Summary
President-elect Donald Trump’s team warned Republican lawmakers to support his controversial Cabinet picks or risk facing primary challenges funded by Elon Musk.
Amid scrutiny over nominees like Matt Gaetz for attorney general and Pete Hegseth for defense secretary, Trump insisted the president determines the Cabinet.
Resistance has grown among Senate Republicans, including Sen. Thom Tillis, opposing “recess appointments” to bypass confirmation.
Senators like Josh Hawley and Mitch McConnell emphasized the need for proper constitutional vetting of nominees despite Trump’s pressure tactics.
Seems like there isn’t any reason to play along with his horrible appointments unless you’re 100% on board already drinking the kool-aid. If you’re up in 2 years then bad picks will exacerbate the problems trump causes making '26 a referendum on trump which would be bad for any republicans. If you’re up in 2 or 4 years you’ll outlast trump and his ire won’t mean too much.