Those interviewing for positions within the incoming Trump administration will need to do more than prove their qualifications for the job, with new reports claiming the must answer a series of strategic questions to prove their allegiance to Donald Trump
At least nine people who were interviewed for jobs or were involved in the process told the New York Times that questions about January 6, the validity of the 2020 election and their voting decisions were brought up.
Those questions are seemingly designed to weed out prospective administration members who do not display an obvious allegiance to Trump.
Those who gave answers that dencounced the violence on January 6, or suggested Joe Biden won the 2020 election, told the newspaper that they did not get jobs.
Conservative influencer Charlie Kirk is among the MAGA loyalists tasked with interviewing potential hires for positions in the Pentagon or other intelligence agencies, according to the Times.
Not every prospective employee was asked questions related to loyalty. That seems to be an inquiry made in the final rounds of interviews.
The new report largely aligns with what Trump allies have said publicly.
Howard Lutnick, the co-chair of the Trump transition team and head of the investment firm Cantor Fitzgerald, told the Financial Timesin October that all administration officials will “be on the same side”.
“We’re going to give people the role based on their capacity — and their fidelity and loyalty to the policy, as well as to the man,” Lutnick said.
Donald Trump Jr., the eldest son of Trump who is helping with the transition process, told Axios in July that his goal is to keep “bad actors” from infiltrating his father’s administration – unlike those who turned against Trump during his first administration.
Loyalty is critical for the president-elect because many of his first-term cabinet members and administration officials turned on him.
Former Attorney General Bill Barr, former National Security Adviser John Bolton, former Chief of Staff John Kelly, former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, former Defense Secretaries James Mattis and Mark Esper along with many others have denounced Trump since working with him.
Even his vice president, Mike Pence, refused to endorse him in the 2024 presidential election.
So now, the Trump team is conducting its own vetting process for potential administration members. That includes scoring prospective employees in multiple categories, researching past comments they may or may not have said about Trump and going through a series of interviews.
Other cabinet members have separate methods of vetting potential aides and officials. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has reportedly set up an online test that asks individuals a series of puzzle, language and personality questions.
A spokesperson for Trump, incoming White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, told the Times, “President Trump will continue to appoint highly qualified men and women who have the talent, experience, and necessary skill sets to make America great again.”
