Grading Trump's Cabinet Picks

As of 9:00 AM EST today, Donald Trump has named or nominated 14 different people to join his administration. Three of them – Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Stephen Miller, and White House Counsel William McGinley – do not require Senate confirmation… and so, we will not grade their appointments.

Here are the other 11 nominees along with a letter grade for each one.

A+ – Former congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence. Gabbard is a rising GOP star, having left the Democratic Party after running for its presidential nomination in 2000. She is also a Lt. Colonel in the Army Reserves and was deployed as part of a medical unit during the Iraq War.

A+ - Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee as U.S. Ambassador to Israel. No one loves Israel more than Huckabee, who as a former pastor is also extremely well versed on Israel’s history.

A+ - Former Director of National Security John Ratcliffe as Director of the CIA. With his past experience within the intelligence community, Ratcliffe will hit the ground running on Day One.

A+ - Rep. Elise Stefanik as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. Stefanik is very articulate, but even more importantly she is an America First proponent who has a feisty streak.

A+ – Rep. Mike Waltz as National Security Advisor. A former Army Ranger and Green Beret, Waltz served multiple tours in Afghanistan, Africa, and the Middle East, rising to the rank of Colonel and earning four Bronze Stars. Waltz also served as a civilian employee at the Pentagon before becoming a counterterrorism advisor for Vice President Mike Pence.

A – Former acting ICE director Tom Homan as Border Czar. Homan served as a Border Patrol agent for 34 years before joining Trump’s administration during his first term. A no-nonsense straight talker, Homan will be tasked with securing the border while implementing the mass deportation of illegal immigrants.

A – Sen. Marco Rubio as Secretary of State. A former presidential candidate in 2016, Rubio has served on both the Senate Intelligence Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. A Cuban-America, he speaks Spanish fluently and will become America’s first Latino Secretary of State.

A – Former congressman Lee Zeldin as EPA administrator. Look for Zeldin to deregulate much of the energy industry while implementing common sense measures to safeguard America’s air and water.

B+ - South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem as Secretary of Homeland Security. I am a big fan of Noem’s and the only thing preventing her nomination from receiving an “A” rating is her lack of military or intelligence community experience. However, I am confident that she will be a quick study and a very able cabinet member.

C – FOX News weekend host Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense. There is no questioning Pete’s patriotism and military experience, which includes combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan for which he was awarded a Bronze Star. A graduate of both Princeton and Harvard, Hegseth also served as executive director of Vets for Freedom and Concerned Veterans for America. Pete will face some tough scrutiny during his confirmation hearing, but his media background should serve him well under intense Democratic fire. President Trump is giving Hegseth a mandate to shake up the DOD – removing Biden-era DEI policies while eliminating waste and improving both morale and military preparedness. If I had to pick one cabinet member who will exceed expectations, it is Pete.

D (minus) - Rep. Matt Gaetz as Attorney General. The only reason that I didn’t award Gaetz an “F” is the possibility that President Trump knows something that the rest of us don’t. Sure, Gaetz is a rabble rouser – which Trump likes – but he is also a walking time bomb with an oversized ego. As far as his well-earned reputation as a “party animal” during his years in the Florida state legislature, Gaetz comes across as more than a little slimy to me… and his chances of being confirmed are slim to none.

Next up is Secretary of HHS (Health and Human Services), a position that oversees the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) and the NIH (National Institutes of Health) among other federal agencies. Leading contenders include Dr. Ben Carson, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and former Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal.

Stay tuned…