In a message posted on social media, the president-elect expressed his expectation that Republican senators will allow him to proceed with appointments without the approval of the upper chamber of Congress. Trump aims to surround himself quickly with a team of loyalists at all levels of the administration.
Not yet inaugurated as the 47th president of the United States, Donald Trump is already seeking to place his supporters in decision-making positions and to secure his autonomy. On Sunday, November 10, in a post on the social media platform X, the winner of the presidential election demanded that senators allow him to bypass their approval for freely appointing officials in his administration. The Wall Street Journal describes this as “a maneuver that would allow the White House to more easily evade Congressional opposition.”
In the United States, the Senate reviews and confirms government appointments (military officials, ambassadors, judges, agency directors, etc.) through a vote. However, a constitutional provision allows the president to make appointments without Senate approval in the event of a recess lasting at least ten days. “This provision has been rarely used in the past and has sometimes sparked controversy, even leading to legal challenges and a case that reached the Supreme Court,” notes The New York Times, adding: “Donald Trump’s tweet seems to indicate that he is ready to regularly utilize this option to bypass Senate approval.”
The president-elect had specifically complained about the long delays he faced during his first term due to the obstructionism of the Democratic opposition. “In April 2020, [he] threatened to suspend Congress’s work to take advantage of this provision – an unprecedented move in the history of American democracy,” The Washington Post points out.
Proof of Loyalty
As the Senate is set to come under Republican control, an election for a new majority leader in the chamber is scheduled for Wednesday, November 13. In his message, Donald Trump suggests that only a Republican elected official who can guarantee him the power of appointment will receive his support. The three candidates likely for the position – Florida’s Rick Scott, South Dakota’s John Thune, and Texas’s John Cornyn – almost immediately called for support of his request, as noted by The New York Times.
In another article, The Washington Post sees this as “a test that foreshadows the months ahead, as Trump has yet to express support for a candidate”: “According to his close associates, Trump wants to emphasize the loyalty of his teams above all else for this second term and is seeking a majority leader, a government, and agency directors who will not oppose him.”
“Donald Trump sees himself as a kingmaker and is looking for loyal lieutenants.”
The first appointments announced by Trump have already been widely commented on. On Monday, November 11, he announced that his ambassador to the United Nations would be New York State representative Elise Stefanik. The day before, he had warned of the return of Tom Homan to lead the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency. Homan, who previously held this position from 2017 to 2018, is regarded as a proponent of a hardline stance on immigration.
