(NewsNation) — Veteran political strategist James Carville and former RNC chief Ronna McDaniel agree that Donald Trump’s controversial administration picks “shouldn’t surprise anyone.”
“He said he was gonna do this,” Carville said Thursday on NewsNation’s “CUOMO.” “Look, he won the election saying he would be as disruptive as he possibly could. This shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone.”
RNC Chief Ronna McDaniel emphasized that voters are focused on the economy, and on tangible results.
“People are hurting in this country. This was an election about the economy. If they get the job done — if they fix the border, bring costs down, and are effective — nobody’s going to remember what happened during this nomination process,” McDaniel said.
Success, she argues, can overshadow previous challenges, as people value meaningful change.
Trump is rapidly filling his new administration with high-ranking nominations announced almost every day since his win.
Rapid fire appointments include billionaire ally Elon Musk and former rival Vivek Ramaswamy to lead the new Department of Government Efficiency together and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the head of the Department of Health and Human Services.
Former Rep. Matt Gaetz, the former Florida representative, has withdrawn his name from the running for attorney general following controversy over his nomination. Gaetz announced on X he had made the decision to withdraw after meeting with senators for feedback.
“While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition. There is no time to waste on a needlessly protracted Washington scuffle, thus I’ll be withdrawing my name from consideration to serve as Attorney General. Trump’s DOJ must be in place and ready on Day 1,” he said.
Carville said he “wasn’t surprised at what happened to Gaetz” and added that he thinks “more stuff is coming out.”
“I have a firm belief that human nature of this type is repetitive,” Carville said.
