One of the funnier moments of the 2016 campaign was Trump’s rant about winning. It perfectly encapsulates his style of politics: mixing optimism, hyperbole, and a recognition that Americans aren’t satisfied with being in second place–and they are angry about an elite that aspires to mediocrity.
This is the sort of moment that elites see as Trump spouting incoherent nonsense. But it really isn’t. It’s one of those “seriously but not literally moments” in which Trumpisms that annoy intellectuals resonate with ordinary people.
Well, I bring all this up because that is how I feel about most of Trump’s major personnel picks right now. I have questions about Gaetz and am open-minded but a bit skeptical of Hegseth–mostly because I worry that the Pentagon bureaucracy is a beast that needs a lot of…
