Speaker 1: Already and this is the Daily This is the Daily
Speaker 1: ohs oh, now it makes sense.
Speaker 2: Good morning, and welcome to the Daily OS. It's Thursday,
Speaker 2: the twenty first of November. I'm Harry, I'm Emma. Donald
Speaker 2: Trump takes office in January, but since his recent election win,
Speaker 2: the US President elect has been choosing who will join
Speaker 2: his future administration and cabinet. A range of senior White
Speaker 2: House positions have already been filled across areas like foreign affairs, environment,
Speaker 2: border security, and health. Many of Trump's picks already have
Speaker 2: high profiles in the US, ranking from state senators to
Speaker 2: billionaires and a Fox News presenter and a politician from
Speaker 2: one of America's most influential families, the Kennedys. On the
Speaker 2: podcast today, we're going to take you through some of
Speaker 2: those appointments from what you need to know about their
Speaker 2: past and what they'll be responponsible for in the future.
Speaker 1: Harry, I've been seeing all these names and faces popping
Speaker 1: up in the news over the last couple of weeks.
Speaker 1: It almost feels like a celebrity runway of people heading
Speaker 1: into the White House.
Speaker 2: There's obviously as started lineup, you might say, and Dar.
Speaker 1: Started line up, and there's obviously Harry still two months
Speaker 1: before Donald Trump is inaugurated, but he seems to be
Speaker 1: getting to work quickly. But I want to know straight
Speaker 1: off the bat, is this something unique to US politics,
Speaker 1: because I can't really remember there being this much hype
Speaker 1: around an Australian cabinet.
Speaker 2: In recent years. Emma, I am so glad that you
Speaker 2: asked me, because there is nothing I love more than
Speaker 2: comparing Australian and American democracies. This is just like my
Speaker 2: niche area of interest. Well, thank god, it's my special
Speaker 2: topic on hard Quitz if I ever go on one day.
Speaker 2: So this is a moment I feel like we can
Speaker 2: draw a really distinction between our two countries. So yes,
Speaker 2: it does feel like a bit of a casting process,
Speaker 2: a bit of a who's who, And that's because the
Speaker 2: American system allows for the president to choose basically whoever
Speaker 2: they want to fill top level cabinet and advisory positions.
Speaker 1: I think it's also important to add a distinction that
Speaker 1: is different in America than in Australia, which is the
Speaker 1: way government works is Congress is separate to what's called
Speaker 1: the executive, So the president is the executive. That's the
Speaker 1: White House, and the department rolls within that Congress. We're
Speaker 1: talking Senate House of Representatives, so upper House, lower House,
Speaker 1: and they operate almost independently.
Speaker 2: That's right, And so that means you don't have to
Speaker 2: be a politician in order to be in the executive team,
Speaker 2: which is the White House, whereas in Australia the executive
Speaker 2: team is made up of cabinet ministers who are MPs
Speaker 2: or senators. And in Australia we also have a prime Minister,
Speaker 2: not a president. So when we think about Australia, there's
Speaker 2: rarely any surprise because there are often high level politicians
Speaker 2: who are in opposition or in government who occupied those
Speaker 2: senior positions in government. But in America, it's perfectly possible
Speaker 2: for someone like Elon Musk to enter the cabinet because
Speaker 2: you don't need to have a background in politics at all.
Speaker 1: All right, let's talk then about some of these appointments,
Speaker 1: about the names we know that are going to be
Speaker 1: taking on those White House roles. Who is in the fold, Harry.
Speaker 2: So Trump has been announcing a lot of appointments, and
Speaker 2: it's a list that's just been getting longer and longer
Speaker 2: by the day, even since we've been sitting here, Emma,
Speaker 2: there's been another announcement for his Education secretary and it's
Speaker 2: a top level executive of WWE, the wrestling competition. Really. Yes,
Speaker 2: she has crashed through to the cabinet team and more
Speaker 2: evidence as to why America's system is so unique compared
Speaker 2: to Australia.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 2: So the first person that Trump announced after he was
Speaker 2: victorious at the election in November was his chief of staff,
Speaker 2: Susie wils She was Trump's campaign manager for this year's
Speaker 2: election and she's known as a savvy backroom operator. There's
Speaker 2: no real surprise there. And she'll also become the first
Speaker 2: woman to hold the role of White House chief of staff.
