After securing the nomination for President, Donald Trump has been meticulously constructing his White House cabinet, to serve with him for the next four years. Guided by the insight from close advisers and a transition team led by VP-elect Mike Pence (formerly Chris Christie), Trump has been appointing political allies and Washington outsiders and insiders ( ex) Bannon and Priebus) to key positions. His pick for Secretary of State seems to be narrowed down to three men. One possible pick is, UN diplomat John Bolton; he is known to have a very hawkish stance with foreign policy and contradicts the isolation Trump called for during his campaign. Another pick is former New York mayor Rudy Guilliani, a close friend and ally of Trump. Finally, 2012 Republican Presidential nominee Mitt Romney is being considered for the position, even after he and Trump sparred during the election.
Questions to Consider
- Who do you think Trump will pick; would this pick contradict any campaign promises he made?
- What do these three picks hint of Trump's foreign policy?
- If Trump takes a more hawkish stance, how do you think Russia and China will react? How about if he takes an isolationist one?
It will be interesting to see who Trump chooses. If he does choose a hawkish person as Secretary of State, Russia may change its current stance with the US. It is no secret that the US and Russia have a history of hostility, but they have come out several times in support of Donald Trump. If Trump chooses someone who may challenge Russia, they might change their current opinion of the US. Trump's potential choices are reflective of his desire to please the Republican party. Because he ran a semi, pseudo-Republican platform, he now must please the ideology of the people who supported and voted for him.
ReplyDeleteI honestly do not think that if he chooses a pro-Russian Secretary of State, the US-Russia relations will improve that significantly. Lets not forget, that the majority of the enforcement is still in the hands of life bureaucrats, who the majority of will not be affected by Trump's pick for Secretary of State.
DeleteAs it has been revealed just today, Trump has chosen ExxonMobil CEO Tillerson as his choice for secretary of state. This move is worrisome because of Tillerson's close relationship with Vladmir Putin, which would bring a lot of US foreign policy in alignment with Russia. Furthermore, his extensive business background might lead him to pursue more business-oriented deals that would not necessarily benefit the country, but moreso himself.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteIt could be beneficial for the US to align with Russia as to avoid a nuclear war. As nuclear proliferation is at a all time high, Trump may be able to smooth relations with Russia. Trump and Putin have been seen together on multiple occasions and are assumed to have strong relations.
DeleteI do not think this pick is very worrisome. I believe Tillerson will learn a lot from advisors and gradually become an effective politician similar to the way Trump has.
DeleteI agree with Brandon. Trumps nominee Tillerson is worrisome. Because of his relationship with Russia/Putin the USA might start working with them more. By working with Russia it could potentially harm our relationships with other countries. Additionally, it could cause turmoil within the USA between people who oppose working with Putin and those who support him.
DeleteTillerson would be a very troublesome secretary of state because of his relationship with Russia.This would not benefit the US in any way,shape or form. Tillerson's ties with Russai are too close and his relationship with Exxon Mobil will affect his role as a diplomat. The NY Times said that "The company has billions of dollars in oil contracts that can go forward only if the United States lifts sanctions against Russia,"and if Tillerson is involved in this while holding the secretary of state position, things will get messy.
DeleteI am very worried about Trump's decision of Tillerson for Secretary of State. It seems that Trump has been very negligent about his choices for Cabinet, in his siding with businessmen instead of people with more political background. I don't think that Tillerson would be a good Secretary of State, especially due to the current tense conditions in foreign policy with people pressuring the government to take action in Aleppo. The last thing America needs is someone who uses their position to help himself instead of focusing on matters important to the country.
DeleteI think Trump will be most likely to appoint Rudy Guilliani for the position of Secretary of State. I feel this way because Trump is a businessman and many of his potential appointees are close friends and associates of his. I believe the fact that Guilliani and Trump are close friends makes it far more likely that Trump will select him. In many ways, Trump is taking the appointment process from a strategic business perspective and this may lead him to believe that appointing a close friend and ally is the best decision for him.
ReplyDeleteBased on some of the nominations that Trump has made for his administration, I am slightly worried about our future. For example, he chose Scott Pruitt, a prominent figure in big oil and a public denier of climate change to run the EPA. Decisions such as these capture peoples' fears of a Trump presidency but hopefully he will make wiser decisions in the future.
ReplyDelete