Between the beginning of 2017 and the end of his administration, I put out multiple columns outlining how then-President Donald J. Trump was being betrayed from within his own administration. Be it from the Deep State, civil servants and appointees within his cabinet agencies, certain Republican Members of Congress, or ultimately and most hurtful of all, some from within his own White House who cravenly turned on him and First Lady Melania Trump.
As I have also stressed over the last eight years, I have long believed that the greatest political victory of all time was Trump winning the presidency in 2016. Against all odds, against the entrenched establishments, against an often hate-filled media, and with virtually no campaign, he almost single-handedly willed himself to become president. Truly amazing.
But he did so as a nonpolitician who did not fully understand the ways — and ruthlessness — of Washington, D.C.. Because he did not, he, his White House, and his administration paid a severe price via disloyalty, backstabbing, and sabotage.
President Trump’s first administration was a resounding success by any fair measurement. But imagine how much more he could have accomplished had he not dealt with the constant hoaxes, backstabbing, and sabotage.
Well, imagine no more. President-elect Trump is rapidly assembling a team around him that will not only be fiercely loyal but has demonstrated real-world experience and will push the “Trump Agenda” to the max.
While all his picks have been exceptional, I want to focus on the two that have caused some on the far left to completely melt down as they speed-dial their therapists and tearfully hug their emotional support rats. I am talking about Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense and Matt Gaetz for Attorney General.
First, Hegseth. I don’t pretend to know him well, but I did get to talk with him on several occasions in July 2022, when Fox & Friends Weekend was doing its show from West Point. I was invited on as a guest to discuss my book, The 56, which sought to defend our Founding Fathers, our founding documents, and the American Flag from the cancel culture left.
Not only did I interact with Pete on the program set, but as it turned out, my wife and I were staying at the same hotel as Pete and his family, and I could chat with him there as well. More than that, I watched as he lovingly interacted with his wife and children and spoke kindly with hotel guests who recognized him and wanted a photo or an autograph.
Often, it is witnessing interactions like that that prove infinitely more insightful than any news report, biography, or second-hand account. Hegseth was good-humored, classy, and inclusive.
Years ago, I got to sit next to filmmaker Oliver Stone. As we talked, he said something to me – as a former Pentagon official – which truly resonated. In talking about the war in Iraq, Stone said in part: “If Bush had spent three months in combat, he would take a whole different view of war. … He wouldn’t be so light. And that includes Cheney and Rumsfeld. They’re tough guys, but combat softens you, if anything. It makes you more aware of human frailty and vulnerability…”
I believe that is a valid point in that whenever any President might be sending our troops into combat, he has someone at the table and at his side who has experienced combat. In Pete Hegseth, President-elect Trump is getting that and much more. Hegseth is the real deal across the board. Not only is he a decorated combat veteran, but he has been fighting for our veterans and our way of life for years while trying to “un-woke” our Pentagon.
Next, we come to Congressman and attorney Matt Gaetz of Florida. President-elect Trump just nominated Gaetz to be the next Attorney General of our nation. Has any politician or person been more loyal to Trump over the years than Gaetz?
Beyond that desperately needed loyalty, Trump and Gaetz have witnessed – and felt – the weaponization of the Department of Justice for years. They know firsthand the danger it poses to our nation and innocent Americans.
Via his place on the House Judiciary Committee, Gaetz was also there time and again for President Trump during the “Russia, Russia, Russia” hoax fabricated by the likes of Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, the Deep State, and then spread by the corrupt media. That means something. In many ways, that means everything.
No one should ever forget the non-stop attacks President Trump endured during his first administration nor the armed FBI raid of his private home in Mar-a-Lago, the multiple “lawfare” schemes launched against him, or the vile accusations that may have triggered twisted minds to attempt to assassinate him as he campaigned for reelection. Nothing has been more un-American or reprehensible.
I can assure you that Matt Gaetz will never forget how the left tried to topple a legitimately elected President and will do all in his power to protect not only President Trump in his second term but also the rule of law of our nation. Under the direction of President Trump, Gaetz will restore the American people’s faith and confidence in our now corrupt Justice Department.
The activists, anarchists, and criminals on the far left understand that. And that is precisely why they are in meltdown mode now. They realize that their “fifteen minutes” of infamy and mayhem are coming to a close.
Two last positives regarding Hegseth and Gaetz: they are both youngbloods. Gaetz is only 42 and Hegseth 44. They speak to different generations and will prove to be a large part of the reason younger voters not only buy into the Trump agenda but work to save our country from the freedom-destroying dictates of the left.
Douglas MacKinnon is a former White House and Pentagon official and the author of The 56 Liberty Lessons from Those Who Risked All to Sign the Declaration of Independence. Follow him @DougOfSkye.