WEST PALM BEACH, Florida –
As advisers and allies of Republican President-elect Donald Trump search for personnel to staff his coming administration, one quality is absolutely paramount: unquestioning loyalty.
During his 2017-2021 term, Trump butted heads with key appointees, particularly those in the intelligence, national security and law enforcement communities, several of whom later recounted slow-walking or trying to talk Trump out of his most controversial plans.
Without people around him who are inclined to push back, the president-elect may find it easier to bend longstanding norms in pursuit of his conservative agenda, both Trump supporters and opponents say.