Against Ukraine or Russia: what the appointment of Tulsi Gabbard and Trump's team means.
A week after Donald Trump's victory in the U.S. presidential election, the names of more than ten individuals who will join the new Republican administration became public. Among the latest personnel decisions by the 47th head of the White House are the nominations for the positions of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and leaders of the newly created Department of Government Efficiency — Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy.
The Colorful Trump Team
Donald Trump also announced a number of other appointments. For instance, Lee Zeldin, a former congressman from New York who served for eight years in the House of Representatives and showed little interest in environmental protection issues, is expected to head the Environmental Protection Agency. After Trump's announcement, Zeldin stated that he would focus on "restoring U.S. dominance in the energy market" and "reviving the automotive industry" as the head of the agency.
Meanwhile, American media reported that Trump intends to appoint Kristi Noem, the governor of South Dakota and an opponent of aid to Ukraine, as the head of the Department of Homeland Security (a rather powerful agency responsible for border security, immigration, counter-terrorism, cybersecurity, disaster response, and the Secret Service).
1 The Republican was once considered by Trump as a candidate for vice president, but she later admitted to the brutal killing of her own dog and goat, after which her name vanished from the list of potential partners for the president. Nevertheless, she has remained a loyal ally of Trump and is known for refusing to mandate mask-wearing in South Dakota during the COVID-19 pandemic and for deploying the state's National Guard to assist Texas in combating illegal immigration. Noem is also known for being declared a persona non grata on Native American land in her home state.
Additionally, Donald Trump named former congresswoman and ex-Democrat Tulsi Gabbard as a candidate for the position of Director of National Intelligence. This position has been held by Avril Haines since January 2021. "I know that Tulsi will bring a fearless spirit to our intelligence community, which has defined her brilliant career, advocating for our constitutional rights and ensuring peace from a position of strength," — quotes a statement from Trump released by his transition team, as reported by Reuters.
2 Ms. Gabbard has served in the U.S. National Guard since 2003 and performed duties in a field medical unit of the U.S. Army in Iraq from 2004 to 2005. In 2020, she transitioned to the Army Reserve and a year later was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel. Previously, Gabbard worked as a political commentator on Fox News and was a member of the Democratic Party. However, in 2022, she left the party and openly supported Trump in the August 2024 elections.
Associated Press emphasizes that Tulsi Gabbard has not worked directly in the intelligence community, except for her involvement in the relevant House committees — on homeland security and armed services. The agency also points out that Gabbard is against American support for Ukraine. Interestingly, in April 2022, the Center for Countering Disinformation (CCD) reported that Gabbard had been working for foreign audiences funded by Russia for several years, thus serving their interests.
Why Trump's Team is Doomed to Fail
In a situation where qualifications take a back seat to loyalty to the president, experts note that "such a team typically fails miserably on fundamental issues."
3 "It should be understood that people from Trump's circle, who have talked a lot about Ukraine, bear no responsibility for it. For instance, Tulsi, Vance, and others have said many negative things about Ukraine in the past. But after their appointments, they will not necessarily be more cautious; they will simply be forced to change their viewpoints in accordance with Trump's opinions and visions. If Trump determines that Ukraine is important, they will all sing that same song in unison. In this context, I don't see much difference between Trump and Obama. Moreover, despite having already been in the White House, Trump still has to become president, as evidenced by his chaotic and clumsy appointments," — emphasizes Viktor Nebozhenko.
Assuming that Trump, "like a good landlord," might discipline this "colorful flock" and make them work in one direction, the expert concluded that this is not yet evident: "It is not felt, primarily because they are all very different. Well, listen, making a Fox News major journalist the Secretary of Defense... is an insult to colonels and generals. Yes, if it were the revolution of 1917, then one could appoint a soldier to command the army. But in a strong developed country — unlikely."
Overall, Viktor Nebozhenko believes that the positions of any of Trump's team, especially regarding the Russian-Ukrainian war, will align according to the will of the U.S. president. "This means that, for the most part, Ukraine, considering the weight of the United States in our support, will depend on how Trump wakes up in the morning, who will operate according to a business project scheme. That is, if he sees useful minerals and shale gas in Ukraine, he will fight for it. Otherwise, we should not expect anything qualitatively groundbreaking and good from Trump's administration," — the expert concludes.
Will Trump's Appointees Really Move in Unison with Him?
4 Emphasizing that with some exceptions (Musk, Ramaswamy), the positions of Trump's top appointees will correlate with his — Trump's — vision of the situation, the expert stated: "For the most part, the candidates whose names are currently being mentioned in the media in the context of forming the power team of the 47th president of the United States are individuals who will move in unison with Trump's line. If he (Trump. — Ed.) advocates for aid to Ukraine, they will not oppose it, even if they are not particularly fond of it. Conversely, if Trump opposes aid to Ukraine, they will welcome that. And vice versa. There are people who have supported sanctions against Russia, such as Rubio, but after Trump expressed his discontent with substantial financial support for Ukraine, they voted against it."
According to the political scientist, the key principle guiding Donald Trump in choosing candidates for various positions of power is "the principle of loyalty, as well as gratitude for loyalty and support during the elections."
5 The overwhelming majority of people surrounding Trump, Vladimir Fesenko believes, are critically opposed to America's adversaries, including the Russian Federation. Highlighting that the future Secretary of State Rubio is referred to in Russia as a Russophobe, the political scientist noted that this is what is important to us, rather than who among the Republicans once voted on the issue of supporting Ukraine, because "voting often had purely instrumental and situational significance for individual senators or congressmen." Taking this into account, and in the absence of "consistent anti-Ukrainian sentiment," Vladimir Fesenko emphasizes that such individuals need to be worked with to change their positions in our favor.
"But, unfortunately, we know examples of when there is a congresswoman of Ukrainian descent (referring to Republican Victoria Spartz. — Ed.) who consistently votes against supporting Ukraine. And supposedly she visited Ukraine in 2022 and showed support, but as soon as she saw that Trump was against it, she instantly forgot about the country of her origin," — recalls Vladimir Fesenko. In summary, the political scientist expresses the belief that most people who belong to Trump's renewed team currently lack a clearly expressed position on Ukraine.