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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Matthew Cantor

‘Government by the worst’: why people are calling Trump’s new sidekicks a ‘kakistocracy’

Donald Trump United States André Spicer Rutherford B Hayes
composite image of politicians' heads photoshopped on other people's bodies
Nancy Friedman wrote in 2016: ‘You could say that kakistocracy is “government by the shitty”.’ Illustration: Cold War Steve/The Guardian

Matt Gaetz chosen to run the justice department. Fox hosts in charge of the Pentagon and transportation. Elon Musk as head of layoffs. And Robert F Kennedy Jr and Dr Oz overseeing the nation’s health.

Some have likened Donald Trump’s administrative picks to a clown car; others are calling our incoming leadership a kakistocracy, or “government by the worst people”, as Merriam-Webster puts it.

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