WASHINGTON, Dec 4 : Less than a month after his victory, President-elect Donald Trump has assembled a team ready to carry out two of his biggest priorities: retribution against his political adversaries and a wholesale reshaping of the U.S. government.
Trump's pick of former White House deputy Kash Patel to lead the crime-fighting FBI brought into sharper focus the president-elect's seriousness about striking back at those he believes have wronged him. Patel is an outspoken critic of the bureau who has vowed to go after Trump's perceived enemies.
He is also the latest of a host of nominees who reflect Trump's preference for outsiders with a wrecking-ball mentality over practiced Washington hands, people who could disrupt the system from the inside and transform government in a way that may be unprecedented in modern times.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump's choice for Health and Human Services secretary, wants to purge the agency of corporate influence. Pete Hegseth, nominated for secretary of defense, has denounced "woke" policies at the Pentagon and called for an overhaul of senior leadership. Linda McMahon looks set to dismantle the Department of Education she has been chosen to lead, fulfilling one of Trump's campaign pledges.
Traditionally, cabinets served as instruments presidents used to build and develop programs, not demolish them. Republican George W. Bush's No Child Left Behind program sought to improve public education through testing. Affordable healthcare was Democrat Barack Obama's signature plan. —Reuters
