Friday Briefing

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. campaigning with Donald J. Trump in October.Credit…Kenny Holston/The New York Times

Trump taps Kennedy for health secretary

As a candidate, President-elect Donald Trump promised to let Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “go wild on health.” Yesterday, Trump said that he would nominate Kennedy to lead the Health and Human Services Department, which would give a vocal skeptic of vaccines significant influence over public health policy. Kennedy has no medical or public health degree.

Earlier, Republicans and Democrats alike had expressed dismay at Trump’s choice of former Representative Matt Gaetz to lead the Justice Department as attorney general. Lawmakers called on a congressional panel to release the results of its investigation into various allegations of misconduct by Gaetz, who effectively ended that probe by resigning from Congress after Trump’s announcement. Here’s how our reporters reacted to Gaetz’s nomination.

Trump said he would name Todd Blanche, who oversaw his legal defense against a number of indictments, to become the No. 2 official at the Justice Department. About a dozen cabinet or cabinet-level roles have yet to be announced.

Analysis: Trump’s choice of loyalty over experience in his appointments demonstrates his desire to shatter Washington norms and makes it clear that he will not brook resistance in his second term. It’s also his first show of force to Senate Republicans, who will be under immense pressure to confirm his nominees.