This is an adapted excerpt from the November 23 episode of “Velshi.”
With less than 60 days until President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration, his administration is starting to take shape. So far, Trump has appointed all 15 heads of executive departments and many other top government positions before the start of his second term.
He chose anti-vaxxers and science skeptics, a fossil fuel executive and oil and gas industry allies, people with little to no experience leading large organizations, people with alleged ties to Christian- nationalist groups and ideologies, and various people who implement aggressive deregulation plans.
All of this can pose problems and lead to lasting damage to public health, the climate, the environment, national security, foreign policy and the fundamental functioning of our federal government. The stakes are high, and it would be naive to think that Trump might show more restraint this time.
But as small as it may be, we have also just witnessed Trump 2.0’s first defeat, the first successful setback against his agenda, which came when Matt Gaetz was forced to withdraw his name from the nomination for attorney general.
Gaetz took a step back as more and more details were reported about the sexual misconduct allegations he faced and which he continues to deny. That’s on top of the fact that he’s one of the least liked people on Capitol Hill — a rabble-rouser who irritated many of his former colleagues.
Not even newly elected Vice President J.D. Vance could help him repair his reputation enough to save his chance to become the next attorney general — beyond the simple fact that he is completely unqualified for that position in the first place. Shortly after Gaetz and Vance spent a day meeting with senators on Capitol Hill to assess Gaetz’s chances for confirmation, the former Florida congressman quit.
NBC News reported that there were at least five Republican senators who strongly opposed his bid for attorney general: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Sens. Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins and MarkWayne Mullin, and Sen.-elect John Curtis. At least 20 and as many as 30 Republican senators felt uneasy at the prospect of having to vote to confirm Gaetz for the role.
This suggests that they are still there some there are safeguards in place that can be deployed against presidential overreach. In this case, the Senate acted as a stronghold. It took seriously its constitutional responsibility of advice and consent and prevented an unserious and unqualified candidate from even being formally nominated.
In January, Trump will regain the most powerful office in the world and will undoubtedly exert his influence more forcefully once he returns to the White House. His party will also control both the House of Representatives and the Senate for the next two years. But it’s not the overwhelming mandate they want you to believe. Their majorities in both houses of Congress are small and precarious – and we know how dysfunctional they can be as a caucus.
And we know something else: Trump has certainly learned from his first term and enters this second term with an eye on removing every guardrail that previously stood in the way of his lawless impulses.
But We has also learned some lessons from Trump’s first term. We have learned that pressure works and that minds can be changed, that everyday Americans can raise their voices and that whistleblowers can shine light into the shadows. We have learned that there are quiet, capable government officials and military personnel who can muster great courage to speak out and push back.
On November 5, we learned that the Trump era of American politics is not over and that the work to bring democracy back from the brink is not yet done. Now it’s time to find out what that work looks like.
Allison Detzel contributed.
This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
