What to Know About the Controversy Surrounding Donald Trump’s Picks of Tulsi Gabbard, RFK Jr, Pete Hegseth, and More

It has been but two weeks since Donald Trump won the 2024 election, and the president-elect has wasted no time filling out his cabinet and other key positions in his administration.

After announcing Thomas Homan, former acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), as the next “border czar,” former senior advisor Stephen Miller as deputy chief of staff, former Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY) as head of the Environmental Protection Agency, and Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) as the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Trump tapped Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to head the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). 

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) got the secretary of state nod, as did South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem at the Department of Homeland Security and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum at the Department of the Interior. 

All of these made a splash in their own way, but none sent shock waves through Washington, D.C., and beyond quite like Trump’s picks of former Fox News host Pete Hegseth as secretary of defense, former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) as attorney general, Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence, and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., as secretary of health and human services.

That quartet is catching criticism from the left, right, and center for a myriad of reasons, and, on Monday’s show, Megyn and Glenn Greenwald, host of Rumble’s System Update, broke down exactly why those selections have proven to be so controversial and the truth about some of the allegations against them.

Tulsi Gabbard

Gabbard made quite a splash on the campaign trail when she not only endorsed Trump but also announced that she was joining the Republican Party. It was widely believed that she would have a role in the second Trump administration, and Trump has tapped her for the DNI director position amid smears of her being “Russian stooge.” Megyn and Greenwald discussed the accusations and why she would be a disrupter as DNI.

Pete Hegseth

For a brief moment, Hegseth was the most shocking of Trump’s selections. And while others may have taken up the mantle since, past sexual assault allegations made against him have come to light in the wake of his nomination. Megyn and Greenwald reacted to what the accuser has claimed and what questions remain about the situation. 

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

After suspending his independent run for president over the summer, RFKJ threw his support behind Trump in a move that stunned the Democratic Party. Like Gabbard, it was rumored that Kennedy would have a place in Trump’s second term and that was confirmed late last week when he was nominated as HHS secretary. A freakout soon followed over his stance on vaccines and more, which Megyn and Greenwald reacted to on Monday.

You can check out Megyn’s full interview with Greenwald by tuning in to episode 946 on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you like to listen. And don’t forget that you can catch The Megyn Kelly Show live on SiriusXM’s Triumph (channel 111) weekdays from 12pm to 2pm ET.