DENVER — It’s been nine days since the election, and the country is looking at what President-elect Donald Trump’s second administration might look like.

Thursday, Trump announced Robert Kennedy Jr. as the nominee to head the Department of Health and Human Services. The selection comes one day after Trump’s nomination Rep. Matt Gaetz for the Attorney General.

“It’s clear that Donald Trump has kind of reconfigured the ideology of the Republican Party from a kind of classical, neoconservative, fiscally conservative administration to something different,” said Michael Greenberger, assistant professor of political science at the University from Denver. Donald Trump is very good at being a showman and bringing in people who are going to get a lot of attention, and I think, frankly, what drives a lot of his choices is that he knows they’re going to get a lot of attention.”

Greenberger said Trump’s picks are people who have been loyal to the president-elect and will carry out the wishes of his second administration.

Colorado Republicans react to nominations

Kristi Burton Brown is a lifelong Republican and former chair of the Colorado GOP.

“People look at it like they look at a sports draft,” Brown said.

She doesn’t think Trump is just picking nominees based on favors he owes them.

“I think it’s probably fair when it comes to Matt Gaetz, for example, I think it’s very likely he won’t be confirmed. He can only lose by four votes in the Senate, and there are a number of Republicans who have concerns about Matt Gaetz, so it’s probably true about him. But I think as a whole, when you look at all of his nominations, that’s really not true,” Brown said. “He doesn’t owe Elise Stefanik. She was truly a leader on anti-Semitism in Congress. He doesn’t owe it to Marco Rubio. Actually, to make fun of Marco Rubio, they haven’t always had the best relationship, but he really has national security credentials and would be an excellent. secretary of state, so I don’t think that’s entirely accurate.

Brown supports many of Trump’s picks, including Sen. Marco Rubio for secretary of state, Lee Zeldin for the Environmental Protection Agency and Elise Stefanik for UN ambassador. She does not support Gaetz’s nomination for attorney general.

“Someone who had credible allegations against him that came out with underage women and things that he’s known for showing on the floor of the House, someone like that shouldn’t be running the Department of Justice. He should not be attorney general,” Brown said. “If President Trump wants to give him another position unrelated to the judiciary, fine. But putting someone with his background in a position over our judicial system is not a good idea at all.”

Brown said the selection of RFK Jr., who has repeatedly advocated against vaccines, as secretary of Health and Human Services is not necessarily surprising.

“Whether or not you agree with every position RFK takes, he is certainly pushing for something that a lot of suburban women have embraced these days, especially mothers who are feeding our children healthier foods using some of the standards Europe uses when cutting. back to chemicals in the way our food is produced,” Brown explained.

The process of confirming the choice of cabinet

In order for nominees to be confirmed, they must be approved by a majority vote in the Senate.

“There is a long process where these appointments have to go to a Senate committee that will do an investigation, ask some questions and then make a recommendation to the full Senate. And after a simple majority vote, those nominees could be appointed,” Greenberger said. “Confirming appointments is a central duty of the United States Senate.”

The Constitution allows for recess appointments, which gives presidents the ability to fill their administrations while the Senate is in recess. Robert Preuhs, a political science professor at the Metropolitan State University of Denver, said Trump may use recess appointments depending on how the Senate leadership reacts to some of his more controversial picks.

“Holiday programs are not new. You know, President Obama did something, President Bush did something. This is not necessarily new. And it’s actually helpful because when the Senate is in recess, there are vacancies that need to be filled,” Preuhs explained. “I think some of these controversial nominees will probably have pushback from members of the Senate Republican Caucus and, so (holiday appointments) might not happen anyway.”

Preuhs said the Department for Government Efficiency, to be led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, would be created within the White House Office and would be classified as a policy office, meaning it would not be subject to Senate confirmation .

One of the first tests for Trump will be how much power the Senate is willing to give him, Preuhs explained.

“There are a lot of people in the Senate who clearly see their role as one of the important checks on the president’s power,” Preuhs said.

“Recess appointments used for cabinet-level nominees would be a major blow to our system of checks and balances,” Greenberger said.

Colorado Democrats share mixed reactions to RFK Jr.’s nomination

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis expressed his support for RFK Jr. on social media Thursday, taking many by surprise.

One post on Xex Twitter, Polis said RFK Jr. “helped us defeat vaccine mandates in Colorado in 2019 and will help make America healthy again by shaking up HHS and the FDA.”

About an hour later, Polis he clarified his thoughts after receiving adverse reactions. The governor said, “Science must remain the cornerstone of our nation’s health policy, and the science-backed decision to get vaccinated improves public health and safety. pesticides on public health, agricultural nutrition policies, and lack of access to prescription drugs due to high drug prices. This is why I am for a major change in institutions like the FDA that have been barriers to lowering drug costs and promoting healthy food choices, so there is no doubt, I am vaccinated, as is my family, I will hold any secretary of HHS to the same high standard of protecting and improving public health.

Polis’ support for RFK Jr. on Thursday seemed to run counter to thoughts the governor shared just three months ago. In August, Polis tweeted a video of RFK Jr.saying, “I’m not sure how bringing back measles and polio makes anyone healthier.”

The governor’s office issued a statement Thursday night following Polis’ social media activity.

Eric Maruyama, a Polis spokesman, said the governor “has not changed his overall view of RFK Jr. or the governor’s previously stated concerns about some of RFK Jr’s positions.”

“While opposing RFK’s positions on a range of issues, including vaccines and banning fluoridation, (Polis) would appreciate seeing action on pesticides and efforts to lower prescription drug costs, and if Trump nominates someone like him, then let them take it on too. soda, processed foods, pesticides and heavy metal contamination But it certainly does not support actions that would lead to measles outbreaks and opposes unscientific propaganda. undermines confidence in the life-saving impact of vaccines,” Maruyama continued.

Full statement:

Shad Murib, chairman of the Colorado Democratic Party, did not share Polis’ sentiments about RFK Jr.’s nomination. In a statement, Murib said the health secretary nominee “consistently undermines trust in science by using his personal beliefs and conspiracy theories as evidence’. The president accused Trump of being “more interested in ‘owning the libraries’ during his second term than doing anything to improve your life.”

Full Statement: