President Donald Trump and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles are “running scared” as multiple Cabinet members face scandals that have derailed the administration’s messaging priorities, according to a foreign policy expert.
The Daily Beast’s David Rothkopf said Trump’s recent nomination of Dr. Erica Schwartz as CDC director signals desperation to contain the damage from his controversial appointments, many of whom have been embroiled in controversy in recent weeks.
“They appointed a head of the CDC who is a woman, who actually is a public health professional” and “the least Trumpy nomination they’ve made anywhere,” Rothkopf said on The Daily Beast Podcast.
Schwartz, a Brown University-educated vaccine supporter and former deputy surgeon general, contrasts with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whose biography revealed he once sliced off a roadkill raccoon’s penis in front of his children. Kennedy has promoted conspiracy theories and lacks formal medical training.
Multiple Cabinet controversies have consumed the news cycle in recent weeks. Vice President JD Vance drew criticism for telling Pope Leo XIV to “be careful when he talks about matters of theology.” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth faced ridicule for citing a prayer largely invented by Quentin Tarantino for the movie “Pulp Fiction” to praise a rescue mission during the Iran war.
FBI Director Kash Patel faced bombshell allegations in The Atlantic of binge-drinking and erratic behavior, which he has denied. Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer resigned Monday after her department’s internal watchdog investigated complaints of potential misconduct, including an alleged affair with her bodyguard. She became the third Cabinet secretary forced out in seven weeks.
Rothkopf characterized the administration as operating in a “golden age of chaos,” suggesting Trump and Wiles now recognize they made poor appointments. “They’re just saying, ‘God, we just don’t need the headaches, let’s get a professional in here,’” he said.
Wiles had sought to redirect attention toward the administration’s “affordability” agenda ahead of November midterms, but the cascade of Cabinet controversies has dominated coverage instead. Rothkopf noted that Wiles had initially received credit for limiting turnover compared to Trump’s first term, but has now “gotten to the point of no return.”
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