As most presidential candidates do, Donald Trump made big promises on the campaign trail leading up to his landslide victory in the 2024 election. He promised that the rhetorical catchphrase 'Drain the Swamp,' which has been a hallmark of rallies and events since his first campaign in the 2016 election cycle, had evolved into a focused plan to cut wasteful spending drastically and also to significantly reduce the size of the government itself.
It's a promise made by many Republican candidates in the past. For as long as we can remember, the GOP has stated its goal of a smaller, more efficient, less intrusive federal government. However, they have failed to achieve that goal. In fact, the opposite has been true. Through Democratic and Republican Administrations alike, the federal government has grown exponentially, even during Trump's first term as president.
President-Elect Trump is promising that this time will be different. He plans to apply what he's learned during his first term to make good on that promise. He's not just going to 'Talk the Talk,' he intends to 'Walk the Walk.'
He knows he can't do this alone. His first term may have been hindered by the belief that, as the elected Chief Executive, his subordinates, both appointed and career bureaucrats, would implement his policies as instructed. He failed to anticipate how hard 'The Swamp' would fight back, even those in trusted positions he had appointed. For as much confidence as Donald Trump exudes, he may have been slightly naive.
He does not appear to intend to make the same mistake twice. Trump is no longer a political outsider. He fully anticipates the fight ahead of him. He knows 'The Swamp' he intends to drain will not go quietly, and he is assembling a team that shares the same vision and is prepared to fight alongside him to achieve it.
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Here are a few examples.
Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy will head the Department of Government Efficiency or DOGE. We're not sure how the mechanics of DOGE will work, but their mission is clear. Expose government waste and inefficiency both publicly and to the cabinet to clear a path to the proverbial chopping block. If sunlight is the best disinfectant, then Elon and Vivek are rays of sunshine.
Decorated combat veteran Pete Hegseth has been nominated to head the Department of Defense. He is a government outsider with no ties to the military-industrial complex. He will steer the department away from political correctness and back to being the most lethal fighting force on the planet.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been nominated as the next Secretary of Health and Human Services. Kennedy ran as an Independent candidate on the 'Make America Healthy Again' platform. He joined the Trump campaign shortly after ending his own and will focus on, among other things, a healthier food supply.
Trump is building a team largely made up of political outsiders coming to D.C. with a mandate for change. The left and the legacy media (we know, that's a redundant statement) have taken notice and are on the attack.
We can't even call this hit piece by CBS News thinly veiled. Sure, the article is filled with CYA-style legal statements, which, to be honest, we would have found far more entertaining if they had omitted those and replaced them with embedded videos of Sunny Hostin being forced to read legal disclaimers on The View.
The look on her face is priceless.
Matt Gaetz, Pete Hegseth, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Elon Musk are all in line to serve as top government leaders.
All have faced varying degrees of sexual misconduct allegations.
The president's picks to carry out his agenda reflect an incoming administration hostile to the norms of the "Me Too" movement. Behavior that might have gotten a person fired or canceled (or not nominated to a cabinet position) over the last several years, appears to be less problematic in the Trump 2.0 era.
We're not here to defend the good name or honor of any of Donald Trump's nominees. Politics is a nasty game, and each has voluntarily chosen to enter the arena. They knew what to expect and should be fully prepared to defend themselves. It could easily be argued that there is so much distrust in the current political climate in the legacy media, including CBS News, That attempted character assassination may benefit the confirmation process.
Matt Gaetz withdrawing his nomination would seem to be the obvious exception to the argument, but Democrats have used most of what little political capital they have on Gaetz. His withdrawal should clear a smoother path for the others.
Character assignation as a political tool is nothing new, especially when allegations include sexual misconduct. The confirmation hearings of Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas and Brett Kavanaugh are prime examples.
The ramifications have reached beyond the government, and the media has become too comfortable reporting on allegations without knowing or, in some cases, reporting all the facts.
Kanas City Chiefs punter Matt Ariza was falsely accused of taking part in the gang rape of an underage girl. Matt was widely considered the best punter in college football then and was in his first NFL training camp with the Buffalo Bills. After the story broke, the Bills cut him, and he was blackballed by the NFL.
Clay Travis recaps Matt's story.
It's a long video, and you can draw your own conclusions about what should have happened to Matt's accuser.
Matt's name was dragged through the mud and will forever be linked to the false accusations made against him. He was lucky. He lost a year of playing time and NFL income, but he's well on his way to making a comeback.
Do you think he was pumped to play his former team? The kid may be a punter, but he hits like a linebacker.
Some aren't so lucky. Such is the case of Grant Neal.
Grant lost everything over a consensual sexual encounter. His football career, his education, everything. His life and reputation were destroyed.
He's making a comeback as an MMA fighter.
The legacy media has turned 'Believe All Women' into 'Believe Women who Accuse the Right Men.' This has become an expected practice in the political realm but can destroy innocent lives outside of it. It has justifiably damaged the reputation of the media itself.
No matter how much you dislike and distrust the legacy media, it's not enough.
Perhaps it's high time that the truth DOES get in the way of a good story.
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