On Jan. 20, 2025, Donald Trump will become the 47th President of the United States, marking the first time since Grover Cleveland that a president has served two non-consecutive terms. Despite the excitement and upheaval, I say take a step back and observe the issues Americans are facing. The U.S. faces issues of affordability, foreign affairs and domestic affairs, considering the immigration crisis. So, here is my advice on what Trump needs to do.
Step 1: Appoint cabinet members on merit, not loyalty.
Susie Wiles, Elise Stefanik and Marco Rubio are solid options for their respective positions, especially Rubio. Rubio is a realist. He is a fiscally responsible senator. Yes, he has flip flopped in terms of candidates, but not on policy, which is what is most crucial in a lawmaker. At the end of the day, if he had not supported Trump, he would not have had his career this escalated, he saw the direction his party was going and made an assessment. Maintain the strong economic policies and be anti-Trump and nothing would get done or maintain the strong economic policies and be pro-Trump and be an extremely productive senator, in which he has. Elise Stefanik is a rising star. Exposing the anti-semetic and disturbing claims from the presidents of the United States’ most prestigious university last year was one that will go down in the books. She can present herself well, and that’s what we need in the UN.
Matt Gaetz, however, is beyond idiotic and chaos-driven. Not only has he slept with underage girls, but he also led the chaotic ousting of Speaker Kevin McCarthy. The U.S was going to default, the Speaker’s job is to make sure that doesn’t happen. Gaetz and his wack friend group in Congress wanted intense reduction of spending, it was unrealistic as it would not have passed the Democratic Senate. So McCarthy worked around his tight Republican Majority, and worked with democrats, and they were able to keep the government open. McCarthy did his job, and Gaetz ousted him purely for working with democrats. Reports later came he did it because McCarthy wasn’t going to deny an ethics complaint about Gaetz and his sexual assault case. When McCarthy was ousted, Israel came under fire in the unprecedented attack from Hamas. We were without a Speaker. No funding, no formal condemnation from the United States government could have taken place when Israel most needed us, as the Speaker oversees the House of Representatives, the largest branch in terms of elected officials in the federal government; all because of the insanity and immaturity of Gaetz. I urge Trump to reconsider this immediately.
Similarly, appointing Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense is reckless. The Department of Defense oversees a $1 trillion budget for Pete’s sake. He’s a television host — where everything is scripted — with no independent decision-making experience. What happens when China threatens us with a nuclear weapon? Hegseth is an expert in make-up, not management, and especially running the biggest, the most powerful military in the WORLD.
Robert F. Kenendy Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard are beyond immature decisions. These people are not serious people. Some people may or may not agree with Robert F. Kennedy’s stances, but what has he done to show he should run the entire health of the most powerful country in the world? And Tulsi? Really? What has she done to be Director of National Intelligence? She had one good line at a debate 5 years ago, that’s it. The DNI is an extremely powerful position. Their job is literally to make sure another 9/11 does not happen. If you put someone with no resume for it, it’s inevitable the United States is set for disaster. Reconsider these idiotic options immediately.
I also recommend Vivek Ramaswamy not be part of the cabinet, but I do recommend Elon Musk as an advisor, his perspective in the private sector is valuable, and I believe he can offer Trump powerful advice on how to approach certain topics from small business initiatives, to supply chain initiatives. However, making Musk a cabinet head would add too much to his $1.2 trillion commitments. The Department of Government Efficiency is an incredible idea but only if under proper leadership.
Step 2: Govern
From 2017 to 2019, Trump’s first two years, the GOP held a trifecta: a Republican-controlled House led by Speaker Paul Ryan, a Republican Senate led by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and the presidency. These years saw some successes, such as the Trump Tax Cuts, helping businesses by lowering their taxes to 21% from 35%.
Still, Trump had a problem. He couldn’t work with Ryan and McConnell as there was always tension between them. Ryan, the 2012 vice presidential nominee, never endorsed Trump until after the nomination and he still held some grudges against him. After all, Ryan’s no-nonsense character clashed with Trump’s opposite style, which, while not necessarily negative, did bring some baggage. As a result, the two never got along and Ryan left the Speakership because he couldn’t govern with Trump. This division contributed to Democrats reclaiming the House in 2018. Now, I am not attesting to this being negative. All I’m saying is Trump liked tweeting more than governing when he could’ve done a whole lot more his first two years.
If Democrats do maintain control of either branch in 2026, it would be an incredible way for Trump to practice bipartisanship. In a two party system, we are solely divided on the principle of political affiliation. I urge Trump to challenge that, and work with democrats if they get control in an attempt to further unite the country.
Step 3: Use your Influence
Trump has an unusual impact on foreign affairs. Whether it’s fear or something else, the war-lovers really don’t execute war with him. I strongly urge Trump to bring an end to the Ukraine War by using his connections to President of Russia Vladimir Putin. He must put his foot down, ensure Putin retreats and prevent any further escalation; I believe he can.
For Israel, it’s much easier as most of Hamas and Houthi leadership is wiped out. However, questions will arise around a two-state solution and what happens to Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu. Trump should just focus on bringing that conflict to an end and bringing the hostages home.
Step 4: Be sensible with tariffs.
A 60%, 200%, or even 1,000% tariff on China is ridiculous. The overall concept of a tariff can be good, if taken cautiously. We heavily depend on China and, yes, we should definitely change that as China increasingly becomes a competitor. The President-elect should take some action to encourage industry to move back to America but he must do it cautiously. A 10% – 15% tariff would be much more reasonable and realistic than 60%. Tariffs can lead to short-term challenges, but long-term prosperity. But again, if taken seriously.
Step 5: Don’t Negatively Impact Social Rights
This is an issue that could leave society into shambles if this right is taken away. When Roe was overturned in 2022, at least the decision was up to the states. If there is any attempt to ban it completely, that would be catastrophic. It would spark division, enrage riots, and, most importantly, severely harm women nationwide. We need to be united, not divided, and a nationwide abortion ban would bring up divisions and do nothing but harm women nationwide. I urge Trump to just focus on the economy and foreign affairs. He can keep those stable, don’t go near social issues, it will get very messy, very quickly, unless he works to overturn the 2022 decision, which I believe can bring unity and acceptance with the democratic party.
On January 20th, 2025, President-Elect Trump’s success will be the country’s success, and I urge him to pick a cabinet on merit, be sensible, and simply just to govern with democrats and republicans. Let us hope unity and prosperity is in store for us. All we can do is hope.
President Joe Biden is right, “We’re the United States of America, and there is nothing we can not do when we do it together.”
