Trump Rounds Off Meeting, No New Cabinet Appointments
President-elect Donald Trump has made no new cabinet appointments but hinted that some names will be announced soon. This coming after he rounded up a busy weekend of meetings with cabinet hopefuls at his golf club retreat.
Trump confirmed to reporters that he had “made a couple of deals”.This reply came when he was asked if he would soon reveal new nominations.
However, no new picks have been revealed yet as Trump made the 90-minute drive back to Manhattan late Sunday.
The president-elect was clearly seeking to sound out people from a wide range of backgrounds. This range from party stalwarts to business moguls and former rivals.
The Hopefuls
Trump signaled he is seriously considering retired Marine Corps general James Mattis to be his Pentagon chief. He had heaped praise on the former general known as “Mad Dog”.
Beyond Mattis, the top names on the guest list Sunday included Republican New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. Christie was recently ousted as the leader of Trump’s transition team. Also, former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani and immigration hardliner Kris Kobach were on the list.
Some of Trump’s choices for other key posts so far have come under huge criticisms. The appointments have come under fire on civil rights grounds from Democrats and other critics.
On Saturday, he interviewed one-time foe Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican presidential candidate for the secretary of state position. The position is also reportedly coveted by Rudy Giuliani. Romney had called Trump a “fraud” during the recent campaign.
But Trump has moved to mend fences with moderate Republicans as he goes about building a new administration before his January 20 inauguration.
