as a personal favor to his former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski despite objections that she was “clearly unqualified,” according to a new book.
The infighting behind Trump’s cabinet selection, where inexperience was no barrier to success, is detailed by journalist Jonathan Karl in Retribution: Donald Trump and the Campaign That Changed America. The Guardian obtained a copy.
Shortly after his election victory last November, the book recounts, Trump chose Noem to lead the Department of Homeland Security, a key part of fulfilling his campaign promise of mass deportations of undocumented immigrants.
Like Pete Hegseth, who landed the defense secretary job, then-South Dakota governor Noem — who faced an outcry over her admission in a book that she shot a pet dog — was not on the transition team’s list of possible candidates and was not considered for the job, Karl writes in Retribution.
“When a surprised Trump adviser asked the president-elect why he decided to nominate Noem as secretary of Homeland Security, he had a simple answer. ‘I did it for Corey,’ he replied. ‘That’s the only thing Corey asked me.'”
Lewandowski was Trump’s campaign manager until he was fired in June 2016 after a series of controversies, including being accused of forcibly pulling a female reporter’s arm. Rumors of an affair between Lewandowski and Noem have circulated in Washington for years, although both deny the existence of the relationship.
Karl notes that even some of Trump’s closest allies were uncomfortable with putting Noem in charge of a sprawling department that includes Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema).
Steve Bannon, an influential podcaster and former White House chief strategist, told the author two days after Trump’s announcement: “We still have the Global War on Terror. She runs all of that? She runs the fucking Secret Service? That’s it. It’s the Global War on Terror. It’s all that. What are you talking about? She’s never been in law enforcement!”
But Bannon didn’t blame Trump for making what he considers a terrible choice, Karl adds. “He blamed Lewandowski for convincing the president-elect to do it. ‘This bastard asked for someone who is obviously not qualified – and it’s dangerous. It’s dangerous. What are you doing?'”
Noem was confirmed by the Senate in January. She has since been criticized for controversial spending, excessive immigration policies and bureaucratic delays in disaster aid. His series of glossy photoshoots and videos, including at the southern border and at a mega-prison in El Salvador, have been described as “authoritarian cosplay.”
Noem was not the only cabinet choice to sow discord, according to the book. Sean Duffy, a former Republican congressman and Fox Business anchor, wanted the job of U.S. ambassador to the United Nations despite having no foreign policy experience. But Trump had already decided to offer the job to House Representative Elise Stefanik.
Duffy was instead considered for transport secretary, but again he lacked relevant experience. Karl writes: “When Trump asked a friend of Duffy’s if he knew anything about transportation, the friend replied, ‘Of course he does, he has nine kids!’ Moving such a large family, the friend joked, requires at least some transportation expertise.
after newsletter promotion
Howard Lutnick, who will become Trump’s commerce secretary, recommended former Uber executive Emil Michael for the transportation role, an idea endorsed by tech entrepreneur Elon Musk. “Trump, however, had never heard of this guy – and that made him a non-starter.”
Lutnick, meanwhile, tried to block Duffy’s nomination by digging up dirt on him. He asked his team to comb through hundreds of Duffy’s television appearances to find an example of him saying something critical of Trump that could turn the president-elect against him.
Karl writes: “Lutnick’s team had to go back nearly a decade — to the early days of the 2016 Republican presidential primary — to find anything Duffy had said that was vaguely negative about Donald Trump. He eventually found a September 2015 interview in which the then-congressman said he didn’t believe Trump was a true conservative and that he didn’t think not that he would win the party nomination. “
The sabotage almost worked: a stray comment from ten years ago nearly cost Duffy the job. But not quite. “Trump, reconsidering his choice, called Duffy and his wife Rachel, and they managed to convince the president-elect that Sean had long since changed his mind about Trump’s conservative bona fides.”
On November 18, Trump announced that Duffy would be Secretary of Transportation. In July this year, the president said Duffy would also serve as acting administrator of NASA. On Wednesday, Musk posted on »
Quick guide
Contact us about this story
To show
The best public interest journalism relies on first-hand accounts from knowledgeable people.
If you have something to share about this, you can contact us confidentially using the following methods.
Secure messaging in the Guardian app
The Guardian app has a tool for sending story tips. Messages are end-to-end encrypted and concealed as part of the routine activity performed by each Guardian mobile application. This prevents an observer from knowing that you are communicating with us, let alone knowing what is being said.
If you don’t already have the Guardian app, download it (iOS/Android) and navigate to the menu. Select “Secure Messaging”.
SecureDrop, instant messaging, email, telephone and mail
If you can use the Tor network safely without being observed or monitored, you can send messages and documents to the Guardian through our SecureDrop platform.
Finally, our guide at theguardian.com/tips lists several ways to contact us securely and discusses the pros and cons of each.
