Government hiring and personnel of Donald Trump

article argued that White House turnover was especially concerning in the Trump administration due to the lack of experience and expertise among the staffers Trump hired. The article also argued that high turnover slows down productive work during the transition and as the new hire progresses up the learning curve, and that teams with high turnover at the top tend to perform worse. In June 2020, Mick Mulvaney said that if he had one criticism of Trump, it was that he did not hire very well. Acting secretaries Trump opted for filling some positions temporarily with acting appointees who did not have to get Senate confirmation. Stanford Law Professor Anne Joseph O'Connell found that they had a harder time accomplishing their work and had less influence. An April 2019 Time article described Trump as having a historically high level of acting cabinet members, which Jon Michaels of the UCLA School of Law called "very troubling." == Presidential transition ==

2016 Trump's 2016 presidential transition set a 'low bar' for modern transitions according to Max Stier, followed by George H. W. Bush. 2024 Trump's 2024 transition team officially started in August, which is considered unusually late as most transition efforts start in the late spring. Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s inclusion as an honorary co-chair has generated concern among health experts worried about the influence he may have in hiring people related to vaccines and other important health-related positions. Kennedy said his role in the administration would relate to healthcare and food and drug policy, and later stating that Trump would give him control over HHS and the USDA. Another conspiracy theorist named an honorary co-chair is Tulsi Gabbard. Gabbard has defended autocratic regimes against criticism including Russia and Syria. == Felony convictions, indictments, charges and other ethics scandals ==

First term In July 2024, Axios described the number of Trump associates sentenced to prison as "striking". PolitiFact noted in 2020 that there have historically been many more indictments under Republican presidents than Democratic ones with 28 indictments under Nixon and 33 under Reagan. Robert Schlesinger criticized Trump's hiring decisions for the relatively high incidence of scandals and legal trouble, arguing that Trump's focus on loyalty over competence drives many of the issues. By March 2018, 7 out of 24 members of Trump's cabinet faced accusations of abusing their perks in office. In March 2018, ProPublica revealed that at least 187 of Trump's first 2,475 political appointees have been lobbyists, with many overseeing industries they once lobbied for. Second term Some particulartly controversial nominations made by Donald Trump for positions in the government during his second term as president include Matt Gaetz for Attorney General, Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense and Tulsi Gabbard for Director of National Intelligence. Politico characterized Trump's nominees as of November 13, 2024 as being primarily motivated by loyalty. Reuters and the AP noted how in addition to loyalty, television experience seemed to be a trait that was prioritized. Many personnel are being vetted for their views of January 6 Capitol attack and the outcome of the 2020 election. == Family members in major roles ==

Nepotism is more often associated with dictatorships who centralize power in unqualified family members. Nepotism has also risen as a point of comparison across administrations, with Trump having more family members in prominent roles than recent presidents. Vox criticizes his "several adult children and in-laws who have business careers that are enmeshed with his political fortunes." Matthew Yglesias also described Ivanka as "involved in policymaking in a way that’s simply unheard of for a presidential child, especially one with zero prior experience in politics and government". Donald Trump Jr. hopes to be a gatekeeper who can veto any hire and who, along with Eric, was reportedly influential in JD Vance being selected as the Vice Presidential nominee. The fund is under Senate investigation for possible foreign influence buying ahead of the 2024 election after a New York Times report suggested that Kushner used contacts he made from his role in Trump's White House. == Criticism by former personnel ==

USA Today interviewed three presidential historians and a political scientist about the volume of criticism directed towards Trump by former officials who served under him, and reported that it had no historical precedent in the last century. CNN said that "No person in US politics – certainly no recent president – has such an expansive list of high-profile allies turned enemies." PBS described the level of detractors who witnessed the president work first-hand as, "without precedent in the modern era." Half of Trump's cabinet do not endorse Trump's 2024 campaign, and Trump became the first president to be called a fascist by his former hand-picked top adviser. == See also ==