Veteran journalist Bob Woodward is looking closely at the people President-elect Donald Trump is picking for his Cabinet and suggests he is trying to recreate the “imperial presidency” in his next term in office.
He is doing this by choosing people with little experience to their nominated posts, per The Hill.
Woodward spoke on MSNBC’s “Inside with Jen Psaki” about Pete Hegseth,Trump’s pick for secretary of defense and whether the former Fox News host is qualified for the job.
“Somebody should get that job who knows the military and has had also management experience,” Woodward said regarding Hegseth. “From what I read about him, no, he doesn’t.”
Hegseth’s lack of managerial experience does not make sense as a choice for someone to lead the Pentagon, the veteran journalist said.
“I have known, over the reporting time I’ve had for five decades, 16 secretaries of Defense, going back even before I was a reporter, Robert McNamara. And they have to know management. They have to know what the responsibility is,” Woodward said. “They have to know where the levers of power are. And in this appointee, I see none of that.”
“Now, you have to ask yourself, why wouldn’t Trump want somebody who at least has some experience? He’s trying to re-create the imperial presidency,” Woodward added. “He is trying to say, Ah. I can do whatever I want. It’s up to me alone.”
When Psaki said, “And he doesn’t want them to have the power,” Woodward replied, “He doesn’t want to share it.”
Hegseth was not the only nomination Woodward criticized.
Trump has tapped former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard to be director of national intelligence.
Gabbard has been scrutinized for her alleged repeating of Russian propaganda about the war in Ukraine.
“Well, what’s the goal? What’s the purpose? You know, there are all kinds of people with various political persuasions who have enough experience to run the Pentagon, but he picks someone who isn’t even near it, and you have to say, ‘What is the goal?’” Woodward said about Gabbard.
“Having written three books on Trump, spent hours with him, the goal is to give him all the say, all the power,” he said.
“Why do you want somebody who doesn’t know what they’re doing? Check engine light has just gone off, and we pulled into the wrong store,” Woodward added.
“Makes no sense, and it is a form of giving his middle finger to the American people.”
