GOP Sweep, Trump’s Cabinet, and Aliens
Welcome back to Politics Explained! In the week after the election, a lot has happened. We’ll be covering remaining results from the elections, Trump’s cabinet selections*, and aliens. Let’s get started!
Trump won both Nevada and Arizona, sweeping all swing states and sealing the deal on his victory last week. In the Senate, Republicans will hold a 53 seat majority. South Dakota Sen. John Thune has been elected as the new majority leader, taking over Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell’s position. In the House, Republicans have also gained control, currently with a 218-212 lead (218 needed for majority). Five races are still undecided, with four out of those five leaning Republican. However, three of the re-elected House Reps are wanted by President Trump to serve in his administration, with Rep. Matt Gaetz already resigned from his position. While these seats are in reliably Republican districts, they could be left vacant for some time.
As Donald Trump prepares to take office next January, he’s already announced many of his desired selections for his cabinet. While many of Trump’s supporters have sung praise for these selections, there is also deep concern among others about what this means for the future of our country. Here’s a quick rundown of current selections and why there is concern:
Secretary of State: Marco Rubio
Attorney General: Matt Gaetz
Until he resigned, Gaetz was under investigation by the House Ethics Committee for sexual misconduct. He was also under investigation for sex trafficking due to relations with a 17-year-old.
Secretary of Defense: Pete Hegseth
Secretary of Homeland Security: Kristi Noem
Director of the CIA: John Ratcliffe
Director of National Intelligence: Tulsi Gabbard
EPA Administrator: Lee Zeldin
Voted against clean water legislation at least a dozen times and clean air legislation at least half a dozen times while serving as a House Rep.
UN Ambassador: Elise Stefanik
Secretary of Health and Human Services: Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Vaccine skeptic
Secretary of Interior: Doug Burgum
Secretary of Veterans Affairs: Doug Collins
Secretary of Energy: Chris Wright
Chief Executive of a fracking company, climate-crisis denier
Other concern comes from Trump’s desires to have Vivek Ramaswamy and Elon Musk lead a “Department of Government Efficiency” and Stephen Miller as Deputy Chief of Staff. Miller is known for having racist and xenophobic viewpoints.
Finally, let’s talk about aliens. A new Pentagon report has revealed over 700 reports to U.S. authorities from May 1, 2023, to June 1, 2024 of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAPs). Investigators have found explanations for over 300 of these incidents, and there is no evidence of extraterrestrial life, but this report emphasizes the increased interest in the unknown. This report followed a hearing in the House on UAPs, calling for more government transparency. While this may all seem like speculation, it’s an interesting break from the usual stress-inducing political news (unless these UAPs pose a threat to mankind).
*Definition of the Week (Cabinet Selections): Appointed cabinet members must be approved by the Senate before put into power.
