Not Qualified – Detailed Comparisons of Trump’s Picks and Past Appointees for the Same Jobs

Why Were Administrative Agencies Created? Expertise

Administrative agencies were created because regular lawmakers (Congress) lacked the specialized knowledge in certain fields to pass good laws. Many laws were mostly ineffective because the lawmakers who drafted them lacked the specialized, expert knowledge needed for effective legislation.

I’m a lawyer, but I cannot design complicated rules and regulations for rail systems because I lack the expertise in rail systems. Our government realized that some fields were so complicated that regular congresspeople without expertise were not writing the best laws because they did not understand the field sufficiently.

There were many legislative failures because of the lack of expertise which led to creating Administrative Agencies where the President would appoint EXPERTS in the field to oversee, lead the field, create specialized rules for the field, form policy for the field, be an expert advisor on the field to the President, and create technical rules for the field.

The entire reason administrative agencies were created was to get lawmaking in certain areas OUT of the hands of non-expert Congress people and have experts with specialized knowledge govern the field. They are literally supposed to have expertise in the field. It is literally why Administrative Agencies were created. These are the experts the President and public turn to on complicated issues.

Trump’s appointments to the agencies have in many cases zero relevant experience and zero expertise in the field they they are going to create and pass laws and policies to govern. This is exactly why agencies were created in the first place to get governing OUT of the hands of people who have no expertise in the field.

We also need experts in these agencies so that the President can turn to in order to set national policy and to respond to disasters. If the people at the top of the agencies have no knowledge or expertise in the area, they cannot advise the President effectively. And if the people at the top do not have expertise, they cannot effectively lead the policy of the agency because they don’t even understand the issues at stake.

There Is A Stark Contrast In Trump’s Appointees Current Qualifications And Past Appointees

Attorney General

Trump’s Current Attorney General’s picks Qualifications — Matt Gaetz

• Florida State University
• William & Mary Law School, J.D. 2007
• Ran unopposed in a Republican safe district and was elected to Florida State House 2010-2016
• Best known in the Florida State House for support of the Stand Your Ground Bill
• Elected to his father’s seat, Don Gaetz, in the U.S. House of Representatives — his father was term limited — 2016-2024
• Notable actions in Congress: Voted against certifying the 2020 election, was the only Senator to vote No on Trump’s Human Trafficking Bill, ousted Speaker Kevin McCarthy, and held up funding for Ukraine for a year with the Matt Gaetz 8.
• Investigated by Republican Controlled House for Various scandals including sex trafficking, bribes, cocaine parties, and much more.
• Trump nominated to be his second term Attorney General
• Gaetz resigned in November from House to prevent Republican House Ethics report from being released

Biden’s Attorney General’s Qualifications — Merrick Garland:

• Harvard University, B.A., Summa Cum Laude
• Harvard Law School, J.D., Magna Cum Laude
• An editor of the Harvard Law Review
• Served as a Law Clerk to Judge Henry Friendly of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
• Served as law clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice William J. Brennan Jr.
• Practiced corporate litigation at law firm of Arnold & Porter
• Worked as a Federal Prosecutor in the United States Department of Justice
• He served in both career and non-career positions under five Attorneys General, including as Special Assistant to the Attorney General, Assistant United States Attorney, Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Criminal Division, and Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General.
• In those roles, his responsibilities spanned the work of the Department, including criminal, civil, and national security matters. They also included direct supervision of investigations and prosecutions of national importance, including the Oklahoma City bombing, Unabomber, and Montana Freemen cases.
• Appointed as Judge to the D.C. Court of Appeals in 1997 and served until 2013
• Became Chief Judge from 2013 to 2021
• The American Bar Association (ABA) Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary unanimously gave Garland a “well-qualified” committee rating, its highest ranking possible.

First Trump Administration’s Attorney General Qualifications — Bill Barr

• A.B. in government from Columbia University in 1971
• M.A. in government and Chinese studies in 1973.
• From 1973 to 1977, he served in the Central Intelligence Agency
• J.D. with highest honors from George Washington University Law School in 1977.
• In 1978, Mr. Barr served as a law clerk under Judge Malcolm Wilkey of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
• Practiced law at Shaw, Pittman, Potts & Trowbridge as an Associate.
• Worked in White House under President Ronald Reagan 1982 to 1983 on the domestic policy staff
• Returned to the law firm and became a partner in 1985.
• Served as the Deputy Attorney General from 1990 to 1991 under George Bush
• Served as Assistant Attorney General of the Office of Legal Counsel from 1989 to 1990
• Became 77th Attorney General of the United States from 1991 to 1993.
• From 1994 to 2000, served as Executive Vice President and General Counsel for GTE Corporation.
• Served as Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Verizon from 2000 to 2008.
• Served Of Counsel at Kirkland & Ellis LLP in 2009 and rejoined the firm in 2017.
• Trump picked as 85th Attorney General of the United States

Secretary of Defense

Trump’s Current Pick of Secretary of Defense

• Hegseth graduated from Princeton University and the school’s Army ROTC program in 2003
• Frequent contributor to The Princeton Tory, the school’s conservative newspaper
• For a time served as its publisher, and was responsible for articles that, as he wrote “strive to defend the pillars of Western civilization against the distractions of diversity” as well as the “immoral gay lifestyle” and “Hey, boys can wear bras and girls can wear ties until we’re blue in the face, but it won’t change the reality that the homosexual lifestyle is abnormal and immoral.”
• Became a member of the Minnesota National Guard (served a year in Guantanamo Bay) and later joined the Army National Guard and served as an instructor in Afghanistan and served in Iraq 2005-2006

