Donald Trump ran for president on the promise that he’d hire “the best people.” What we got instead was a revolving door of sycophants, grifters, and opportunists–many of whom ended up resigning in disgrace, flipping on him in investigations, or publicly admitting they were just along for the ride. The pattern is clear: Trump doesn’t value confidence. He values loyalty. Un-questioning, cult-like loyalty.
It’s not about skills or expertise. It’s about saying “yes sir” even when the ship is sinking.
Need proof? Let’s take a tour.
Rex Tillerson: Trump’s first Secretary of State and former ExxonMobil CEO, was reportedly called a “moron” by Trump–and left after constant clashes.
John Bolton: former National Security Advisor, said Trump didn’t even know Finland wasn’t part of Russia.
William Barr: Trump’s second Attorney General, admitted post-2020 election that Trump’s fraud cases were baseless–after enabling them just long enough to keep his job.
By the end of his first term, Trump had burned through most of the people who had any shred of integrity or independence. His cabinet and advisors had been turned over so many times, it started to look like speed dating at a Banana Republic junta.
But instead of learning from that chaos, Trump doubled down.
After losing the 2020 election — and refusing to accept it — Trump filled his inner circle with election deniers, legal cranks, and sycophants willing to do or say anything to stay in his good graces. The “best people” were long gone. What remained were yes-men, power-chasers, and people whose careers had nowhere to go except deeper into Trumpworld.
Let’s look at a few:
Jeffrey Clark: A low-level DOJ lawyer Trump tried to install as Acting Attorney General because Clark was willing to push election fraud claims the rest of the DOJ refused to endorse.
Rudy Giuliani: Once “America’s mayor,” reduced to leaking hair dye while babbling about dead Venezuelan dictators rigging voting machines.
Sidney Powel: One who promised to “release the Kraken” and ended up releasing nothing but lawsuits that courts laughed out of the room.
Peter Navarro: Pitched “Green Bay Sweep” plan to overturn the election — and then got indicted.
Kash Patel and Johnny McEntee: Young loyalists with almost no relevant experience, given increasing power simply for saying “yes” to Trump and echoing his grievances.
Pete Hegseth: A Fox News talking head and professional culture warrior. Someone who wasn’t hired because he had the chops to manage massive bureaucracies or make strategic decisions, but because he praised Trump on TV and fed him exactly what he wanted to hear.
Linda McMahon: Someone who got a spot as one of Trump’s picks because she and her husband donated $6 million to a pro-Trump super PAC
This is what a Trump administration looks like: cable news hosts, podcasters, wrestling executives, conspiracy peddlers, and cash donors pretending to be a government. Not a cabinet — a fan club. Not a team of rivals — a team of sycophants
Trump’s not building a cabinet, he’s casting a reboot of The Apprentice: White House Edition. Only this time, instead of “You’re fired,” it’s the Constitution getting voted off the island.
Sisyphus Shrugged 