# The Toadies in the Cabinet **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [April 19, 2025, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-toadies-in-the-cabinet/1017225 "2025-04-19T17:35:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2025, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-toadies-in-the-cabinet/1017225/41 "2025-04-20T03:56:36Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Decades from now, scientists will identify the gene which made 40-ish percent of the U.S. population find Trump to be amazingly charismatic, and worthy of blind devotion. I think it’s probably something like the gene which determines if you think cilantro tastes good, or tastes like soap. I think you’re onto something here! ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2025, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-toadies-in-the-cabinet/1017225/42 "2025-04-20T04:20:16Z")
I would suspect that the only reason Gaetz got the appointment in the first place was so he had an excuse to resign from Congress and hopefully bury the Ethics Committee report (which wound up getting released anyway). But that would require Trump to do someone a favor without getting something better in return, and that’s just anathema to his way of thinking. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2025, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-toadies-in-the-cabinet/1017225/43 "2025-04-20T04:34:49Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > But that would require Trump to do someone a favor without getting something better in return, and that’s just anathema to his way of thinking. It may be that what Trump got out of it was a test case, as to just how far he could push Senate Republicans, and just how compliant they were going to be to him, at that moment in time. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2025, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-toadies-in-the-cabinet/1017225/44 "2025-04-20T06:56:47Z")
> [@Tatterdemalion](#): > > In these circumstances, Vance would have both the Military and the SS backing him. I doubt any of the faithful will get through that. Unless they get very lucky. Hey, it’s happened before. > [@](#): > > And anyway, I think it’s all moot. Trump will be so obviously sunk in dementia by 2028, if he’s still alive, that even his own supporters won’t be able to deny it. You have far more faith in their inability to continue to delude themselves than I do. The marionettist currently providing the performance are damn close to Trump = John Gill. > [@](#): > > We need to work on dealing with the disaster before us of course. But I am interested in discussing what happens when Trump is no longer capable of wielding power, whether through death, dementia or term limits. I agree we need to work on the disaster in front of us. We also need to protect against the insane disasters the republicans, especially maga, want to inflict upon us. Also, see the John Gill reference above. > [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > If Trump dies in office, his successor _that day_ would be — a Marine Corps veteran and former Senator, with a law degree from Yale, who’s been sitting in on Cabinet meetings as the Vice-President, right? Isn’t that the usual amount of education or training that successors hereabouts get? That’s the way it’s been done in our past 200+ years of normalcy. We’re no longer dealing with normal. As I mentioned above, I do not believe the suggested plan of fronting Vance so VP Trump can become America’s first phoenix is anywhere close to legal or constitutional. The point is a segment of maga believe it is and we have already seen how maga, and their leader Trump, view the laws and the constitution. Another thing is those other dictators spent years, decades, inculcating their vision of governance in their designated heirs. Trump has not done that nor will he ever. It’s too close to admitting _he does not deserve to be president forever_. Do you remember how he treated Pence when the vice president did not do his bidding to overthrow the election? That’s not someone who believes he’s training a successor. > [@PhillyGuy](#): > > Since I keep trying the approach of comparing Trump to international strongmen, I of course like to see others doing it. > > The Trump Organization has two executive vice presidents, Eric and Donald Jr. I don’t see this showing lack of succession planning. It’s not like DJT can just hand each of them a governorship. And it is normal for there to be more than one successor candidate. Kim Jun Un is likely to vacillate between his sister (current apparent favorite) and one of his children. One of the many books I’ve read on North Korea discussed the idea of a woman in charge of North Korea. The author roundly dismissed it as impossible in that society. It does appear, though, he’s begun grooming his elder daughter (skipping over his son) for the role. [Here is an NPR report on the issue.](https://www.npr.org/2023/03/08/1161859755/south-korea-says-again-that-kim-jong-un-has-3-children-and-the-eldest-is-a-son). The current leader hand-picking his child, even a daughter, will override the daughter of a deceased leader vying for the role, IMHO. > [@PhillyGuy](#): > > While there is a lot of violence in the world, it is an extremely hard thing to predict. IMHO most predictions of violence do not come true, especially if we are talking about violence that would not occur for four years.. > > But if you are mostly just predicting that Vance would not dare renege on an agreement to step down, I agree. Yep. He’s a coward. And he has an outsized ego, but not one as bad his master’s. He’ll accept the plan so he’ll go down in history books as the 48th president and then sod off to oblivion once he has performed his part. > [@Sylvanz](#): > > I work with a woman who told me that neither candidate deserved to be running, and she vote for trump becausevshe lurvess jd. Yep, she didn’t say jd vance or vance, she said jd. I guarantee you she really has no idea about any of it, politics, corruption, etc. except what people on fb tell her. That’s exactly like the discussion in _Fahrenheit 451_ about an upcoming election. > [@running\_coach](#): > > > [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > > > Only Matt Gaetz didn’t make it into office, > > So who’s currently the Gaetz’s keeper? Oh, you! I only say that because I’m jealous I didn’t come up wit hit. Good job! > [@Tatterdemalion](#): > > I suspect that Vance would never make an agreement to step down in the first place, but he might allow others to think he did. When it comes time to do it, he would as likely as not just tell everyone to pound sand, he’s president now. > > So what happens then? He gets shot. The Secret Service cannot protect him from the number of Trump faithful. > [@Smapti](#): > > He’d be just as likely to have Trump sent to El Salvador, IMO. Now _that_ would be poetic justice. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2025, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-toadies-in-the-cabinet/1017225/45 "2025-04-20T12:07:29Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > He’d be just as likely to have Trump sent to El Salvador, IMO. The world’s coolest dictator knows that locking a foreign former president in CECOT would set a bad precedent for himself. So Bukele would weasle out of accepting Trump. For the same reason, if Bidens are jailed (2027?), they need not fear El Salvador either. ---
**Author:** ![Tatterdemalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/43a26b/32.png) [@Tatterdemalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tatterdemalion)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2025, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-toadies-in-the-cabinet/1017225/46 "2025-04-20T17:32:38Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > Hey, it’s happened before. Yes it has, and it could happen again, but it doesn’t seem very likely to me. Past attempts have been by lone nuts, not the politically motivated. > [@Monty](#): > > You have far more faith in their inability to continue to delude themselves than I do. The marionettist currently providing the performance are damn close to Trump = John Gill. I do not think you are wrong. However we are already seeing that when there’s real money at stake, things change. I can see it going 2 ways, one is that it really does get so bad that it can’t be ignored and they find a more or less gentle way to put Trump out to pasture. In which case Vance takes over. The other way is that Trump is coddled along by his advisors and cabinet for the next 3 and change years. In which case we see increasing instability as his handlers fight among themselves for access and power. To build on your John Gill reference, in Trump’s case there’s no one Melakon (I almost mis-typed Melania there - but she’s not up to the job) controlling him. It’s his whole staff and cabinet, all with varying agendas I think this scenario will be become so obviously counter productive that there’s no chance that Trump or his handlers will be able to mount any kind of credible attempt at staying in power. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2025, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-toadies-in-the-cabinet/1017225/47 "2025-04-20T17:46:46Z")
Every time I think like, there’s no way anybody could enthusiastically support a sleazy, lying opportunist like V.D., I remember the inexplicable love so many have for trump, a creature with no redeeming qualities. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2025, 9:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-toadies-in-the-cabinet/1017225/48 "2025-04-22T09:40:31Z")
Even serial killers get marriage proposals in prison. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2025, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-toadies-in-the-cabinet/1017225/49 "2025-04-22T12:09:12Z")
> [@Tatterdemalion](#): > > I think this scenario will be become so obviously counter productive that there’s no chance that Trump or his handlers will be able to mount any kind of credible attempt at staying in power. What Love\_Rhombus said. Dictatorships are common. Having a presidential system go on for centuries without a successful coup and/or devolution into dictatorship is unusual. If Huey Long had lived, democracy here might already be long gone. One reason Trump’s threats against Greenland concern me is that the conquest of that island could go so well as to fuel a wave of Pro-Trump jingoism, pushing him way up in the polls. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2025, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-toadies-in-the-cabinet/1017225/50 "2025-04-22T12:41:32Z")
Getting back to the cabinet toadies (as I should have in my last post), this, from [CNN this morning](https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/22/politics/hegseth-defense-department-controversy-signal-chat/index.html), seems to me to make sense re Hegseth: > [@](#): > > President Donald Trump spent huge political capital [getting Hegseth confirmed](https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/24/politics/hegseth-defense-secretary-trump/index.html) because the Pentagon chief mirrors Trump’s own riotous political identity and instincts. The point of his selection was to show the conventions and traits that normally define top national security officials don’t apply in the president’s tear-it-down second term. While I don’t buy that Trump is a fascist, there are points of comparison. And Hitler sometimes kept on incompetents, including morphine addict Hermann Göring. There’s a danger that rather than firing Hegseth, Trump will give him some easy military mission, like invading Greenland or the Canal Zone, to show success with. ---
**Author:** ![Tatterdemalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/43a26b/32.png) [@Tatterdemalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tatterdemalion)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2025, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-toadies-in-the-cabinet/1017225/51 "2025-04-22T16:16:27Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > Dictatorships are common. Having a presidential system go on for centuries without a successful coup and/or devolution into dictatorship is unusual. If Huey Long had lived, democracy here might already be long gone. Most dictatorships are run by a strong man (Or Strongman if you will) and Trump is not one. In addition to being rather weak minded, his time is very definitely limited, and everyone in his orbit knows it. The smart ones are preparing for the end game, though some seem to be in deep denial. This can work out for a dictatorship if there is a solid transition plan in place, but I don’t see one here. Traditionally such a circumstance results in a civil war. I hope that doesn’t happen here. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-toadies-in-the-cabinet/1017225.md?page=2)