‘Americans are getting what they voted for’: Steve Hilton on Trump’s cabinet picks
| Updated:
Former Fox News presenter Steve Hilton weighs in on Donald Trump’s cabinet picks.
Listen to this article
Read time: 3 minutes
In brief…
- Right-wing commentator Steve Hitlon speaks to The News Agents about Trump’s cabinet picks.
- He tells Emily Maitlis the controversial selection of Trump loyalists will deliver upheaval, which is what America voted for.
- He argues Elon Musk’s DOGE will be a key driver in delivering change.
What’s the story?
From Matt Gaetz to Pete Hegseth, some of Donald Trump’s cabinet picks have raised eyebrows.
Gaetz, who was investigated for sex trafficking offences, has only been a lawyer for two years yet as Trump’s attorney general would be the highest legal official in the US.
Likewise, Fox News presenter Hegseth has little experience in national security, but is set to become defence secretary.
According to Steve Hilton, a right-wing commentator and former director of strategy for David Cameron, this is what the American people voted for.
“He’s putting together a team which is clearly going to deliver the promises he made,” Hilton tells The News Agents.
He adds: “If you hear some of the discussion around this, it's all about Trump getting what he wants, people who are going to deliver his promises.
“But another perspective on that is that the American voters are getting what they voted for,” he adds.
'Would you vote to approve Matt Gaetz as attorney general?'
Will America get a “complete upheaval”?
Hilton’s argument goes that Americans voted for change.
Pre-election polls, he points out, reflected this.
Indeed, around 8 in 10 voters in an AP VoteCast poll wanted to see at least a “substantial change” in how America is governed.
One-quarter said they wanted complete and total upheaval.
“If Trump puts together a team that is going to be disruptive and challenges the status quo, that's actually what people voted for,” Hilton says.
How does he think the new cabinet will deliver this?
Hilton argues the biggest and most obvious upheaval will be Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy’s new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
It is set to be tasked with cutting spending to help reduce the US federal fiscal deficit.
An official statement said the goal of the project was “a smaller government, with more efficiency and less bureaucracy”.
Hilton says: “What they're going to be looking at in terms of the structure and operations of the federal bureaucracy is incredibly important.
“It's just so bloated now and needs real upheaval on a scale that I think those two certainly have in mind… They're really bringing a kind of entrepreneurial and first principles mindset to it.”
Hilton claims there are “so many duplicative agencies and departments” with “endless busy bodies interfering with businesses and daily life on a massive scale”.
He adds: “That's totally out of step with what was ever imagined for the federal government, so I think that I'm really excited for what they can deliver.”
But “whether they'll be able to actually deliver it is a different question”, Hilton admits.
Does it matter that Trump is surrounding himself with ‘loyalists’?
Emily asks whether it matters that Trump’s handpicked team is comprised largely of loyal allies.
“You look at the appointments of people like Marco Rubio, Mike Waltz… These are very impressive people,” he says.
Hilton disputes that Rubio is a so-called loyalist, noting that the Republican who faced off with Trump in the 2016 primaries has previously exchanged blows with the president-elect.
“He'll be looking for a pragmatic interaction, I think that's always the way to understand Donald Trump, as someone who just wants to get results. He's a business guy at heart.”
And ultimately, voters knew what they would be getting with Trump.
The American electorate, Hilton argues, wanted to “go back to the good results that we had the last time Donald Trump was the president.”
He adds: “They knew all the other information that's out there about Trump and his record, his history, his character, all the things that that people love to talk about.
“But they took that into account and voted for him anyway. And I think that in a way has to be the last word on it. That's what democratic process is about.”
Listen in full on The News Agents
