"The media just don't get it" - Comedian explains Trump's cabinet

Merkur "The media just don't get it" - Comedian explains Trump's cabinet Lisa Mahnke • 13 hours • 2 minutes reading time Core of Trump's policy? Donald Trump nominates controversial candidates for his cabinet. Jon Stewart sees this as a clear strategy of the future president. Washington, D.C. - The cabinet nominees for the designated US President Donald Trump are being discussed controversially. The comedian and podcast host Jon Stewart has his own opinion on this. In his view, "the media just don't get it" and are missing the real point of choosing Trump's favorites. Trump's strategy is to "dismantle" the agencies of the US government, according to Stewart. For Trump, it is therefore not a "disadvantage" that his cabinet members "will not be adequate administrators of these agencies," said Stewart in a podcast episode of "The Weekly Show" published on November 21. "They are set up for dismantling," said the podcast host. Stewart then explained his theory of Trump's major attack on US politics with examples: "If we say I don't think Linda McMahon will be an efficient administrator of the Department of Education, then she's not there to do that," he continued. "She's there to dismantle it, just like RFK Jr. is there to dismantle the Department of Health." According to The Daily Beast, Trump even explicitly said that he wants to abolish the department she would lead. He wants to return education policy to the level of the US states, the Republican said in a video in 2023. "We want them to take care of our children's education because they can do it much better," he explained. Tech billionaire Elon Musk and his planned position in the Trump cabinet are probably the symbol of the cuts and dismantling policy. He is to lead the so-called DOGE Ministry, which is supposed to deal with government efficiency and make cuts. In preparation, he had already made some plans, which he shared with his followers in real time on the online service X. Is the Democrats' bureaucracy to blame? Journalist warns of horror scenario According to Stewart, the Democrats are responsible for the fact that the massive US bureaucracy has not been reformed. Trump, on the other hand, is doing what Trump voters want - this includes reducing the size of the government apparatus. "And many Democratic voters have implored the Democrats to overcome the status quo and institutional thinking and make the government more responsive and flexible if possible," the comedian continued. "You cannot run with the boldness of hope and govern with a fear of the possible," Stewart criticized the Democrats. This also explains the limited success of the Democratic candidate in the 2024 US election: Against the backdrop of the sleepy bureaucratic apparatus of the US government, a hopeful campaign would not have been credible. Combined with opaque communication, it was the end for Harris. The next election may well see a "somewhat anarchic legislature," says podcast guest Annie Lowrey, who writes for The Atlantic. (lismah)