Trump’s nomination of his doctor to be VA Secretary is already falling apart less than two hours after it was announced.
Trump tweeted:
I am pleased to announce that I intend to nominate highly respected Admiral Ronny L. Jackson, MD, as the new Secretary of Veterans Affairs….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 28, 2018
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….In the interim, Hon. Robert Wilkie of DOD will serve as Acting Secretary. I am thankful for Dr. David Shulkin’s service to our country and to our GREAT VETERANS!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 28, 2018
Trump picked Ronny Jackson not because he is qualified, but because Trump liked him:
Trump began telling others in the White House that Ronny Jackson might be the VA pick on Monday, per two advisers. One of these people said it was hard to overstate how much their personal connection played into the offer. "I love the guy!" Trump has said, calling him "The Doc."
— Josh Dawsey (@jdawsey1) March 28, 2018
For analysis of how Republicans are reacting to Dr. Jackson’s chances of being confirmed, Jonathan Swan of Axios tweeted:
One longtime Republican lobbyist offered a two-word prediction for Dr. Jackson’s chances of Senate confirmation: “Harriet Miers.â€
— Jonathan Swan (@jonathanvswan) March 28, 2018
Harriet Miers was George W. Bush’s disastrously unqualified Supreme Court nominee who withdrew after it was clear that the Senate was going to vote her confirmation down.
The one consistency of the Trump presidency is that a president who knows nothing about the job that he is supposed to be doing consistently nominates unqualified people for jobs in his administration. What does Dr. Jackson know about the VA or veterans’ issues? Trump has once again placed his own personal whims ahead of the people that he is supposed to be serving.
The Senate should immediately reject the nomination of Dr. Jackson and insist that Trump finds a nominee who is qualified to deal with the pressing needs of US veterans. Dr. Jackson’s nomination is already looking like it dead less than two hours after it was announced, which even for Donald Trump might be a new record of failure.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