Speaker 1: Now chief of staff for people who might not be
Speaker 1: familiar with that term. This is a role of someone
Speaker 1: who kind of like manages the rest of the team
Speaker 1: that work in the White House.
Speaker 2: Right, that's right. And in America the chief of staff
Speaker 2: also sits with the cabinet and is in the room
Speaker 2: when these senior people are making big decisions. That's not
Speaker 2: really the way it works in Australia. The chief of
Speaker 2: staff is more of a role of organizing and setting
Speaker 2: the day to day schedules. Of a prime minister or
Speaker 2: a politician, but in America they have an even more
Speaker 2: formal role.
Speaker 1: Okay, so that was the first announcement, Susie Wiles. What
Speaker 1: about Trump's pick for what's been called the Borders Are.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's such a funny term, that one, but it
Speaker 2: just means that someone who's overseeing a particular specialist area
Speaker 2: or field, So think like an education zar or a
Speaker 2: climate zar. Tom Homan was announced as Trump's pick for
Speaker 2: the Borders Are. He's a former policeman and the CEO
Speaker 2: of a not for profit border security organization called Border
Speaker 2: nine to one one. He previously held a senior position
Speaker 2: in the Immigration Department under Barack Obama's administration, and he
Speaker 2: continued with that seniority in immigration in Donald Trump's first administration.
Speaker 1: Okay, so someone who has worked in immigration at a
Speaker 1: high level across both sides of.
Speaker 2: Politics, that's right, And so he's just no stranger to
Speaker 2: this field at all, and even outside politics, he is
Speaker 2: very active in this space.
Speaker 1: You mentioned outside politics, Harry, and I know there are
Speaker 1: people in this cabinet who are aren't historically politicians or
Speaker 1: not career politicians.
Speaker 2: Such as the WWA executive.
Speaker 1: Well exactly, that's what I was thinking. But there are
Speaker 1: some who are already politicians.
Speaker 2: Who are they So Trump's fielded some candidates who were
Speaker 2: also some of his potential picks for vice president that
Speaker 2: ultimately went to Ohio Senator Jdie Vance. But when we
Speaker 2: think about established politicians, there's South Dakota Governor Christy Nome
Speaker 2: who's been named as the head of one of the
Speaker 2: biggest departments, Homeland Security, and that employs about two hundred
Speaker 2: and sixty thousand people. It has a budget of about
Speaker 2: sixty billion US dollars, so that's nearly one hundred billion
Speaker 2: dollars in Australian dollars. Big department, big big department. So
Speaker 2: there's also Florida Senator Marco Rubio who will be Trump's
Speaker 2: Secretary of State, and that is the top person in
Speaker 2: the field of foreign affairs. So his job will be
Speaker 2: representing the US overseas.
Speaker 1: So this is a job that's like the counterpart to
Speaker 1: Australia's Penny won exactly.
Speaker 2: So he is effectively going to be the person that's
Speaker 2: involved in negotiating America's position in areas like Israel and
Speaker 2: in Ukraine. So those are two big conflicts going on
Speaker 2: at the moment, and the US Secretary of State has
Speaker 2: had quite an active role in that. So Senator MARKA.
Speaker 2: Rubio is going to take on a key role in
Speaker 2: some of those areas. So his background is interesting. He's
Speaker 2: taken a hardline stance against China and Iran, and he'll
Speaker 2: be tasked with delivering Trump's plan to resolve the conflicts
Speaker 2: between Ukraine and Russia quite quickly. Yeah.
Speaker 1: So Trump famously told supporters on the campaign trail that
Speaker 1: he would resolve that conflict in one day.
Speaker 2: So big job Marco Rubio.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I imagine there's going to be a lot of
Speaker 1: attention on Rubio in that process as he takes on
Speaker 1: that role and steps up to the challenge that Trump
Speaker 1: has set when it comes to Ukraine and Russia. I
Speaker 1: do want to talk about some other names that have emerged,
Speaker 1: some maybe arguably the controversial figures, some celebrities who are they.
Speaker 2: I'd say a lot of the media coverage has focused
Speaker 2: on four other picks. So that's Elon mask Robert F. Kennedy, Junior,
Speaker 2: Pete Hexeth, and Matt Gates. So let's start with Elon Musk.
