Editor, Times-Union:
Based on their “merits,” these are a few of the people chosen to lead our country with basically no guardrails or oversight, and according to Donald Trump, these are “the finest people ever recruited for government.” (Including himself, I am sure!)
President: Donald Trump, game show host/convicted felon/grifter/convicted of sexual assault/twice impeached/selected by slim margin (not landslide) of voters
Vice President: J.D. Vance, fiction author/short term Senator/”bought” by billionaire
Secretary of Transportation: Sean Duffy, MTV star/Fox News Host
Secretary of Defense: Pete Hegseth, Fox News Host/accused of sexual assault
Health Dep’t: Robert Kennedy, Jr., former heroin addict and distributor/brainworm survivor/no medical credentials of any kind
Homeland Security: Kristi Noem, former beauty queen
National Intelligence: Tulsi Gabbard, supporter of U.S. traitor/”murky” meetings with foreign dictators/called “our girl” by Russian leaders
FBI Director: Kash Patel, enemies list creator/pretend, self-named hero/QAnon supporter
U.N. Ambassador: Elise Stefanik, no foreign policy experience/failed RNC chairperson
France Ambassador: Charles Kushner, ex-con/Trump daughter’s father-in-law
Greece Ambassador: Kimberly Guilfoyle, ex-girlfriend of Trump son
Senior Advisor on Arab and Middle East issue: Michael Boulos, Trump daughter’s billionaire father-in-law
Head of Medicare/Medicaid: Dr. Mehmet Oz, TV host/snake oil salesman/health insurance company stockholder
Secretary of Education: Linda McMahon, former World Wrestling Entertainment CEO and performer/has instructions to dismantle the department
Bahamas Ambassador: Herschel Walker, ex-football player/made false statements about past deeds
Chief Pentagon Spokesperson: Sean Parnell, accused of family battery/lost custody of children
Leader of White House Faith Office: Paula White, marital cheater/embezzler/fraudster/ ran a Ponzi scheme
Dozens of other appointments made by Donald Trump are all losers of elections, legal proceedings, or both. None of these appointments, including the ones named above, would or could ever be hired by schools, legitimate businesses, banks, or even health care facilities. None of these appointed leaders of our country have experience with or knowledge about the departments/agencies they now lead. What better way to make America great than to assign the task to inexperienced lapdog losers who will never be allowed to form a thought or, God forbid, make a decision without the express approval of their Despicable, Evil, Incompetent dictator boss.
Britannica Dictionary defines merit as the quality of being good, important, or useful.
It is now apparent that appointments for the above jobs/positions were made based on Donald Trump’s definition of merit — usefulness — not experience or knowledge of the job — but political loyalty to him alone. (Or does the Heritage Foundation have another plan in mind?)
I’m wondering who the losers will be in the coming days.
Jeanne Tuka Schutz
Winona Lake, via email