LARRY KUDLOW: Here's to hoping the Senate GOP puts their big boy pants on and confirms Trump's Cabinet choices

Here’s to hoping the Senate GOP puts their big boy pants on and confirm President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet choices. 

Don’t listen to the D.C. swamp. Don’t listen to the liberal media. Please listen to the guy who won a landslide election, where voters have given him a major mandate for change – policy change, as well as personnel change.

Indeed, personnel becomes policy. I personally don’t think Matt Gaetz got a fair hearing, or was truly allowed to make his case, but it was he who chose to withdraw, to not distract from the Trump transition. 

TRUMP EYES OFFICIAL CRYPTO LEAD OR CZAR 

Point is, in America, you’re supposed to be innocent until proven guilty. Now the left-wing swamp seems to be going after Pete Hegseth, over allegations concerning an episode that occurred 7 years ago. But let’s be clear, the Monterey California police investigated, and no charges were filed. That should put an end to it. 

Hopefully, the Senate GOP will see that the brilliant Mr. Hegseth, who is a decorated military veteran as well as a super smart guy, was appointed by President Trump in order to shake up the Pentagon. This is a place where they haven’t passed an audit in 7 years, where lately it seems like ‘woke’ and DEI were more important than good battlefield judgment in Afghanistan, and because of his experience, Hegseth knows the military very well. He himself was a warrior. He should be confirmed – routinely. 

Now, there are whispers that the next swamp target is going to be Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s pick for DNI. While you may not agree with everything she has said through the years, she was a U.S. Army Reserve Colonel and, as a House member, she sat on the Armed Services, Foreign Affairs and Homeland Security Committees. 

So, she knows a lot about defense and intelligence matters. She was also, until very recently, a Democrat – which is part of Mr. Trump’s new, broad-based coalition. This is just what the doctor ordered to win elections. 

There are also whispers about going after Robert F. Kennedy Jr, who was appointed to run HHS. Again, you may not agree with everything Mr. Kennedy has said through the years, but he too was a lifelong Democrat, who has come over to join the Trump coalition, very important. 

Are you telling me that the NIH, the FDA, the CDC, and the entire HHS agency doesn’t need deregulation and a general shake-up? Really?! That’s exactly what Mr. Trump wants his appointees to do. Shake the tree branches, hard. Guaranteed that a lot of flotsam, jetsam, waste, fraud, abuse, excess overhead, and cost savings will fall from those tree branches. 

People like Hegseth, Gabbard and Kennedy – along with Linda McMahon, who has been tasked with terminating the Education Department – and all the other Cabinet heads, will be working closely with Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy in order to chop down that very swampy D.C. bureaucracy that is trying hard to sabotage not only the Trump appointees, but the Trump policies, and probably Mr. Trump himself. 

Pam Bondi, running the Justice Department, is tough, super competent – with over 20 years as a prosecutor and Florida AG. She knows a lot about immigration enforcement. That is just what Mr. Trump wants. Expect John Ratcliffe to shake up the CIA, from top to bottom – a long overdue effort. 

Howard Lutnick over at Commerce will defend America against unfair trading practices that have hurt our blue-collar workers in American industry. Elise Stefanik will clear out the anti-Semitic rot at the U.N. Anyway, Mr. Trump needs help, from each and every one of the 53 Republican senators to fulfill his promises to the American people. This is no time to go wobbly. The economy, our culture, and our security is at stake. That’s the riff. 

This article is adapted from Larry Kudlow’s opening commentary on the Nov. 22, 2024, edition of “Kudlow.”