Trump continues to make inexperienced cabinet choices
New cabinet members might not be good for their jobs
President-elect Donald Trump has made his nominations for who should be in his cabinet, and they couldn’t be more ironic. Rex Tillerson (who has “close Russian ties”) has been chosen for Secretary of State, and Scott Pruitt (who is a close ally of the fossil fuel industry) has been chosen for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). These decisions are now just waiting on confirmation from the senate for the choice to be set in stone.
The Secretary of State, a position previously held by Trump’s opponent in the race for the presidency, Hillary Clinton, is basically in charge of the country’s foreign affairs. Trump, in 2007, praised Clinton in this position. However, when running against her, referred to her as “the worst secretary of state in the history of our nation” in an interview with NBC.
The foreign policy of the United States has, in the past, tried to distance itself from Russia. Now, as Russian President Vladimir Putin has given Tillerson the highest honor for a non-citizen, that practice might come to an end.
Given the recent news about Russian being an important part in the presidential election and Trump’s personal opinions on Putin, it seems, although objectionable, almost fitting that the Secretary of State would be an ally of Russia.
Tillerson, like many members of Trump’s cabinet thus far, has no Washington experience, and is worth millions of dollars. Currently, he works as the president and CEO of ExxonMobil, an multibillion dollar oil and gas corporation with quite the rap sheet. With tax breaks, fraud charges, human rights and labor violations, and environmental issues, ExxonMobil is one of the most American companies out there.
Pruitt, unlike many of Trump’s cabinet members, actually has government experience. He served as a Republican Oklahoma Senator from 1998 until 2006, and has been the Oklahoma Attorney General since 2011. However, as seasoned politically as he may be, he is still unfit to be on the EPA.
Is someone who is suing the EPA the right choice to head the EPA? Trump, in an interview with the Washington Post, said, “will reverse this trend” (of trying to be environmentally safe and fighting climate change) “and restore the EPA’s essential mission of keeping our air and our water clean and safe,” which, according to Trump, is the EPA’s main mission.
Trump’s cabinet, the rich white men with little to no government experience (and who are allies with Russia, too now), prove that Trump is unfit to be president. If he thinks someone like Tillerson can head the State Department properly, who knows what other bad decisions he could make?
Your donation will support the student journalists of West Linn High School. Your contribution will allow us to continue to produce quality content by purchasing equipment, software, and continuing to host our website on School Newspapers Online (SNO).
Aidan Whittemore, sophomore, moved from Reno, Nev. to West Linn, Ore. a few months ago. “They say that Reno’s the ‘biggest little city in the world,’”...