SEATTLE - As president-elect Donald Trump continues to pick those officials that will serve as the 15 heads of executive departments for his Presidential Cabinet, a representative from Florida is defending Trump's picks amid the wave of criticism those selected have received from the other side of the political spectrum.
On Nov. 19, the president-elect announced that physician and TV star Dr. Mehmet Oz would serve as the administrator of the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, while Howard Lutnick was announced as commerce secretary. Later that same day, he revealed that WWE co-founder Linda McMahon was going to serve as his education secretary.
Among Trump's high-profile picks to join his Cabinet, three of them have faced serious allegations of sexual impropriety, concretely former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Pete Hegseth and Robert F. Kennedy. But despite the criticism Trump's picks are facing, Representative Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) defended the president-elect picks, saying that he "wants people who know how to message the American people."
While talking at the Fox News "Yor World" show, Luna was asked about the incoming Cabinet picks so far, to which she replied that Trump "has always had a great instinct on people" and that his picks are "going to fight for the American people."
Luna also added that she has been very impressed with the picks, as the incoming Cabinet heads are not "going to Washington to play games and just do business as usual."
In response to the criticism being faced by some of Trump's Cabinet picks such as Gaetz, who was selected by Trump to serve as his Attorney General, Luna said that is "completely wrong" how Democrats and the media try to "smear and destroy people's reputations".
"But they also did that to Justice Brett Kavanaugh, so it is, unfortunately, business as usual in Washington."
The allegations faced by Gaetz forced him to withdraw his nomination for Attorney General. He was being investigated by the House Ethics Committee after a woman, now in her 20s, testified that she had sex with Gaetz when she was 17, ABC News previously reported.
In a statement shared on his X social media account, Gaetz said his confirmation was "unfairly becoming a distraction" in Trump's Cabinet picks. Gaetz has continually denied all allegations.
I had excellent meetings with Senators yesterday. I appreciate their thoughtful feedback - and the incredible support of so many. While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance…
— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) November 21, 2024
Before Gaetz withdrew from consideration, Luna had been very vocal about her support for the former Florida representative to hold a role in Trump's cabinet. In the past, she has defended Gaetz from the allegations, arguing that investigations from the Department of Justice did not lead to any charges.
"I'm not going to engage in this B.S. narrative that he's some crazy sex trafficking convicted pedophile because he's not. And that whole idea and narrative and an attempt to destroy him is wrong," Luna said.
Luna was first elected as the Florida 13th congressional district representative in 2022 as the first Mexican-American woman elected to Congress from Florida. She was reelected in 2024 after defeating Democratic challenger Whitney Fox by 10 percentage votes.
Representing Pinellas County, Luna has been a close ally to Trump since being elected as a member of Congress, co-sponsoring bills that alienate to the president-elect's policies.
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