WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — In the two weeks since Election Day, President-elect Donald Trump has set records with the pace of his appointments entry administration. But speed should not be confused with organization.

Trump has made more than two dozen appointments and nominations, including 16 cabinet-level posts. The selection process, taking place in a converted conference room at his Mar-a-Lago club and on his gilded private jet, risks repeating some of the mistakes of his first term and making new ones.

The choices are suddenly a manifestation of Trump’s commitment to voters to be a disruptive force in the country and a return to the chaotic era of governance that defined his first four years in the Oval Office.

“Last time they were slow and disorganized, this time they’re fast and disorganized,” said David Marchick, dean of American University’s Kogod School of Business and co-author of “The Peaceful Transition of Power,” a book on the presidency. transitions.

He said Trump was moving at least four times faster in rolling out his cabinet than his modern predecessors, but added: “They’re moving fast, but they’re making new mistakes.”

“It’s going at breakneck, reckless speed because there’s no checking.”

Trump himself has shown no sign of regret about his personnel choices, despite questions that have arisen about the qualifications and experience of some of his nominees.

Senator Eric Schmitt of Missouri, a Trump ally, said: “The president deserves to be able to put people in place to do what he campaigned on, which is to disrupt, and the establishment is worried and probably should be.”

But while allies say they are using their own processes to prepare for governing as the president-elect works to fulfill his pledge to dramatically reshape Washington, Max Stier, president and CEO of the Partnership for Public Service, has said Trump’s team is missing a critical element. element of the process.

“Transition is not about change,” he said, “it’s about finding the right change agent.”

Trump’s transition team has not signed on necessary agreements with the White House and Department of Justice to allow government background checks on his potential appointments and nominations. The trial is being conducted from Trump’s private club and his old campaign offices, not from government facilities in Washington, because the president-elect has so far chosen not to cooperate with The Biden administration while preparing for his.

“President Trump was re-elected on a resounding mandate from the American people to change the status quo in Washington,” said transition spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt, incoming White House press secretary. “That is why he has chosen brilliant and highly respected foreigners to serve in his administration and will continue to support them as he fights against all who seek to derail the MAGA agenda.”

Many Trump aides said they were surprised to learn of the sexual assault allegations against Pete Hegseth, the Fox News host tapped to lead the Pentagon. Hegseth denied the allegations, but his lawyer admitted that Hegseth had paid the accuser a settlement of money. Screening and background check questionnaires are designed in part to obtain this type of history prior to a selection.

The manner in which some of the announcements were revealed indicates the lack of an orderly process for the elections. Some selections were revealed by Trump’s official transition team via email, others via posts on his Truth Social platform. Trump’s pick of former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard to be director of national intelligence came from a post by outsider loyalist Roger Stone.

The selection of Matt Gaetz as the nominee for attorney general was shocking not because of his personal baggage — which is well known among Republicans, including many in his own party in Congress, who revile him — but because of Trump’s decision to pick him anyway, because he prioritize loyalty for those in his new administration. The House Ethics Committee will meet Wednesday to decide whether to release a report on the allegations, including that Gaetz had sex with an underage woman, as Senate Democrats seek to obtain records from a Department of Justice criminal investigation. Justice, now closed, on the legislator.

Gabbard’s history of praising dictators like Syria’s Bashar al-Assad is also well-documented, while former New York Rep. Lee Zeldin’s limited experience on environmental issues did not prevent his nomination to lead the Environmental Protection Agency.

The selections indicate that Trump is rewarding those who have been vocal supporters and looking for picks that excite his base, especially when their views are considered disruptive and alarming to Washington, academia or other experts — such as the choice of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. Trump also appeared to support some of Kennedy’s views, including his skepticism about vaccines.

None of that could matter with Republicans taking a 53-47 majority in the Senate, which would normally have to confirm his selections. Trump also vowed to try to use recess appointments to push his nominees out of the normal process.

Trump has yet to develop a grassroots operation to support his potential nominees, from public relations experts to help defend them from attack or guides to guide them through the Senate confirmation process. Ohio Sen. JD Vance, the vice president-elect, took a leading role in lobbying his colleagues on behalf of Trump’s picks, and Trump himself advocated on their behalf. But Trump’s allies have publicly acknowledged that the withdrawal may derail some of his picks.

“We have backup plans,” Donald Trump Jr. told Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo on Sunday. “But I think obviously we go with the strongest candidates first.” The president’s son has privately and publicly lobbied figures in Trump’s orbit for administration posts and is particularly close to Vance.

Meanwhile, debate over who should fill the highest-ranking job still awaiting a nominee, that of Treasury secretary, turned into a public debate, with billionaire and Trump adviser Elon Musk quizzing his followers with on how Trump should decide between the top contenders, including Howard. Lutnick, the transition co-chairman who ended up being tapped Tuesday to lead the Commerce Department.

“Moving fast isn’t a very good strategy if you don’t move well — And they don’t move well,” Stier said. “It’s done quickly, but it’s done without the kind of due diligence that usually takes place and ensures that no mistakes are made.”

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AP writers Michele L. Price in New York and Steven Groves in Washington contributed.