Yes, in picking Michael Flynn for national security adviser and Stephen Bannon as his senior counselor, Trump has put controversial allies by his side. But, installing loyalists in a handful of key positions is nothing new. Every president does some form of this — from Karl Rove, Karen Hughes and Joe Allbaugh for George W. Bush to David Plouffe and David Axelrod for President Obama. That’s not to say that Axelrod = Bannon. But it is to point out that all presidents surround themselves with a small group of people they trust implicitly.
In his choice of Mattis, Rep. Tom Price for health and human services and Elaine Chao for transportation, Trump has gone outside of his direct inner circle and chosen people who are, by almost any estimation, qualified for the jobs to which they have been nominated. No, they aren’t the people Hillary Clinton would have picked if she had won the White House 24 days ago. But, when you win, you get to pick who you want, not someone the other party likes. And that trio is decidedly within the normal bounds of Republican politics. You could see a President Marco Rubio, for example, making any one of those three picks. Or a President Lindsey Graham.
Then there is the willingness Trump has shown to put former vocal rivals in key slots. The big name there is South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R), who is Trump’s nominee as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
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