Speaker 2: He won't be in the executive Cabinet, but he's been
Speaker 2: appointed as the co head of DOGE, which stands for
Speaker 2: the Department of Government Efficiency. Any Internet slew out there
Speaker 2: will very much appreciate that reference. But that's a role
Speaker 2: he'll share with biotech billionaire Vivek Ramaswami, who was also
Speaker 2: in line to become Trump's vice president.
Speaker 1: So won't be in the executive cabinet. But these are
Speaker 1: kind of like senior advisor roles. What does government efficiency
Speaker 1: actually mean? These are kind of vague terms. What will
Speaker 1: Elon Musk be doing?
Speaker 2: Well, it's vague because it doesn't really exist yet, and
Speaker 2: it's going to be a new department. Well we know
Speaker 2: from Trump's team so far is that it will be
Speaker 2: a department that's dedicated to cutting regulations, dismantling some of
Speaker 2: the red tape of the federal government, and what Trump
Speaker 2: himself has described as getting rid of wasteful government spending.
Speaker 2: The department is temporary. They've actually been given an end date.
Speaker 2: This is Elon mask and Vivek Ramaswami. They'll be in
Speaker 2: those positions until the fourth of July twenty twenty six,
Speaker 2: which just coincides symbolically with the two hundred and fiftieth
Speaker 2: anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. I'm not so sure
Speaker 2: what that means about government efficiency, but they've been given
Speaker 2: that end date as sort of a marker of when
Speaker 2: they will exit the White House, Senior Roles, I.
Speaker 1: Suppose it's a bit of a statement on efficiency to
Speaker 1: give those co heads an end date or a deadline
Speaker 1: to be efficient by.
Speaker 2: I suppose I actually didn't quite think of it like that.
Speaker 2: There we go. My productivity probably needs to work. Trump.
Speaker 1: I've done a lot of work on this one, Harry,
Speaker 1: we appreciate you. Let's move on to Robert F. Kennedy Junior.
Speaker 2: So he's often referred to as RFK Junior, So I'm
Speaker 2: going to stick with that practice, and it's a little
Speaker 2: easier to say. He's the nephew of former Democrat President
Speaker 2: John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated in Texas in nineteen
Speaker 2: sixty three.
Speaker 1: JFK.
Speaker 2: Yeah, very well known person right across the world. RFK
Speaker 2: Junior's dad is Robert F. Kennedy, who, like his brother,
Speaker 2: was also assassinated, and he was shot dead whilst campaigning
Speaker 2: to become president in nineteen sixty eight.
Speaker 1: We'll be back with more of today's deep dive right
Speaker 1: after this. So RFK Junior really hails from this family
Speaker 1: that is so recognizable around the world, these historical figures,
Speaker 1: one of the most influential families in US politics. But
Speaker 1: they're famous for being Democrats. They're famously Democrat politicians that
Speaker 1: we're talking about. So how does RFK Junior end up
Speaker 1: in a senior role for a republic president.
Speaker 2: Well, he actually campaigned as a Democrat for the twenty
Speaker 2: twenty four presidential race. So he went up against Joe
Speaker 2: Biden in the primary race initially, but then he dropped
Speaker 2: out of that and became an independent. And he then
Speaker 2: suspended his own campaign and backed Trump for president leading
Speaker 2: into polling day. Before RFK Junior got into politics, he
Speaker 2: was an environmental lawyer. He sued some major companies for polluting,
Speaker 2: and he also became a prominent voice in the anti
Speaker 2: vaccine movement in the US in the early two thousands.
Speaker 2: He chays what's called the Children's Health Defense, which is
Speaker 2: an anti vax group. He's now been named the health
Speaker 2: secretary of Trump's new team. He's promised to intervene in
Speaker 2: what he called the quote revolving door between industry and
Speaker 2: government in the space of health, and public health experts
Speaker 2: have already come out expressing a little bit of concern
Speaker 2: about RFK Junior's views in leading the US Health Department.
Speaker 1: Well, I was going to ask you about this because,
Speaker 1: you know, regardless of his politics, I suppose there's a
Speaker 1: lot of attention being paid to someone being appointed to
Speaker 1: Health Secretary, which is a very senior role in the
Speaker 1: White House, who is someone who has campaigned on, platformed
Speaker 1: on is famous for being anti vaccine. So what has
Speaker 1: that response looked like.
Speaker 2: Yeah, well, there have been no shortage of people who
Speaker 2: are experts in public health really dialing up the concern
Speaker 2: and saying that someone like RFK Junior's views are really
Speaker 2: worrying in this space because ultimately he'll be overseeing things
Speaker 2: like the Center for Disease Control and the approval of medicines.
