Spin Cycle: The Knives Are Out For Trump’s Nominees

For those who don’t spend their Sunday mornings glued to the television — and their Sunday afternoons attempting to dig through a week’s worth of network and cable news media spin — The Daily Wire has compiled a short summary of what you may have missed.

President-elect Donald Trump has spent the last week announcing who he wants serving in his incoming administration, and to say that his picks thus far have been giving Democrats and media talking heads a serious case of the vapors would be a serious understatement.

Among those raising the most hackles are prospective Attorney General Matt Gaetz, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — two of whom had previously run for president before joining forces with Trump in 2024.

With more than two months to go before Trump is even inaugurated, legacy media outlets already have their knives out for the President-elect’s choices — and nowhere has that been more evident than on the Sunday morning political shows.

ABC News host Martha Raddatz brought in a series of critics to attack Trump’s choices on “This Week,” beginning with former CDC acting director Dr. Robert Besser.

“Lives are at stake here,” he said, accusing Kennedy of being anti-vaccine. Kennedy has repeatedly described his stance as more skeptical of than opposed to vaccines, arguing that he is in favor of vaccines that have been thoroughly tested.

Former CDC acting director Dr. Richard Besser tells @MarthaRaddatz that he is “outraged” by President-elect Donald Trump selecting vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to head the Department of Health and Human Services.

“Lives are at stake here.” https://t.co/rz4lVLcu6G pic.twitter.com/HTqUKVJcn9

— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) November 17, 2024

Raddatz then brought in Preet Bharara — the former U.S. Attorney from New York who was famously fired during Trump’s first administration — to attack Matt Gaetz, Trump’s choice to serve as Attorney General.

“You would want someone at the AG level whose experience with the Justice Department goes beyond being investigated,” Bharara said. “You want to have somebody who can pass a basic background check.”

“You would want someone at the AG level whose experience with the Justice Department goes beyond being investigated … You want to have somebody who can pass a basic background check,” former U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara says of Matt Gaetz’s nomination. https://t.co/UFjFi701vp pic.twitter.com/ICPF7dho4C

— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) November 17, 2024

Raddatz also asked Bharara to weigh in on the possibility that Justice Department employees could resign en masse in protest if Gaetz were to be confirmed, but he worried that would politicize the department because Trump would then be able to fill those positions.

“It would be unfortunate if lots of people left the Justice Department and left it to political folks to fill the ranks,” he said.

On whether there would be mass resignations over Matt Gaetz being sworn in as Attorney General, Preet Bharara tells @MarthaRaddatz, “It would be unfortunate if lots of people left the Justice Department and left it to political folks to fill the ranks.” https://t.co/UdlE70pVUJ pic.twitter.com/3090OsdipG

— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) November 17, 2024

To discuss Hegseth’s nomination — and his comments indicating his opposition to women serving in combat roles — Raddatz brought in Senator-elect Elissa Slotkin (D-MI). Slotkin argued that there were many female officers who were “concerned” about his nomination.

“There’s real stress in the force,” she said.

Sen.-elect Elissa Slotkin says there is “concern from senior women officers” at the Pentagon over Fox News host Pete Hegseth’s nomination to lead the DOD due to his comments about women in combat roles.

“There’s real stress in the force right now.” https://t.co/pZvb6OIEJJ pic.twitter.com/2dUkniZmLd

— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) November 17, 2024

Slotkin also fretted over Hegseth’s declared plan to extricate DEI initiatives from the military, claiming that the Trump administration would simply dismiss the generals who implemented any such policies “like some sort of kangaroo court.”

Despite the fact that implementing DEI policies effectively injects politics into the military, Slotkin argued that removing DEI from the military would be what ultimately politicized it.

“I think we’re really at risk of politicizing the military in a way that we can’t put the genie back in the bottle,” she claimed.

Sen.-elect Elissa Slotkin says Trump administration could dismiss generals who promoted DEI efforts “like some sort of kangaroo court.”

“I think we’re really at risk of politicizing the military in a way that we can’t put the genie back in the bottle.” https://t.co/xLt9uL6BwB pic.twitter.com/5xAZ39CFsN

— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) November 17, 2024

On CBS News’ “Face the Nation,” host Margaret Brennan brought in Sue Gordon — who served during Trump’s first administration as principal deputy director of national intelligence — to criticize Trump’s choice for DNI, former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard.

Gordon said that the United States’ allies would have to “make their own assessment over whether we can be trusted with their nation’s interests” and argued that Gabbard could complicate that. “She comes in with strikes against her in the trust perspective … Can we trust her with our most sacred intelligence to represent that in a fair way?”

America’s allies “will make their own assessment over whether we can be trusted with their nation’s interests,” if Tulsi Gabbard is confirmed as national intelligence director, says Sue Gordon, former principal deputy director of national intelligence during Trump’s first… pic.twitter.com/yAMhxUGRvL

— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) November 17, 2024

Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT) also joined Brennan to talk about Trump putting billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk — alongside Vivek Ramaswamy — in charge of downsizing the federal bureaucracy.

“Early returns are not good with respect to his ability to understand the federal bureaucracy and make it more efficient,” Himes claimed, saying he was skeptical that the venture would be a success.

Ramaswamy defended the need for just such action, saying they planned to start with the money — around half a trillion dollars — the federal government has been spending annually despite it not being authorized by Congress.

Rep. @jahimes (D-CT) says he’s “skeptical” that Elon Musk, who is set to help oversee President-elect Trump’s DOGE task force on government efficiency, “has any clue,” on the matter.

“Early returns are not good with respect to his ability to understand the federal bureaucracy… pic.twitter.com/1AuB0zP5cU

— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) November 17, 2024

On CNN’s “State of the Union,” Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) provided a brief moment of rational thought.

“It’s still not even Thanksgiving yet… it’s going to be four years,” he said, warning Democrats not to “freak out” every time Trump posts on social media or announces another staffing decision.

.@SenFettermanPA: Dems can’t “freak out” over “every tweet or every appointment” after Trump’s victory.

“It’s still not even Thanksgiving yet… it’s going to be four years.” pic.twitter.com/pRUh6SCkCb

— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) November 17, 2024