It Takes a Village to Competently Run the USA by Maria Grant

I am aware that Hillary Clinton is a controversial figure. I am also aware that she made significant errors during her campaign for the presidency—most notably not paying sufficient attention to Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin. But even her most ardent detractors would probably agree with her “it takes a village” mantra. We can all agree that it takes a village to raise a child, to get serious initiatives off the ground, and most certainly to lead a country as complex and diverse as the United States. 

Joe Biden has assembled an impressive and accomplished “village.” If he wins the 2024 election and for some reason is unable to serve his four-year term, you can be sure that competent professionals are at the helm. Let’s just take a look at the experience of a few of his current appointees.

Secretary of State Anthony Blinken. Blinken has more than 20 years of senior foreign policy experience. He was a member of the National Security Council and served as deputy national security advisor and deputy secretary of state. He attended Harvard and got his law degree from Columbia. 

Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen. Previously she led the Federal Reserve and has also led the White House Council of Economic Advisors.

CIA Director William Burns. Former positions include deputy secretary of state, undersecretary of state for political affairs and U.S. ambassador to Russia. He has held senior positions at the State Department under the administrations of Reagan, Bush, Clinton, Bush, and Obama. 

I could go on about all the other appointees, but you get the idea. Each appointee has impressive credentials and credible experience. And when you peel the onion back further, their deputies also have experience that makes sense for their positions and gives citizens a peace of mind that they are up to the task at hand.

Now let’s assume that Trump gets reelected. First off, many of Trump’s former appointees never want to get close to the man again. So, there’s that. But here is a look at some of his appointees in his last administration. 

Senior Advisor to the President and Director of the Office of Economic Initiatives and Entrepreneurship Ivanka Trump. Before accepting this appointment and moving into an office in the White House, Ivanka Trump developed her own line of fashion items which included clothes, handbags, shoes, and accessories. While Trump was president, Ivanka applied for 36 trademarks in China. Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom dropped Ivanka’s fashion line in 2017 because of poor sales. Soon afterwards, other retailers followed suit. 

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. Before becoming Secretary of State, Tillerson was chairman and CEO of ExxonMobil. Tillerson lasted in the position for a little more than a year. During his tenure, new applications to work for the Foreign Service fell by 50 percent and four of the six career ambassadors as well as 14 of the 33 career ministers departed. Trump later called Tillerson “as dumb as a rock.” Trump replaced Tillerson with Mike Pompeo who later supported Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson. Carson was a neurosurgeon and became famous for separating a pair of conjoined twins joined at the back of the head. The Economist claimed HUD to be directionless under his leadership and stated that his mission was to undo whatever the Obama administration had done. HUD saw a massive exodus of career officials during Carson’s tenure. While HUD Secretary, Carson ordered $31,000 of furniture for his office when he had a budget of $5,000. He later canceled the order when he became subject to an Ethics Committee investigation. 

Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos. DeVos was Republican National committeewoman for Michigan and served as chair of the Michigan Republican Party. She was known for being an advocate for charter schools and for being the wife of Amway CEO Dick DeVos. (I am originally from Michigan. My Michigan friends were appalled that the Secretary of Education did not support public education.) The president of the American Federal of Teachers called DeVos, “the most ideological anti-public education nominee” since the position existed. During her confirmation hearings, DeVos suggested that guns might have a place in schools due to the threat of grizzly bears. DeVos was nowhere to be found during the last year of Trump’s presidency and was seldom seen walking the halls of the Department of Education. She resigned her position after January 6.

Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross frequently fell asleep during meetings. Secretary of EPA Scott Pruitt was charged with misusing public funds, illegal activities, and corrupt practices. His mission was also to deregulate the EPA. 

I could go on about Trump appointees, but you get my drift. And given some of his frightening campaign promises, one can only shudder at the likely caliber of prospective appointees. 

Aesop’s quote: “A man is known by the company he keeps.” I think we can all sleep a little sounder with Biden’s appointees at the helm. Otherwise, we may be “lost in the fun house” and never find our way back home.

Maria Grant was principal-in-charge of a federal human capital practice of an international consulting firm. While on the Eastern Shore, she focuses on reading, writing, piano, gardening, biking, kayaking, and nature.