The Donald Trump hurricane has well and truly swept through Washington.
Already it is leaving signs of chaos and destruction. One of the first casualties is Matt Gaetz, who lasted fewer than 10 days as the president-elect’s pick to lead the Department of Justice.
His failure to even make it to the Senate confirmation process is not entirely unexpected, with his nomination generating a firestorm of controversy on Capitol Hill.
Gaetz decided to pull the pin on Thursday (Friday AEDT).
His nomination was a time-bomb for the new administration that threatened to explode its reputation and tarnish Trump with needless controversy before he was even able to swing his feet under the Resolute Desk.
A damaging house ethics committee investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct, drug use and bribery against Gaetz was dangling above his head like a sword of Damocles.
While he has denied any wrongdoing, Gaetz brought the guillotine down on himself, arguing his confirmation would only serve as an unfair distraction for Trump and the transition team.
While it is an embarrassment for Trump to lose prospective members of his cabinet before he can finish unveiling them, there will at least be a second chance to nominate a more qualified individual to lead the DoJ.
This was evident when he took only a few hours to tap staunch ally and former Florida attorney-general Pam Bondi for the job.
But the episode is not without insight. Trump is again facing dilemmas with his key cabinet selections – something that mirrors his experience in 2016.
Speaking on the Joe Rogan podcast before the November 5 election, Trump said one of his biggest regrets when first elected president was that “I picked some people that I shouldn’t have picked … neo-cons, or bad people, or disloyal people”.
While he is now focusing on nominating acolytes instead of more traditional appointments, Gaetz’s withdrawal reveals the former president is repeating history and stumbling at the very first hurdle: who should he pick on his team?
Trump himself appears uncertain on this front. Questions continue to mount over the nomination of Fox News TV host Pete Hegseth as defence secretary.
Another out-of-the-box selection, Hegseth faces his own allegations of sexual misconduct, which blindsided the Trump transition team. While Hegseth denies any wrongdoing, there are now inevitable questions over whether he could become the second domino.
By committing seppuku, Gaetz has also established an exit-ramp from the Trump hurricane for those who find the political heat too overwhelming.
The early indications are that Trump 2.0 will be just as chaotic as his first incarnation and that the incoming president appears just as willing to oversee rapid-fire personnel changes.
Was Gaetz ever a serious nomination?
The Washington conspiracy theory is that he was merely a sacrificial lamb. The theory holds that Gaetz would attract the brunt of political opposition, opening up a path for other contentious nominations to win Senate confirmation.
If this was ever a real strategy, it is thoroughly discredited.
The withdrawal of Gaetz gives Trump a second chance to make a better selection. But it also increases the pressure on the president-elect.
It casts fresh doubt over whether Trump is making serious appointments, whether his team can last and whether the second Trump experiment can actually work. This isn’t the start Trump was hoping for.
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