Here's What Donald Trump's White House Team Looks Like So Far

[InTheLight]

Andrew Pudzer, CEO of Hardee's and Carl's Jr. fast food chains to become Labor Secretary. Pudzer is an opponent of raising the minimum wage to $15 and has said doing so would lead to increased automation, especially in the fast food industry.

"They're always polite, they always upsell, they never take a vacation, they never show up late, there's never a slip-and-fall, or an age, sex, or race discrimination case," says Puzder of swapping employees for machines.

 

[Bro. Curtis]

Carl's Jr has a decent burger for a fast food joint. I'm not too alarmed by him. Definitely an outsider.

 

[InTheLight]

Carl's Jr has a decent burger for a fast food joint. I'm not too alarmed by him. Definitely an outsider.

Yes, he's an outsider, with little government experience. Decidedly un-swamplike appointments. Going to give him the benefit of the doubt and see what he can do. Same with Ben Carson. The only one I have reservations about so far is Michael Flynn.

 

[Revmitchell]

Government experience has not helped us out in recent years. I am all for lack of it at this point.

 

[InTheLight]

Government experience has not helped us out in recent years. I am all for lack of it at this point.

Depends on the department. I wouldn't want outsiders running the Defense or State Department, for example. HUD and Labor? Not a big deal.

 

[Rob_BW]

Depends on the department. I wouldn't want outsiders running the Defense or State Department, for example. HUD and Labor? Not a big deal.

DoD has a lot of institutionalized rigidity. I think the right outsider would be good, and as long as their wasn't a complete change of their SES's, I don't believe there could be much harm.

State? They have some great people, but the other half look like amateur hour. It's just cultural, for them, due to certain types of people who are attracted to having State Dept on their resume. Watching some of them traipse through the warzones these past years has been almost painful. I don't think an outsider could be any worse then some of the people who have been placed in charge.

Granted, these are just my own opinions.

 

[InTheLight]

DoD has a lot of institutionalized rigidity. I think the right outsider would be good, and as long as their wasn't a complete change of their SES's, I don't believe there could be much harm.

State? They have some great people, but the other half look like amateur hour. It's just cultural, for them, due to certain types of people who are attracted to having State Dept on their resume. Watching some of them traipse through the warzones these past years has been almost painful. I don't think an outsider could be any worse then some of the people who have been placed in charge.

Granted, these are just my own opinions.

I think any one that leads the State Department should be a well-traveled person with a broad life experience, a diplomat or at least a politician with some tact and grace. I wouldn't want a lifelong business executive running State.

 

[Rob_BW]

I think any one that leads the State Department should be a well-traveled person with a broad life experience, a diplomat or at least a politician with some tact and grace. I wouldn't want a lifelong business executive running State.

Maybe, but many business execs have that well-traveled, broad life experience.

We'll have to gauge tact and grace on a case by case basis, though.

 

[HankD]

Yep, And if Trump would have put his $200 million inheritance in basic index-based mutual funds back in the 70's and not touched them, he'd have more money than he does now. It doesn't take a genius to do that!

Are you a Billionaire ITL?

Or are you admitting you are not a genius?

If not WELCOME TO THE CLUB!

HankD

 

[InTheLight]

Goldman Sachs president & COO Gary Cohn to be National Economic Council Director.

Sheesh, is there anyone on the Goldman Sachs board of directors that hasn't been given a spot in the Trump administration?

#GildTheSwamp

 

[Revmitchell]

So Trump is bringing in people he already knows and trusts? And?

 

[InTheLight]

So Trump is bringing in people he already knows and trusts? And?

He said he was going to DrainTheSwamp. He said that he was going to get rid of the special interests, the global elite bankers, "that don't have your good in mind". "The political establishment is responsible for our disastrous trade deals, and economic policies that have bled our country dry. It's a global power structure that is responsible for the economic decisions that have robbed our working class, stripped our country of its wealth, and put that money in the pockets of a handful of large corporations"

You can watch Trump's final commercial here. While you are watching it, ask yourself how putting Goldman Sachs executives in charge of economic policy gibes and reconciles with his words in the commercial? How is this draining the swamp?

 

[InTheLight]

So Trump is bringing in people he already knows and trusts? And?

He's bringing in several people from Goldman Sachs. Here's a Tweet from Trump back in January 2016:



And here is a list of some of Trump appointees and the money they contributed to his campaign, either directly or via PACs:

Small Business administrator: Linda McMahon, $7.5 million

Education secretary: Betsy DeVos, $1.8 million (contributed by the DeVos family)

Deputy Commerce secretary: Todd Ricketts, $1.3 million (contributed by his parents)

Treasury secretary: Steven Mnuchin, $425,000

Labor secretary: Andrew Puzder, $332,000

Commerce secretary: Wilbur Ross, $200,000

 

[Revmitchell]

OK?

 

[InTheLight]

OK?

Cruz had taken out a loan from Goldman Sachs. Trump questioned if Cruz was honest since he was "in bed with Wall Street and Goldman Sachs". Over a loan.

So here comes Trump, getting millions of dollars donated from Goldman Sachs executives (and others) and quid pro quo giving them positions of power in the US government. Isn't it reasonable by Trump's own standards to question if he is honest? I think the word for Trump's tweet and subsequent doling out of jobs to his cronies is HYPOCRITE.

[I don't know why this needs to be explained to you...]

 

[Revmitchell]

You are assigning motive when you cannot know it. I am unfamiliar with all the donations by Goldman sachs but if Trump is using those with whom he knows and trusts I have no problem with that. But then again I am not looking to nitpick every little thing he does. He is not in office yet and we really do not know how this is going to pan out either way. It is looking good thus far though.

 

[Rolfe]

Wait for it...

Wait for it...

Wait for it...
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[Benjamin]

With the news that Trump is consulting with Obama on his cabinet picks I figure that's a lock for Romney.

I'm starting to think that perhaps you struggle to get past your media lead suspicions about Trump's intentions. For instance, Trump consulted with Al Gore just a couple days before picking Pruitt. That Trump consults a wide range of views is a positive thing as far as I'm concerned. I'm pretty sure the SOS will not be Romney because he would have been named already and Trump has been widening the search...

 

[Benjamin]

Yep, And if Trump would have put his $200 million inheritance in basic index-based mutual funds back in the 70's and not touched them, he'd have more money than he does now. It doesn't take a genius to do that!

First, if that investment were such common knowledge sure-thing and true why wouldn't everyone have done it on whatever scale they are on?

Second, why put one's money up for someone else to invest when you have the brains to do your own investing into your own projects which you prefer to build up?

 

[InTheLight]

First, if that investment were such common knowledge sure-thing and true why wouldn't everyone have done it on whatever scale they are on?

Index fund investing is the latest fad in investing, if a fad can be 10 years old. It's the most common investment advice out there right now. Just about everybody is doing it.

Second, why put one's money up for someone else to invest when you have the brains to do your own investing into your own projects which you prefer to build up?

Everybody has to decide what they want to do. I have only a small portion of my investments in index funds. I prefer to beat the market, not make market average returns.

My point is, unless you are beating the market average, and Trump isn't, you don't deserve to be called a business genius.

I have no problem calling him a real estate genius.



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