Isaac Newton’s third law of motion famously states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction: If you push an object, for example, the object pushes back against you with equal force.
It turns out this isn’t just a law of physics.
It’s a law of politics.
President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet picks thus far have run the gamut from traditional and well-established (Sen. Marco Rubio for Secretary of State, Rep. Mike Waltz for National Security Adviser, Chris Wright for Secretary of Energy, Brendan Carr for FCC Chairman) to the more audacious and controversial (former Rep. Matt Gaetz for Attorney General, former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard for Director of National Intelligence, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for Health and Human Services Secretary). What they all have in common is that they represent a precise reaction to the excesses and evils of the Obama-Biden bureaucracy that has, for over a decade and half, plagued American politics.
Take, as the most obvious example, Gaetz. Gaetz is charismatic and brilliant; he has been both aggressive and effective on the House Judiciary Committee. He is also, as has been widely reported, thoroughly disliked in the House of Representatives. He has been generally perceived as a destructive force, an egotist focused more on media coverage than on the functioning of the House; his defenestration of Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy was unpopular among his colleagues, with many believing that he pursued McCarthy vindictively based on his opposition to McCarthy’s House Ethics investigation against him.
And that’s precisely why Trump is picking him.
To Donald Trump, the Department of Justice has been an instrument of vindictiveness from his first days in office. From insiders in the DOJ working with the FBI to gin up the Mueller investigation to the Merrick Garland DOJ targeting him repeatedly under legally shoddy auspices, the DOJ has consistently represented resistance to his presidency. And so Trump has picked precisely the type of person he believes will clean out the agency from top to bottom.
Or take RFK Jr.
RFK Jr. represents a slap in the face to the traditional health establishment. He has a long record of controversial statements on everything ranging from 5G to vaccination. But he is a reaction to the overweening arrogance of a conspiratorial elite who crammed down Covid-19 misinformation on an industrial scale, told Americans that boys could become girls, attempted to wield the reins of government against their medical opponents and even tried to mandate vaccination on 80 million Americans. RFK Jr. is the natural reaction to a health policy elite who have made themselves radioactive.
Trump himself has always been a form of snapback against the overreach of what came before. Barack Obama tried to remake American politics in his image: high-handed, intersectional and replete with authoritarian overtones. Trump came along and ripped the idol off his pedestal. Joe Biden tried to transform American politics by radically reinterpreting the bargain between American citizens and their government. Trump is returning to reject that never-requested transformation.
Every political action has its equal and opposite reaction. No doubt the same will hold true in the future if Republicans overreach in their own way. But for the moment, it’s vital to recognize that the Trumpian backlash has been well-earned.
Ben Shapiro’s new collection, “Facts and Furious: The Facts About America and Why They Make Leftists Furious,” is available now. Shapiro is a graduate of UCLA and Harvard Law School, host of “The Ben Shapiro Show,” and co-founder of Daily Wire+. He is a three-time New York Times bestselling author. To find out more about Ben Shapiro and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website.
COPYRIGHT 2024 CREATORS.COM
The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of AMAC or AMAC Action.
It’s not that Gaetz is disliked by his colleagues or that his personal life is unconventional, it’s that he lies about his personal life almost as much as George Santos.
RFK, Jr. is/was an established environmental lawyer. Too bad that Trump couldn’t have found Kennedy a spot at Agriculture or Interior.
Excellent article.
Now, Dictator Beijing biden and Communist harris are letting in their Illegal Aliens without any vetting and giving their Illegal Alien Terrorist Invasion help with our Tax Dollars through apps to enter the United States ILLEGALLY. Their acts of espionage and treason against the American people and our Sovereignty continues. WHERE’S THE OUTRAGE OF OUR COUNTRY BEING INVADED BY CRIMINALS AND TERRORIST WITH HELP FROM THE biden/harris WHITE HOUSE?
This the Day after Riley Laken’s murderer gets a free vacation in prison.
As of a few hours ago Gaetz Removed himself from consideration for the job of AG. Too bad because I was hopping he would turn things around and finally, maybe go after those that have committed treason and tried destroying this country. No more free passes like with Hillary…I guess some things may never change.
Now that Gaetz has resigned, Trump should pick Mark Levin or Joe Digenova. They know the Constitution and they are bulldogs!
…and they’re already trying to “Cavanaugh” Pete Hegseth since their “he’s unqualified” didn’t work. Wonder if they’ll dig up some dude Gabi “assaulted” next?