Some of President-elect Donald Trump's cabinet picks are worrying European leaders, who are now preparing their governments for a scenarios in which NATO will have to survive with reduced or nonexistent U.S. support. While the rather conventional nomination of Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., to be secretary of state caused some relief, the nominations of former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, to be director of national intelligence and Fox News host Pete Hegseth to be defense secretary quickly jolted Europe back to the stunning reality.
Neither Rubio nor Mike Waltz, who was nominated to be Trump's national security advisor, sparked giddy enthusiasm, but as one European diplomat put it to Politico: "They are a bit less awful than others." Neither Hegseth nor Gabbard, on the other hand, have much experience in their respective portfolios; Gabbard in particular has provoked consternation over her promotion of Kremlin talking points and conspiracy theories.