Speaker 2: So it's a big role in health. It's probably about
Speaker 2: as big as it gets in the United States, and
Speaker 2: he's going to be leading that. But it is important
Speaker 2: to mention here that RFK Junior has responded to some
Speaker 2: of these concerns directly. When he was running for president,
Speaker 2: he said on his website that he does support voluntary vaccines.
Speaker 1: Okay, So I guess that speaks to the heart of
Speaker 1: a lot of this administration or future administration's political views,
Speaker 1: which often have a lot to do with protecting freedoms
Speaker 1: or this perceived protection of Americans independents to make their
Speaker 1: own choices, to decide what is right for them, rather
Speaker 1: than the idea of having governments dictate what is right
Speaker 1: for them or telling them what they should do.
Speaker 2: It's embedded into their national identity. America is the cradle
Speaker 2: of liberty to Americans, and that's what the whole constitution
Speaker 2: is built off. So yeah, without getting into the loftiness
Speaker 2: of that language, it's absolutely true, and I think ultimately, yeah,
Speaker 2: it is so interesting to see that idea of freedom
Speaker 2: expressed in these kind of formats.
Speaker 1: Yeah, for sure. You mentioned Harry also a Fox News
Speaker 1: presenter who's been appointed to Trump's cabinet. Who is that
Speaker 1: and what do we need to know about them?
Speaker 2: So his name is Pete Hegseth, who's been named as
Speaker 2: the Defense Secretary. He served in the US military during
Speaker 2: multiple conflicts, so Iraq and Afghanistan, for instance, and he's
Speaker 2: worked at Fox since twenty fourteen as a contributor and
Speaker 2: presenter on various TV segments.
Speaker 1: Fox News, just for those who aren't across, is the
Speaker 1: conservative US news outlet backed by Rupert Murdoch and has
Speaker 1: proven itself to be quite influential in Republican politics over
Speaker 1: the last I guess, you know, eight.
Speaker 2: Years or so. Yeah, Like the closest thing that we
Speaker 2: have here in Australia is Sky News, also Murdoch run.
Speaker 2: It's recently emerged that Pete Hegseth was investigated for sexual
Speaker 2: assault in twenty seventeen, allegedly occurred at a hotel in
Speaker 2: California following a Republican women's conference. He wasn't charged or arrested,
Speaker 2: and the accusation only came through in recent days, and
Speaker 2: Trump's team was reported to have been quite blindsided by
Speaker 2: the reports, but they are saying that they're pressing on
Speaker 2: with his nomination. So the final person that I want
Speaker 2: to speak about is this Florida Congressman Matt Gates. Trump's
Speaker 2: chosen him as the Attorney General, and for anyone who's unfamiliar,
Speaker 2: that's the top law officer in the US. So if
Speaker 2: you think about the Secretary of Health being the top
Speaker 2: health person, the Attorney general's a top law person. Now
Speaker 2: this is interesting because Matt Gates has been investigated by
Speaker 2: the Federal Bureau of Investigations for alleged sex trafficking and
Speaker 2: for allegedly having sex with a seventeen year old girl.
Speaker 2: There weren't criminal charges pressed against Matt Gates, but for
Speaker 2: the last few years he's been facing a committee investigation
Speaker 2: in the House of Representatives, and that's the chamber that
Speaker 2: he sits in.
Speaker 1: Okay, So this is kind of like a parliamentary inquiry
Speaker 1: that we might have here.
Speaker 2: Yeah, exactly, same concept, same idea, And they've been looking
Speaker 2: into these allegations against that also includes things like his
Speaker 2: supposed use of illegal drugs at certain events over the years.
Speaker 1: So Gates denies any wrongdoing. There haven't been criminal charges
Speaker 1: leveled against him, as you mentioned, But what do these
Speaker 1: allegations mean for his political future? Will this influence his
Speaker 1: ability to work in the White House.
Speaker 2: It's a really interesting issue with Gates because the House
Speaker 2: committee that I mentioned earlier, it has a report that
Speaker 2: it'll consider releasing into Gates's alleged behavior, and this could
Speaker 2: impact his selection process because it isn't set in stone yet.
