As Donald Trump continues to fill up his administration and readies himself to fight for his cabinet nominees, the president-elect will likely face some resistance from four key Republican senators.
Despite his Nov. 5 election victory, which cemented his influence within the Republican Party, Trump is encountering pushback from some Senate Republicans. They have indicated reluctance to back his picks, including former Rep. Matt Gaetz for attorney general and Pete Hegseth for defense secretary, reports The Washington Examiner.
The newspaper listed four senators who will likely decide the fate of Trump’s most controversial picks.
Thom Tillis
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), residing in a swing state known for its preference for Democrats in non-presidential races, faces a tough reelection in 2026. Conscious of this, he is sure to be hesitant in rubber-stamping Trump’s more controversial Cabinet picks.
Lisa Murkowski
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), a centrist Republican, is known for not being on the same wavelength as Trump. She has signaled that she will not be voting to approve Gaetz, not seeing him as a serious candidate.
Mitch McConnell
Though stepping down as Senate Republican leader, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) isn’t retiring from his long-held seat. While he has publicly supported Trump during the 2024 race, a recent book revealed the personal animus he privately expressed toward him, especially after the Jan. 6 riot.
Susan Collins
Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) has a rocky relationship with the president-elect, being one of the few Republicans to vote to impeach him after the Jan. 6 riot. While she voiced skepticism about Gaetz, she didn’t commit to supporting or opposing his nomination.
President-elect Donald Trump has revealed two new nominees for key roles in his Cabinet: Sean Duffy, a Fox Business host and former reality TV personality, for Secretary of Transportation, and Brendan Carr, a senior Republican member of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), to head the agency. These selections underscore Trump’s tendency to favor allies with strong media connections and his commitment to reshaping federal institutions to align with his administration’s policy goals.
Duffy, announced on Monday, is a co-host of “The Bottom Line” on Fox Business and gained prominence as a vocal Trump supporter during his tenure in Congress, where he consistently backed the president’s initiatives.
Carr, whose nomination was announced on Sunday, has been a leading Republican figure at the FCC, recently making headlines for criticizing an appearance by Vice President Kamala Harris on “Saturday Night Live,” claiming it violated the “equal time” rule regarding political candidates on television. Both nominees reflect Trump’s strategy of appointing loyalists to drive his agenda.
[Read More: Trump Shred Famous Iowa Pollster Who Got It Wrong]
