President-elect Trump on Wednesday said he would not consider individuals affiliated with a host of Republican rivals and critics for jobs in his incoming administration, singling out former Vice President Mike Pence, former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R), among others.
“As of today, the incoming Trump Administration has hired over 1,000 people for The United States Government. They are outstanding in every way, and you will see the fruits of their labor over the coming years,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
In order to save time, money, and effort,” Trump said it would be helpful if those suggesting potential hires would not recommend individuals who worked with various critics of his.
Trump listed Pence, Haley, Cheney, former Vice President Dick Cheney, former Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), former Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and Republican donor Charles Koch.
Haley and Pence ran against Trump in the 2024 GOP primary, while the Cheneys endorsed Vice President Harris in November’s election.
He also listed a number of his own former administration officials, including his former national security adviser John Bolton, former Defense secretary James Mattis, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley and former Defense Secretary Mark Esper.
Trump has always prized loyalty among his staffers, and his post is a sign that he will not tolerate administration officials with any affiliation with Republicans who have criticized him or turned on him in some way.
The president-elect’s post follows a report in The New York Times that Trump spoke with Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito earlier this month after one of Alito’s former law clerks was recommended for an administration job.
The Times reported that some Trump allies were opposed to hiring the individual, William Levi, because he served in the first Trump administration as chief of staff to then-Attorney General Bill Barr. While Trump nominated Barr, he has since turned on his former attorney general after Barr rebuffed Trump’s claims of election fraud after the 2020 election.
