Politics
Trump faces new setbacks as he tries to fill his Cabinet
Over the last 24 hours, Donald Trump lost his pick to lead the Drug Enforcement Administration. His choice for Defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, is struggling to gain support from Senate Republicans. The president-elect is now even considering his one-time rival, Gov. Ron DeSantis, to lead the Pentagon.
And these shake-ups to his not-yet-formed administration come after former Rep. Matt Gaetz withdrew from consideration as Trump’s choice for attorney general.
All told, the setbacks are raising new questions about Trump’s power over his party, whether Republicans would submit to any and all of his demands — and the expectation that his chief of staff, Susie Wiles, would bring order to Trump’s transition and White House.
On Tuesday, Chad Chronister, Trump’s choice for DEA administrator, abruptly withdrew from consideration just days after being announced, saying in a post on X he made the decision “as the gravity of this very important responsibility set in,” without citing a specific reason. Chronister, a county sheriff in Florida, had drawn criticism from some conservatives over his actions during the Covid-19 pandemic but was not seen as one of Trump’s more controversial administration picks.
He was the second Trump nominee to drop out of consideration in as many weeks, following Gaetz’s brief, whiplash-inducing candidacy, which thrust Capitol Hill into chaos over a sealed ethics report into the former Florida congressman. Trump ultimately replaced Gaetz with former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi.
And now, as new reports come out about Hegseth that could further impede his confirmation by the Senate — including allegations of sexual assault and alcohol abuse — Trump is considering dropping the former Fox host and installing another Florida man: his, and Wiles’, old foe DeSantis.
Hegseth took to Capitol Hill on Wednesday to meet with Senate Republicans, including the chamber’s incoming leadership and Sen. Joni Ernst, who is seen as a potential swing vote on his nomination. He told reporters he was still in the race — and that Trump himself had told him to “keep fighting.”
“Why would I back down? I’ve always been a fighter,” Hegseth said.
Trump’s thinking on potentially replacing Hegseth with DeSantis was first reported by the Wall Street Journal. Trump has also floated other names, including Ernst, a Senate Armed Services Committee member and sexual assault survivor, and Elbridge Colby, a Trump ally and former Pentagon official, according to the Journal.
Swapping Hegseth for DeSantis could be politically savvy for Trump: DeSantis is a rising star in the party who, as governor, likely has far fewer skeletons in his closet than Trump’s other, more controversial picks. But it would also sting for Trump, who sparred publicly with DeSantis during his shortlived GOP primary campaign — which Wiles is credited with obliterating as part of a longstanding feud.
A Trump transition spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Politics
Rep. Dingell says she’s ‘very upset’ by Platner’s past comments on sexual assault
Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) said she was troubled by social media posts that the leading Democrat in Maine’s Senate race made more than a decade ago about sexual assault. Last year, The Washington Post uncovered online comments that Graham Platner posted in 2013, in which the Democratic candidate downplayed the difficulties service members face when…
Read More
Politics
Trump warns of more cuts following withdrawal of 5,000 US troops from Germany
President Trump said on Saturday that he might pull even more U.S. military troops out of Germany, a threat that came one day after he ordered the Pentagon to withdraw approximately 5,000 service members from the country. “We are going to cut way down, and we’re cutting a lot further than 5,000,” Trump told reporters…
Read More
Politics
Czech Republic president on Trump’s anger with Europe over Iran war response: ‘We are not part of it’
The leader of the Czech Republic pushed back this week against President Trump’s accusations that Europe has failed to do its part to support the U.S.’s ongoing military operations against Iran. “I believe that Europe could do much more, but we are not part of it,” Czech President Petr Pavel told BLN’s Christine Amanpour at…
Read More
-
Politics1 year agoFormer ‘Squad’ members launching ‘Bowman and Bush’ YouTube show
-
The Dictatorship1 year agoLuigi Mangione acknowledges public support in first official statement since arrest
-
Politics1 year agoFormer Kentucky AG Daniel Cameron launches Senate bid
-
The Dictatorship1 year agoPete Hegseth’s tenure at the Pentagon goes from bad to worse
-
Uncategorized1 year ago
Bob Good to step down as Freedom Caucus chair this week
-
Politics1 year agoBlue Light News’s Editorial Director Ryan Hutchins speaks at Blue Light News’s 2025 Governors Summit
-
The Dictatorship8 months agoMike Johnson sums up the GOP’s arrogant position on military occupation with two words
-
The Josh Fourrier Show1 year agoDOOMSDAY: Trump won, now what?






