- Trump’s recent appointments have met with resistance from senators.
President-elect Donald Trump’s team has warned Republican senators that they will face primaries funded by billionaire Elon Musk if they vote against his Cabinet nominees.
According to Jonathan Karl, ABC’s Washington correspondent, a Trump adviser said, “If you’re on the wrong side of the vote, you’re buying yourself a primary.” That’s all. And there’s a guy named Elon Musk who’s going to finance it.’
‘The president decides his cabinet. No one else,” added the advisor.
The ominous threat comes after Trump’s nominee to be attorney general, Matt Gaetz, withdrew his nomination after admitting that a series of sordid allegations of sexual misconduct were a distraction for the president-elect.
The former Republican lawmaker faces mounting allegations of sexual misconduct involving a minor, as well as illicit drug use.
Gatez’s withdrawal came after the House Ethics Committee deadlocked in releasing a report on the allegations against him.
Gaetz has already resigned from the House of Representatives for this term, but was re-elected to Congress who will take office on January 3.
Trump recently surprised Washington by recruiting celebrities and prominent cable television figures to fill his cabinet and administration.
Donald Trump’s team has warned Republican senators that they will face primaries funded by billionaire Elon Musk if they vote against his cabinet nominees.
The warning comes after Trump surprised Washington by selecting unexpected figures to fill his Cabinet and administration.
It comes as Trump’s nominee to be attorney general, Matt Gaetz, withdrew his nomination in the wake of allegations of sexual misconduct.
In doing so, he has ignored the more traditional candidates favored by the political establishment.
On Tuesday, Trump selected daytime TV celebrity Dr. Oz as administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, sending shockwaves through the health care industry and federal regulators.
Trump also sparked alarm among national security leaders in Washington after he selected Fox and Friends host Pete Hegseth to be his Secretary of Defense.
He also nominated Robert F. Kennedy to be his secretary of Health and Human Services, a decision that shocked the public health sector given Kennedy’s reputation as an anti-vaxxer.
Trump also officially named Tesla CEO Musk as head of the newly created “Department of Government Efficiency” alongside former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.
The president-elect promised that both would help him “dismantle” government bureaucracy and “trim excess regulations, cut unnecessary spending and restructure federal agencies.”