Trump's unorthodox cabinet picks test party loyalty

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has assembled an administration of staggering wealth and unprecedented controversy as he bids to seal his populist legacy surrounded by aides prized above all for their unstinting loyalty.

The Republican tycoon's incoming cabinet officials are worth an estimated $11 billion, and with Trump himself and outside advisors like world's richest man Elon Musk included, that figure rises to a mind-boggling $340 billion.

President Joe Biden's cabinet was worth around $118 million when he took office, according to Forbes.

But the Trump team's finances have been overshadowed by myriad other controversies, as the US senators charged with confirming the appointments voice skepticism over their fitness for office, conflicts of interest and other ethical concerns.

"In my most optimistic moments I think that perhaps Trump is providing red meat to his base with these nominees but that he will focus on delivering on the economic issues that mattered to the voters who decided the election," said Donald Nieman, a political analyst and professor at Binghamton University in New York state.

"My biggest worry is that he will act on his grievances and give American institutions and values -- including the rule of law -- a stress test that it can't pass."

Rich and sometimes controversial public figures have long served in government.

Trump's allies note that he secured both of his election victories vowing to shake up the political establishment, arguing that he has nominated an array of "change agents" simply to help him keep his promises.

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The Republican Party's slim incoming majority in the Senate means Trump's picks can afford to lose only three votes from their own side, assuming all Democrats oppose them.

His Defense Secretary nominee, 44-year-old former Fox News host and combat veteran Pete Hegseth, has been the most contentious, hit by allegations of alcohol abuse and sexual misconduct.

He also faces questions over a string of extramarital affairs, two divorces and his own mother calling him an "abuser" of women.

Having given up on former Florida congressman Matt Gaetz for attorney general amid drug-taking and underage sex allegations, Trump appears dug in on Hegseth.

The president-elect's allies have been exerting intense pressure on wavering senators and the campaign appears to be working, with two key Republicans softening their opposition to Hegseth this week.

Insiders fear that buckling on the nomination would open a "feeding frenzy" with the other controversial nominees, according to Politico, with Tulsi Gabbard, Robert F Kennedy Jr and Kash Patel facing uphill climbs to confirmation.

Patel, Trump's choice for FBI director, is on record saying the federal government should be unleashed to "come after" Trump's political opponents and has promoted bogus supplements to "reverse" Covid-19 vaccines.

Kennedy, the president-elect's pick for health secretary, is another vaccine skeptic who developed hepatitis C during his extensively-documented younger years as a needle-using heroin addict.

- 'Loyalty, loyalty, loyalty' -

Former Democratic congresswoman Gabbard, a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve and Trump's choice to be the director of national intelligence, is also seen as a heavy lift.

After the weekend rebel takeover of Syria, her views in support of the now-fallen regime of Bashar al-Assad are coming under growing scrutiny, along with past expressions of sympathy for Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.

There is no real ideological through line in Trump's picks, with the spectrum of views taking in climate change activism and denial, pro-choice and anti-abortion views and figures wary of unions alongside officials who support organized labor.

Nieman said most had gained notoriety by "poking a stick in the eye of the establishment," while political scientist Julian Zelizer, a professor at Princeton University, said the important qualification was "loyalty, loyalty, loyalty."

But Adnan Rasool, an associate professor of political science at the University of Tennessee at Martin, believes the cabinet controversies could end up being much ado about nothing.

He pointed to several mainstream candidates Trump had put forward -- including Senator Marco Rubio for secretary of state, finance professional Howard Lutnick at commerce and international businessman and former senator David Perdue as ambassador to China.

"For all effective purposes, beyond the gimmicks and showmanship, this is a pretty traditional cabinet with a small number of inexperienced picks," he said.