President-elect Donald Trump’s picks for US attorney general and secretary of state illustrate a potential hardline approach to Big Tech and China.
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In today’s big story, President-elect Donald Trump is nominating the people who will play a key role in his administration and impact the business world.
What’s on deck:
Markets: Elon Musk wants to gamify «dumb» government spending, and experts say it’s a savvy marketing strategy.
Tech: A healthcare startup raised $100 million on a bet it could build an AI doc-in-a-box. Now it’s shutting down.
Business: Internal documents viewed by BI show plans for Amazon’s AI chatbot launching in an unlikely spot.
But first, the nominations are rolling in.The big storyTrump’s new team
President-elect Donald Trump is quickly fleshing out his cabinet, giving a sense of what his second administration will look like.
Trump’s slew of picks announced in recent days share a common theme: loyalty. (You can find the running list of Trump administration staffers here)
With Republicans maintaining control of the House and winning the Senate, the president-elect will enter the White House this January with incredible power to shape the country to his vision.
Let’s break down some of Trump’s recent appointments and the impact they could have on the business world:
US Attorney General — Matt Gaetz: A surprising pick, to say the least, the representative from Florida caused havoc within his own party when he led the push to oust Kevin McCarthy from the speakership last year.
Gaetz was also the subject of sex-trafficking allegations that led to an investigation by the very agency he’s being nominated to lead. (The Department of Justice declined to pursue charges, but he’d been facing a probe from the House Ethics Committee.) House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters on Wednesday that Gaetz had resigned from Congress.
He’s also clashed with the tech industry, suggesting Americans have an «obligation to use» their Second Amendment right when it comes to Silicon Valley companies censoring conservatives. Gaetz’s appointment requires confirmation from the Senate, which is far from a shoo-in.
Secretary of State — Marco Rubio: The Florida senator is an outspoken critic of China and a supporter of Taiwan. In fact, China sanctioned him twice, and his ability to travel to the country is somewhat in question.
