Ever since the election, we’ve seen a whirlwind of announcements from the incoming Trump Administration on his nominees for cabinet positions. Our democracy works best when leaders are held accountable to the people they serve. Rubber-stamping nominees not only weakens public faith in government but also signals that political loyalty outweighs the needs of everyday people.

Luckily, we were able to dodge the worst of the worst—the horrendous initial pick of Matt Gaetz for attorney general—thanks in no small part to the hesitation or outright refusal from Utah’s Senator-elect John Curtis to consider him for the post of the nation’s chief law enforcer. We’re hoping that Senator-elect Curtis continues to influence the nominations in a more positive direction. That’s why we sent a letter encouraging Curtis to reject one of the nominations that could have the biggest impact on Utah—secretary for the Interior Department.

Here is our list of the top five Trump nominees from worst to worst (in no particular order). Below that is a call to action that we hope you take today urging Curtis to seriously consider Trump’s appointments and stop the worst of the worst! 

1. Pete Hegseth – Department of Defense

A Fox News host and former officer of the national guard, Pete Hegseth is the unconventional and controversial choice by Trump to lead the three million people who work in the Department of Defense. Although he denies the allegations and was never charged, Hegseth has faced accusations of sexual assault in the past. He has repeatedly come to the defense of soldiers accused of war crimes, going so far as to advocate for disregarding international human rights treaties. 

Learn more about Pete Hegseth on the Nov. 26 episode of The Daily podcast. 

2. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. – Department of Health and Human Services

A vaccine skeptic and onetime Democratic presidential candidate, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is the concerning  choice by Trump to lead the scientists, experts, and other employees in the Department of Health and Human Services. The list of extreme beliefs espoused by Kennedy is long: linking vaccines with autism, fluoride causing many diseases, and blaming mass shootings on antidepressants, among other concerning beliefs. Even if he supports increased access to medical cannabis, do we want a man who believes heroin helped him in school as the top health officer of the nation? 

Learn more about Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in this article from The New Yorker.

3. Tulsi Gabbard – Director of National non-Intelligence

A former Democratic Congresswoman from Hawaii and also onetime presidential candidate, Tulsi Gabbard is the alarming  choice by Trump to lead the nation’s spies as Director of National Intelligence. Not only does she lack qualifications as an intelligence professional (can we say that she lacks “intelligence qualifications?”), she is considered by many to be a serious risk to national security. She’s definitely loyal, as she proves by consistently bootlicking for authoritarians like Assad and Putin, in addition to Trump.

Learn more about Tulsi Gabbard in this article from The New Yorker. 

4. Mehmet Oz – Centers for Medicare and Medicaid

A former television host and arguably successful author, Dr. Mehmet Oz is the confusing choice by Trump to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid which oversees health coverage for more than 150 million Americans. Dr. Oz “was known for pushing questionable medical treatments on his daytime talk show,” including promoting the controversial hydroxychloroquine during the COVID-19 pandemic, yet he would have influence over a $1 trillion budget, drug price negotiations, implementation of the Affordable Care Act, and medication coverage decisions.

Learn more about Mehmet Oz in this article from NPR.

5. Doug Burgum – Department of the Interior

Former software CEO, current Governor of North Dakota, and probably the most tame person on this list, Doug Burgum is Trump’s choice to lead the Department of the Interior and oversee hundreds of millions of acres of public lands. Burgum is “known as a big booster of oil and gas drilling,” which is concerning because he would oversee oil and gas leases on Bureau of Land Management land across the United States. Burgum is a Trump loyalist, having been considered at one point to be his running mate, so he is expected to implement Trump’s promises to “drill, drill, drill,” worsening climate and health impacts, as well as access to public lands.

Learn more about Doug Burgum in this article from Politico.

Better Utah Letter to Congressman Curtis