Deciding who among the president’s Cabinet proves to be the most troublesome is akin to selecting the ultimate Beatles track. The lineup is studded with standout contenders, so the answer shifts by the hour, depending on one’s mood.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. presents as a striking pick for the wrong reasons—a caricature of backward-looking populist babble aimed at hollowing out the nation’s defenses against infectious diseases. If hantavirus reaches our shores and the body count climbs because the United States fails to mobilize a rapid response, RFK will claim the mantle of “absolute worst” for posterity.
Pete Hegseth stands as another strong choice, for concerns I’ve articulated many times before. Unqualified for his role, damaging to the department he leads, and gleeful in his appetite for war-crime rhetoric, he embodies, in a pure sense, the quintessential Trump appointee.
And then there’s Kash Patel, a crude bore wrapped in an unusually spotless exterior.
The FBI director differs in a crucial respect from Kennedy and Hegseth. For better or worse (mostly worse), the latter two harbor agendas they pursue with palpable passion. Kennedy is a crusader against vaccines and an advocate for healthier eating. Hegseth is a culture warrior intent on stripping the Pentagon of vestiges of “diversity” and codes of conduct that he claims dampen “lethality.”
Patel doesn’t display anything comparable. There’s nothing he seems to yearn to pursue with his position except to retain it and enjoy the perks that accompany it.
