Trump nominated the ultra-right hardliner Gaetz for the important post of Justice Minister on November 13th. In the days that followed, massive criticism of this decision quickly arose, as Gaetz himself was in conflict with the law and the rules of Congress. In an initial reaction to the 42-year-old’s withdrawal, Trump said he had “a bright future” ahead of him. The right-wing populist, who won the election on November 5th, has already announced almost all of the nominations for his future cabinet, some of which are highly controversial. The filling of the ministerial posts must be approved by the US Senate, in which Trump’s Republicans regained the majority in the election.
As a congressman, Gaetz represented right-wing positions and spread right-wing conspiracy stories. In March 2021, the Congressional Ethics Committee opened an investigation into the ardent Trump admirer. It involved suspicions of embezzlement of campaign funds, illegal drug use and offensive behavior. According to CNN, Gaetz showed around nude photos of women he allegedly had sex with. Gaetz was also temporarily investigated on suspicion of sexual abuse of a minor. On the day of his nomination, the lawyer from Florida resigned from his mandate as a representative. Since then, there has been a dispute over whether the ethics committee’s report should be published or not.
11:51 a.m.: Economics Minister Robert Habeck warns against the European Union’s “denialism” towards the new US government under Donald Trump. “The arguments, but also your own strength, are so great that you can appear self-confident,” he said on the sidelines of an EU ministerial meeting in Brussels.
Nobody could be interested in a trade conflict with the USA. “But throwing yourself into the dust would also be wrong,” he emphasized. “The European internal market is as important to the American economy as the American market is to Europe.” This must be clear to the Americans.
