Donald Trump Jr. was criticized after he told Fox News what criteria he has for his father's Cabinet picks—revealing that in a second Trump administration, loyalty is the name of the game.
That's very on brand for Donald Trump, whose own vice president-elect, J.D. Vance, has previously shared information about the Trump campaign's vetting processes—which includes asking people, with no sense of irony, if they've committed crimes.
Trump Jr. offered the following insight into his father's transition team:
"I’m going to be heavily involved on the transition. I want to make sure now that we know who the real players are, the people who will actually deliver on the president’s message, the people who don’t think that they know better than the duly elected president of the United States.
"I want to make sure that those people are in his cabinet. I want to make sure that those people are in this administration."
You can hear what he said in the video below.
Many criticized his remarks.
Per Project 2025, the set of conservative and right-wing policy proposals from the Heritage Foundation aimed at restructuring the United States federal government and consolidating executive power now that the Republican nominee has won the presidential election, staffing the government with loyalists is crucial to what will be the Trump administration's agenda.
This document serves as a meticulous blueprint for implementing this vision, providing recommendations for key White House staff, cabinet positions, Congress, federal agencies, commissions, and boards. It also outlines a vetting process to ensure the appointment and hiring of individuals aligned with this vision at every level of government.
The plan proposes terminating civil servants without cause and replacing them with Trump loyalists, which could lead to a significant loss of institutional knowledge and efficiency within government departments every 4–8 years.
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