Gabbard offers inside look at Trump’s cabinet meeting

Donald Trump just held his first cabinet meeting, and it blew up all over social media.

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard also offered an inside look at what took place.

Trump’s Cabinet Picks

Donald Trump moved fast and furious with his second term cabinet.

Trump clearly was only taking people that would be loyal to him, not exactly what happened during the first administration.

While they were all loyal to him, not all of them had an easy time getting confirmed (of the cabinet members who have already been confirmed).

Even so, Senator Thune (R-S.D.) has managed to get cabinet members approved at break-neck speed, relatively speaking.

Musk Attends Meeting

While not a cabinet member, Elon Musk was invited to the first cabinet meeting to help explain some of the DOGE directives and his controversial letter to federal staffers.

Musk explained the reaction to his moves thus far, as well as the response, stating, "I'm taking a lot of flak and getting a lot of death threats, by the way. I can, like, stack them up. But if we don't do this, America will go bankrupt. That's why it has to be done."

He also tried to explain his email, stating, "I think that email perhaps was interpreted as a performance review, but actually it was a pulse check review. Do you have a pulse and two neurons?"

I think that was Elon trying to backpedal a bit, as the intent of the letter was quite clear… respond or you will be fired. Only after several cabinet members pushed back on the letter did Musk soften his tone. I am already on record stating that I think the letter was too aggressive, as I would leave it up to my department heads to evaluate talent and positions, and make cuts as they see fit.

Tulsi Chimes In

I have taken some flack for questioning if Gabbard was the right pick as the DNI, but I have also stated I am willing to be convinced. I had Gabbard pegged to take over Veteran Affairs, so I was shocked when she was given the DNI post.

Gabbard, thus far, has been doing a good job, and she seems impressed by her fellow cabinet members, stating, "What I got was a high level of energy and really just a positive outlook.” She added that they are all in “sprint mode.”

Something that Gabbard pointed to is very important, in that she stated many of Trump’s cabinet members have known each other for a long time and they are friends, which will hopefully help them get through what now appears to be a mild power struggle.

I believe the wild card in all of this is Musk, who is not used to taking orders from anyone. He is clearly overreaching a bit, so it will be interesting to see if Trump gets him to dial it back or gives him the power to make decisions that should be for department heads. If that happens, it will likely result in mass resignations. Why would any Director or Secretary stay on if they were not the ultimate shot caller in their department? My gut tells me this will all work itself out, but I would be remiss if I did not play devil’s advocate here and look at all possible outcomes, including the bad ones.