James Carville might be onto something.
Two weeks after the Democratic strategist suggested Tucker Carlson was behind President-elect Donald Trump’s wild-card Cabinet nominees, the Wall Street Journal has reported that Carlson was indeed the one who killed Mike Pompeo’s chances in the new administration.
Trump insiders originally believed Pompeo, who served as secretary of state during Trump’s first term, was at the top of his former boss’s list to lead the Department of Defense.
But Carlson argued Pompeo was a warmonger and claimed—without providing any evidence—that he had plotted to assassinate Wikileaks founder Julian Assange. Pompeo denied the story in October.
Perhaps more importantly for Trump, Carlson and Donald Trump Jr., who has been helping lead his father’s transition team, also argued Pompeo had failed to prove his loyalty to Trump by calling the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol “unacceptable” and refusing to say Joe Biden stole the 2020 election, the Journal reported.
Soon after the election, Trump announced on his social media platform Truth Social in November that neither Mike Pompeo nor his former ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley—who ran against him the Republican primary—would be joining his administration.
Trump spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told the Journal that Trump’s Cabinet picks “reflect his priority to put America first,” and that he “will continue to appoint highly-qualified men and women who have the talent, experience, and necessary skill sets” to fulfill his agenda.
Trump has since nominated Pete Hegseth, a former Fox News host and combat veteran, to lead the Department of Defense. Hegseth’s nomination has been dogged by accusations of sexual misconduct, alcohol abuse and financial management—all allegations that he denies.
But unlike Pompeo, Hegseth has criticized the U.S. providing military support to Ukraine after Russia invaded in February 2022.
Conveniently, Carlson has become a media darling in Russia, conducting interviews that offer high-ranking officials a chance to bolster President Vladimir Putin’s efforts to scare the U.S. into stepping away from Ukraine by threatening to escalate the conflict into a nuclear war.
For Trump, however, loyalty seems more important than ideology. His Cabinet nominees represent a surprising range of sometimes-conflicting policy positions, although everyone being vetted for senior administration jobs has one thing in common—they’ve been grilled on their loyalty to Trump.
If candidates acknowledge Biden won the 2020 election, they’re out, the New York Times reported earlier this month. The Wall Street Journal confirmed Carlson and Trump Jr. are committed to blocking anyone who will try to “control” Trump instead of serving him.
With Pompeo out and Hegseth in, Trump gets his MAGA loyalist and Carlson gets a secretary of defense who opposes aid to Ukraine.
And Carville’s words from earlier this month seem prescient: “Tucker is 40 times more clever than [former Trump adviser] Steve Bannon, he’s 40 times more connected… He’s a very bright man who should not be underrated.”