• ​​​​​​​Head of the Concerned Veterans for America, a small group funded by Charles and David Koch
• Unsuccessfully ran for the Senate in Minnesota in 2012
• Master’s degree in Public Policy from Harvard University 2013
• Marriages: Jennifer Rautchet (1 child) and previously married to Samantha Hegseth (3 children) and Meredith Schwarz

• In 2017, Hegseth was named in an investigation by the Police Department concerning a reported sexual assault at a golf resort. According to officials, Hegseth acknowledges having a sexual encounter with the woman but insisted it was consensual. Hegseth admits to paying the woman an undisclosed sum of money in exchange for a non-disclosure agreement and no charges.
• Cohost of Fox & Friends Weekend from 2017 to 2024
• Other TV Shows: Battle in the Holy City, Untold: Patriots Revealed, Modern Warriors, Battle in the Holy Land (Israel), The MisEducation of America, and The Life of Jesus.
• Pete also hosts the flagship annual FOX Nation Patriot Awards
• Wrote “Battle for the American Mind,” “American Crusade,” “Modern Warriors,” and “War on Warriors”

Biden’s Secretary of Defense — Lloyd Austin

• Graduated from West Point with a Bachelors in Science
• Commissioned in the Infantry as a Second Lieutenant
• Completed Airborne and Ranger Schools
• Riffle Platoon Leader
• 82nd Airborne at Fort Bragg, Commanded the Combat Support Company, 2nd Battalion (Airborne), 508th Infantry and served as the Assistant S-3 Operations for 1st Brigade.
• Masters Degree in Education from Auburn University
• Master’s of Business Administration in Business Management from Webster University
• West Point Company Tactical Officer
• Graduate of Army Command and Army Staff College
• 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum New York, served as the S-3 (Operations)
• Executive Officer for the 2nd Battalion, 22nd Infantry.
• Executive Officer for 1st Brigade, 10th Mountain, and later Director of Plans, Training, Mobilization, and Security for Fort Drum.
• 82nd Airborne Division Commanded the 2nd Battalion (Airborne), 505th Infantry
• Graduated from Army War College
• Four Star General
• Austin holds the unique distinction of having commanded in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan at the one star, two star, three star and four-star general levels
• Commanding General of 10th Mtn Division (Light) and CJTF-180 – Afghanistan
• Commanding General of Multi-National Corps – Iraq
• Commanding General of US Forces – Iraq
• Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Army
• Served as the 12th Commander of United States Central Command (CENTCOM) — General Austin oversaw all U.S. troops deployed and major United States Military operations around the area of Middle-East and Central and South Asia.
• Secretary of Defense under Biden

Trump’s First Term Defense Secretary James Mattis

• U.S. Marine Corps.
• Graduated Central Washington University
• Mattis commanded Marines at all levels, from an infantry rifle platoon to a Marine Expeditionary Force.
• He led an infantry battalion in Iraq in 1991
• Led an expeditionary brigade in Afghanistan after the 9/11 terror attack in 2001
• Led a Marine Division in the initial attack and subsequent stability operations in Iraq in 2003
• Led all U.S. Marine Forces in the Middle East as Commander, Marine Expeditionary Force, and U.S. Marine Forces Central Command.
• Four Star General
• Served as Senior Military Assistant to the Deputy Secretary of Defense
• Director, Marine Corps Manpower Plans & Policy
• Commanding General, Marine Corps Combat Development Command
• Executive Secretary to the Secretary of Defense
• Commanded U.S. Joint Forces Command
• NATO’s Supreme Allied Command for Transformation
• U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM)
• Davies Family Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, specializing in the study of leadership, national security, strategy, innovation, and the effective use of military force
• Trump’s First Secretary of Defense in his First Administration

Trump’s Other First Term Secretary of Defense — Mark Esper

• Graduated from West Point
• Masters from Harvard in Public Administration
• Phd in Public Policy from Washington University
• Esper joined the United States Army and saw combat during the Gulf War as an infantry officer with the 101st Airborne Division
• Esper subsequently served in the 82nd Airborne Division
• Commanded a Rifle Company in the 3-325 Airborne Battalion Combat Team
• Retired from the U.S. Army in 2007
• Spent 10 years on active duty
• 11 years in the National Guard and Army Reserve
• After leaving military service, he served as Chief of Staff at the Heritage Foundation
• Served as Legislative Director and Senior Policy Advisor to Senator Chuck Hagel.
• Senior Professional Staff Member on the Senate Foreign Relations and Senate Government Affairs committees
• Policy Director for the House Armed Services Committee
• National Security Advisor for Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist
• Served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for George Bush
• 2006-2007, Dr. Esper was the Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President of Defense and International Affairs at Aerospace Industries Association
• National Policy Director to Senator Fred Thompson for his 2008 presidential campaign
• Senate-appointed commissioner on the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission
• Executive Vice President for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Global Intellectual Property Center and as Vice President for Europe and Eurasian Affairs from 2008-2010
• Vice President for Government Relations at the Raytheon Company
• Served as U.S. Secretary of the Army 2017-2019
• Acting Secretary of Defense 2019
• Secretary of Defense

I will do more comparisons soon.