The television stars President-elect Donald Trump recruited for his administration are long on celebrity appeal but short on experience, raising questions about whether they can successfully move from the small screen to running multibillion-dollar agencies.
In the past few weeks, Mr. Trump picked Dr. Mehmet Oz, a former syndicated TV host, to oversee Medicare and Medicaid; Pete Hegseth, the co-host of “Fox & Friends Weekend,” to run the $850 billion Defense Department; and Sean Duffy, a Fox Business host and former cast member on MTV’s “The Real World,” to head the $300 billion Transportation Department.
Mr. Trump’s choice to serve as U.S. ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, hosted a Fox News show from 2008 to 2015 after serving 10 years as Arkansas governor. Linda McMahon, who was tapped as education secretary, was the CEO of the WWE, which she helped turn into a multimillion-dollar television wrestling empire.
The president-elect also selected Janette Nesheiwa, a physician and Fox News contributor who gained prominence criticizing the Biden administration’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic on the network, as his surgeon general.
Among the picks, only Mr. Huckabee, Mr. Duffy, a former congressman, and Mrs. McMahon, who headed the Small Business Administration during Mr. Trump’s first term, have any government experience.
“It’s governing with the stars,” said Peter Loge, who teaches political communication at George Washington University. “It sends a signal to the world that these are the people America thinks should be in charge, the people we see on TV. It tells the rest of the world that what matters is being famous rather than being substantive.”
Mr. Trump, a former reality television star himself, has made it clear that he wants a team committed to his vision for America. But he’s also looking at television stars to amplify his MAGA message.
The president-elect is said to be pouring over television clips of potential Cabinet and administrative picks to gauge how effective they would be at making the case for his policies in the media.
“He’s chasing people who have already been these megaphones for him, that have been broadcasting his message from the very beginning, and that’s what he hopes they’ll continue to do,” said Patricia Crouse, who teaches political administration at the University of New Haven in Connecticut.
Trump transition spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt, who was tapped to be White House press secretary, said in a statement that the president-elect chose “brilliant and highly respected outsiders.”
The picks, however, raise questions about whether they have the managerial skills to do their jobs.
Mr. Hegseth served in the military but has no experience overseeing a massive bureaucracy such as the Defense Department, the largest agency in the government. Mr. Oz, who spent 13 years hosting a syndicated daytime television show with segments on health, wellness and celebrity interviews, will now be responsible for 150 million Americans’ health coverage.
“Most of them don’t have experience running big, complicated things, and if you don’t have experience running big complicated things, you can’t run big complicated things,” Mr. Loge said.
No other recent president has put as many media stars in high-level positions. The only other example is when President Obama gave movie actor Kal Penn a position in the Office of Public Engagement. Mr. Penn left to return to acting after roughly a year.
Mr. Trump’s choice of television stars isn’t out of character. During his first term, he chose John R. Bolton, Larry Kudlow, Heather Nauert, and Mercedes Schlapp — all of whom were on television regularly. He also picked Omarosa Manigault Newman, who got her start on Mr. Trump’s reality show “The Apprentice,” but she was fired shortly after joining the White House.
Of those five, only Mr. Kudlow, who was the director of the National Economic Council, lasted all four years. Mr. Bolton and Ms. Newman left after very public disputes with Mr. Trump, while Ms. Nauert left after not landing the role of U.N. ambassador.
Robert Rowland, who teaches political communication at the University of Kansas, said some of the picks could go awry. For example, Medicaid cuts could be on the table as Mr. Trump and Congress look to trim government spending. That could erupt into a major fight on Capitol Hill with Mr. Oz at the center of it.
“All of these picks are palatable until something goes south,” he said. “I think Trump will toss them overboard the second they become a drag on his personal popularity. It’s easier to do that with media personalities than people with distinguished records of government service.”
Mr. Hegseth, Mr. Duffy and Ms. Nesheiwa resigned from Fox News when Mr. Trump announced his intention to nominate them for positions in his administration.
Correction: A previous version of this article misspelled Trump transition spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt’s first name.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.