Speaker 2: He needs to go through what's known as a Senate
Speaker 2: confirmation process. And that's an important distinction when talking about
Speaker 2: some of these people, because all the cabinet team need
Speaker 2: to go through this Senate nomination, whereas some advisors don't
Speaker 2: have to go through that. So like Elon Musk, Elon
Speaker 2: Musk doesn't need to go through this, but Matt Gates will. Now,
Speaker 2: the Senate process is important because it provides a bit
Speaker 2: of a check and balance on some of the White
Speaker 2: House nominees.
Speaker 1: So this process is kind of like I guess a
Speaker 1: second job interview. Trump names these people, he says, you know,
Speaker 1: this is the person I want to be in charge
Speaker 1: of this department, and then the Senate has to kind
Speaker 1: of vet them.
Speaker 2: Yeah, and it's a job interview with one hundred people
Speaker 2: on the panel, which is one hundred sence.
Speaker 1: That's a big panel, and the Senate can hypothetically block
Speaker 1: one of Trump's picks. Is that right?
Speaker 2: Exactly right? But it doesn't happen very often. And there
Speaker 2: is a great advantage for Trump in his selection process
Speaker 2: because the Senate after he becomes president will have a
Speaker 2: Republican majority because they won a majority of seats at
Speaker 2: the election. And the Matt Gates report is going to
Speaker 2: be really interesting because some Republican senators have already asked
Speaker 2: to see it. Now, the House will decide next week
Speaker 2: if it's going to release that report. So we don't
Speaker 2: quite know yet what's going to happen in that space.
Speaker 1: But what we do know is that some republic have
Speaker 1: indicated they're not going to make their mind up on
Speaker 1: this confirmation until they see that report.
Speaker 2: Yeah, and that in turn raises a few questions about
Speaker 2: Matt Gates's future and whether he will be able to
Speaker 2: become the attorney general. So if Matt Gates is blocked,
Speaker 2: Trump will have to name someone else, but if not,
Speaker 2: Gates will become the leading legal figure in the country.
Speaker 1: Okay, So, Harry, you've painted us a great picture of
Speaker 1: the who's who in this future cabinet. When will that
Speaker 1: new look Trump cabinet and those advisors actually be confirmed
Speaker 1: and start these jobs. We know Joe Biden still has
Speaker 1: two more months left in the job as president. Trump
Speaker 1: has to be inaugurated on January twenty, So is that
Speaker 1: when these appointments will be locked in.
Speaker 2: Yeah, So, at this stage, all these appointments are just announcements.
Speaker 2: Trump first has to become president and then he will
Speaker 2: bring in his new cabinet. They will go through the
Speaker 2: Senate process and that can take quite some time, so
Speaker 2: Joe Biden about sixty days to confirm his entire cabinet,
Speaker 2: and it looks like with the Gates report that raises
Speaker 2: questions as to whether that can all be done and
Speaker 2: dusted within a clean two months or so.
Speaker 1: So it could be a little while longer before we
Speaker 1: know for sure who the attorney general will be.
Speaker 2: That's right, but given the way that things work in
Speaker 2: the US, it's very likely that these are the people
Speaker 2: that we are going to see leading Trump's new team.
Speaker 2: So we'd be quite confident in that. And the few
Speaker 2: questions around Matt Gates will be a really interesting development
Speaker 2: and it's something that we will be definitely staying across.
Speaker 1: Harry, Thank you so much for looping us into that
Speaker 1: one today. Really complicated story and as you mentioned, changing
Speaker 1: all the time, but we, as you said, will keep
Speaker 1: our audience updated on the new look Trump administration when
Speaker 1: it all changes. Thank you so.
Speaker 2: Much, Harry, Pleasure, Thanks Emma, thank you for.
Speaker 1: Listening to today's episode. If you learned something, feel free
Speaker 1: to share it with a friend, subscribe, leave us a comment,
Speaker 1: or if you're over on our YouTube channel. Don't forget
Speaker 1: to subscribe there. We will be back again later on
Speaker 1: today with the evening headlines before another deep dive tomorrow.
Speaker 1: Have a good one.
Speaker 2: My name is Lily Maddon and I'm a proud Arunda
Speaker 2: Bungelung Calcoton woman from Gadighl country. The Daily oz acknowledges
Speaker 2: that this podcast is recorded on the lands of the
Speaker 2: Gadighl people and pays respect to all Aboriginal and Torres
Speaker 2: Strait Island and nations. We pay our respects to the
Speaker 2: first peoples of these countries, both past and present.