An actual Axios headline: “Trump's liberal cabinet.”

The actual conclusion by Axios' Mike Allen: The “simple, undebatable fact” is “that this might be the most ideologically diverse cabinet of modern times.”

The article cites “pro-abortion-rights” Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as head of Health and Human Services, “former elected Democrat” Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence, “former George Soros adviser” Scott Bessent as director of the Treasury Department and “pro-labor centrist” Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer.

As if those positions are salient features of their appointments instead of – say: Bob Kennedy’s strong disapproval of Trump before being promised a prominent spot in a Trump administration in exchange for an endorsement. Or the fact that his utter lack of credentials and support of junk science match up perfectly with the Trump/Project 2025 plan to take a wrecking ball to the federal government.

The description of Tulsi Gabbard as a “former elected Democrat” is just as insulting. It’s true as far as it goes. But she’s currently a Republican. Even Axios’ Mike Allen has to know that her former membership in the Democratic Party is at best window dressing for Trump. More likely she’s his nominee because she’s another Trump bootlicker and, probably just as likely, because she has a thing for authoritarians. The Independent described her as “a prolific peddler of Russian propaganda.” Sen. Tammy Duckworth, who serves on the Foreign Relations Committee said about Gabbard, “The U.S. intelligence community has identified her as having troubling relationships with America’s foes. And so my worry is that she couldn’t pass a background check.”

Remember when Hillary Clinton suggested that Gabbard was a Russian asset? Tucker Carlson asked Gabbard if she was a “Russian sleeper cell” soon afterward, on Fox News. Gabbard raged against Clinton in a storm of dodging and deflection – but she did not deny being any kind of Russian asset. Gabbard sued Clinton for defamation over the matter, for $50 million, only to later drop the suit.

But yeah, tell me again, Axios, that Gabbard’s a liberal who was hired in spite of her differences with Trump.

You probably won’t be surprised that Scott Bessent is a similar story. Yes, he was a former donor to Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and Al Gore. And yes, he worked for George Soros in 2011. But The New York Times noted that at that time, he was already “a major donor to Republican candidates.” Perhaps what really caught P***y-Grabber-Elect’s eye was Bessent's $1 million donation to his first inauguration, as per The Times.

It’s not as if Bessent is at all likely to be pushing left-wing views in the Treasury Department. “Having won the trust of Mr. Trump and his inner circle, Mr. Bessent would lead a Republican economic agenda of cutting taxes, culling federal regulations and enacting sweeping tariffs,” The Times also reported. We can all be sure that Bessent did not tell Trump he was going to confer with George Soros or any other Democrat while in office.

As for Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Axios “forgot” to point out that she’s a Trump-supporting Republican. She does appear to be pro-union but her appointment seems to be a favor to the Teamsters. It remains to be seen how much sway she’ll even try to have in Trump’s billionaire-bros. administration.

The New York Times reported that Chavez-DeRemer "is not a major figure in American labor politics." She did not even win all the union endorsements when she ran (and lost) for reelection this month.

Even Allen didn't describe Chavez-DeRemer as a liberal but a “centrist.” I guess they're the same to him.

It's possible Allen believes his Trump-flattering baloney. But I’m going with the theory that it’s about access and bending the knee, not too differently than Joe and Mika did.

By wild coincidence, I’m sure, MAGA Sen. Ron Johnson put forth the same Trump flattery a few days before, saying Trump’s picks “span the political spectrum.”

Apparently, Allen was convinced.

You can read the full article here.

(Photo by Andrea Piacquadio via Pexels)

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