When President-elect Donald Trump selected Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz for his pick as Attorney General on Nov. 13, a majority of the public questioned Gaetz’s ability to uphold the position’s integrity. ICYMI (somehow), this was due to the U.S. Department of Justice’s 2020 investigation of Gaetz for sexual misconduct allegations. Although the Department of Justice closed the investigation and filed no charges against Gaetz in February 2023, the House of Ethics Committee still had an open investigation at the time of his Attorney General nomination — an investigation that resulted in multiple women speaking out against Gaetz, with one even accusing him of having sexual relations with her as a 17-year-old. Her Campus previously reached out to Gaetz’s team for a comment about the allegations against him, but didn’t hear back in time for publication. That said, Gaetz has long denied any wrongdoing.
And yet, Gaetz withdrew from the Attorney General nomination on Nov. 21 in a post on X, stating, “It is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition. There is no time to waste on a needlessly protracted Washington scuffle, thus I’ll be withdrawing my name from consideration to serve as Attorney General.”
But even with Gaetz out of the picture, Trump’s incoming cabinet is still being nicknamed the “Anti-#MeToo Cabinet” for the sexual misconduct allegations that multiple other nominees are connected to.
First of all, Trump himself has a history riddled with sexual misconduct allegations. Since the 1970s, around two dozen women have accused Trump of actions ranging from sexual harassment, to assault, to abuse. Her Campus reached out to Trump’s team for a comment in regard to these allegations, but didn’t hear back in time for publication. However, Trump has long defended himself against any allegations; as recently as a televised press conference on Sep. 6, he continuously called the allegations “ridiculous.”
Trump continues to surround himself with controversial figures as he proceeds with his cabinet selection in the leadup to his second term, which will begin on Jan. 20, 2025. Below are four members who have garnered attention due to sexual misconduct allegations or their involvement in cases surrounding sexual misconduct. (Her Campus reached out to all four individuals listed below for comment, but didn’t hear back in time for publication.)
Is sexual misconduct a bug or a feature of being a Trump Cabinet nominee?
— Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) November 15, 2024
Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth
On Nov. 12, Trump nominated former Fox News host Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense. According to a NPR report, Hegseth would be the least experienced Secretary of Defense in American history. However, his qualifications are not the most concerning aspect of his nomination.
On Dec. 1, the New Yorker reported that Hegseth’s past consists of two resignations from positions of power within two nonprofit veteran advocacy groups — Veterans for Freedom in 2012 and Concerned Veterans for America in 2016 — due in part to him allegedly sexually harassing women in the workplace, contributing to an environment of “sexual impropriety” and sexism. The New Yorker also reported that Hegseth is alleged to have sexually assaulted a woman in a hotel room and secretly paid a settlement to her in 2017.
When asked about these reports, a Hegseth adviser shared the following statement: “We’re not going to comment on outlandish claims laundered through the New Yorker by a petty and jealous disgruntled former associate of Mr. Hegseth’s. Get back to us when you try your first attempt at actual journalism.”
Department of Health and Human Services nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
In a July 2 Vanity Fair report on former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Eliza Cooney, a former nanny employed by Kennedy, alleged that he sexually assaulted her when she worked for the family in the 1990s. When asked for a comment on the Vanity Fair article during an appearance on Breaking Points, a political news and opinion YouTube show, Kennedy responded: “I’m not going to comment on the details of any of [the allegations in the story], but it’s — you know, I am who I am.” He also said, “I am not a church boy.”
However, on July 12, the Washington Post reported that Kennedy texted an apology to Cooney shortly after the Vanity Fair article was released. “I have no memory of this incident but I apologize sincerely for anything I ever did that made you feel uncomfortable or anything I did or said that offended you or hurt your feelings. I never intended you any harm. If I hurt you, it was inadvertent. I feel badly for doing so,” Kennedy reportedly wrote. Her Campus asked Kennedy’s team for comment about the reported text and didn’t hear back in time for publication, but when asked further about the message by the Post back in July, Kennedy responded, “the text message speaks for itself.”
On Aug. 23, Kennedy announced his resignation for his presidential bid and endorsed Trump. On Nov. 15, he was nominated by Trump to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, despite the allegation and his controversial history with public health.
Department of Education nominee Linda McMahon
On Nov. 21, Trump announced World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) founder Linda McMahon as his nomination for the Department of Education. Although McMahon has voiced support for bipartisan legislation in regard to Pell Grants and has advocated for increasing access to technical colleges, her credibility as a leader has been put into question due to her connection to a highly-publicized sexual assault case.
According to a lawsuit filed on Oct. 23, 2024, McMahon and her husband, Vince McMahon, have been accused of failing to stop the sexual abuse of young boys perpetrated by WWE ringside announcer and ring crew chief Melvin Phillips Jr., who died in 2012. This suit was filed by five survivors of Phillips’s alleged abuse. According to the lawsuit, the McMahons were aware of the alleged sexual abuse and have been accused of criminal negligence by allowing Phillips to continue working at the company for years. In a CNN report, Laura Brevetti, an attorney for McMahon, said the allegations were false: “This civil lawsuit based upon 30-plus-year-old allegations is filled with scurrilous lies, exaggerations, and misrepresentations regarding Linda McMahon. Ms. McMahon will vigorously defend against this baseless lawsuit and without doubt ultimately succeed.”
Department of Government Efficiency nominee Elon Musk
Alongside cabinet selections, Trump is beginning government reforms before his inauguration, starting with the creation of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which will be run by entrepreneurs Vivek Ramaswamy and Elon Musk. Concerns about Musk’s close involvement with Trump and his influence on the new administration’s politics has put into question whether DOGE’s work will benefit or gravely impact the public. But his ties with Trump aren’t the only concerns.
According to an Insider report on May 19, 2022, a flight attendant accused Musk of sexual misconduct. However, Musk took to X (known as Twitter at the time) to defend himself, saying that “those wild accusations are utterly untrue” and later claiming that the allegation was a political attack.
Then, on June 12, 2024, NBC reported that eight former SpaceX employees have filed a lawsuit against the company and Musk for sexual harassment. (Her Campus also reached out to SpaceX regarding these accusations but didn’t hear back in time for publication.) The plaintiffs were fired in 2022 for circulating an “open letter” that outlined Musk’s alleged workplace sexual harassment, such as lewd banter, which led to an unsafe work enviroment. Neither SpaceX nor Musk have responded to the lawsuit.