Trump warned his second term would mean ‘retribution’. His alarming cabinet picks show he means it

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Trump’s first wave of cabinet nominations and White House appointments, within the week after he won the 2024 presidential election, have stunned members of Congress, veterans and active-duty service members, public health advocates and democratic advocates, who have warned for years that he is building a government of loyalists to fulfill his campaign-trail promises to deliver “retribution” by destroying the “deep state.” They’re shocking choices, but they shouldn’t be surprising. “She is a danger, and she’s more likely to side with Assad and Putin than she is with the people of the United States.” open image in gallery Trump nominated Robert F Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, among other public health agencies Trump nominated anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, putting a conspiracy theorist in charge of the nation’s public health agencies, with the potential to upend vital research and derail life-saving vaccine development and distribution. Kennedy has also speculated that exposure to chemicals in tap water or the environment could be making children question their sexuality or gender identity — amplifying a conspiracy theory infamously raised by Alex Jones, who said tap water is “turning the friggin’ frogs gay.” His nomination is “disastrous for public health,” according to Lawrence Gostin, director of the O’Neill Institute for public health at Georgia University Law Center. open image in gallery Matt Gaetz was nominated to US Attorney General, the nation’s top law enforcement official Gaetz is widely expected to deliver the “vengeance” Trump has vowed against those he believes have wronged him and his supporters, including the end of criminal cases against the former president and potential prosecutions for the people who were leading them.