this post was submitted on 24 Jun 2025
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Trump has filled his administration with sycophantic loyalists instead of highly competent and experienced people. Anyone else worried about this? Why did Republicans in congress confirm them?

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[–] watson387@sopuli.xyz 60 points 17 hours ago (1 children)
[–] shalafi@lemmy.world 7 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

Don't be so glib. That's almost 1,000 pages of finely detailed plans, hardly digestible in an evening.

[–] shalafi@lemmy.world 23 points 16 hours ago* (last edited 16 hours ago)

Serious answer: Because they're sycophants. People call Trump all kinds of names, but the only thing that truly matters is that he's the poster boy for Narcissistic Personality Disorder. I invite you all to have a read and get your head around the subject. It explains every single thing about Trump. (Aside from the obvious dementia that's set in the past 4 years or so.)

To Trump's mind, anyone who says he's a great man, is automatically smart and qualified. He had a few great picks first time around, but they crossed him one way or the other and were suddenly dumb and unqualified.

If you've never been around a hardcore narcissist, the idea of such a person is truly hard to comprehend. Everyone throws that word around willy nilly, but it's a diagnosis, with meaning and criteria. For example, people often point out his lies. Obvious, right? But in his mind, he can't lie. His brain will rearrange contrary facts to mean that someone else was wrong. Back to your question, he requires unquestioning sycophants to satisfy his "never wrong" mentality. Anyone calling him out causes brief cognitive dissonance, and that's poison to most of us, really hurts, but it's shear hell for a narcissist. For a minute anyway. :)

As to the confirmations, plenty of Republican lawmakers tanked their careers by so much as seeming to go against Trump, in even the smallest ways. They now have two choices: Ride the tiger they created and hope they can still have some influence, or, defy him and have no influence.

I can expand on that all night long, but that's the bones of the story.

[–] Bwaz@lemmy.world 20 points 17 hours ago

Gee, I dunno.... maybe corruption?

[–] Archangel1313@lemmy.ca 18 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

Why did Republicans in congress confirm them?

A better question is...why did so many Democrats confirm them, as well?

[–] TBi@lemmy.world 4 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

As the saying goes "Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake". Better these idiots than anyone competent who could cause real damage intentionally.

[–] magnetosphere@fedia.io 1 points 11 hours ago

That’s a great way of looking at it. I’m not sure if it was that or simple cowardice, but I like your interpretation.

[–] naught101@lemmy.world 16 points 17 hours ago

Because he is the smartest and best, and he wants it to stay that way

[–] liverbe@lemmy.world 13 points 16 hours ago

Republicans believe that government doesn't work and they are intent on proving that it doesn't. 🤔

[–] Wazowski@lemmy.world 13 points 13 hours ago

Standard dictator bullshit, fucking obviously.

[–] GuyFawkes@midwest.social 12 points 15 hours ago* (last edited 15 hours ago)

Uh it was on purpose. You’re rightly concerned about the first point (their competence) with less focus on the second (their ability to lock his nuts). His priorities were the opposite.

And that is why you, my dear internet stranger, have already proven yourself to be a better Presidential candidate than the asshat we got.

[–] Zorsith@lemmy.blahaj.zone 11 points 15 hours ago* (last edited 15 hours ago)

I'm not sure why this is so hard to get across everywhere on the internet...

THE.

CRUELTY.

IS.

THE.

POINT.

[–] NocturnalMorning@lemmy.world 7 points 17 hours ago

Because they want a christofascist state, and rhats part of the plan to remake the country in that image.

[–] troyunrau@lemmy.ca 7 points 16 hours ago

Because, for them, burning it down is the point.

[–] 21Cabbage@lemmynsfw.com 6 points 13 hours ago

The same reason foreign policy is currently dependent on his personal relationship with foreign leaders. The show's all about him in his mind.

[–] shittydwarf@sh.itjust.works 6 points 16 hours ago* (last edited 16 hours ago) (1 children)
[–] liverbe@lemmy.world 4 points 16 hours ago

TIL thanks!

[–] NigelFrobisher@aussie.zone 6 points 10 hours ago

Because sycophancy is the only quality he requires.

[–] Bebopalouie@lemmy.ca 5 points 17 hours ago

Anyone with a billimetre of brain power would not work for such a brainless ignorant fuck like rump.

[–] Kolanaki@pawb.social 5 points 16 hours ago* (last edited 16 hours ago)

Because he's a moron and only likes people who suck up to his greasy ass. They're all using him, knowing how he operates. You could probably get anything you wanted out of him by just treating him like royalty. Shit, get a lefty who can stomach through it, and we might be able to get him to step the fuck down. It would be way too hard not to assault the bastard, tho...

[–] Ensign_Crab@lemmy.world 4 points 6 hours ago

No one else wants to work with him.

[–] magnetosphere@fedia.io 3 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

The more the government sucks, the less people will rely on it, or expect it to function well. A weak, hobbled government is great for the rich and powerful, but not so great for you and me.

Donakd only cares about loyalty. Actual competence and intelligence can be a liability.

[–] OneSpectra@lemmy.world 2 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

It's not a good idea having incompetent cult members in positions of power.

[–] magnetosphere@fedia.io 1 points 11 hours ago

No it is not. Additionally, placing loyalty above ability is a sign of both narcissism and insecurity.

[–] rhvg@lemmy.world 2 points 16 hours ago

The first generation is always incompetent as the founders of a new regime want to reward the backers and have loyalists to take up the power. The next generations might get better. You have the same in the Soviet Union and China; the first generation of bureaucrats were soldiers having no idea how to govern, but their successors learned fast and ruled more effectively.

I don’t like Trump, and I hope their regime ends ASAP, but the truth is if it continues, it might get better at governing over time. JD Vance or Don Jr. will have a better grasp of the system and suppress their political enemies more effectively. We might hate them more, but will be even more powerless to fight back than today.

[–] Red_October@lemmy.world 1 points 4 hours ago

It's almost like a qualified and effective government isn't his priority.

[–] BilboBargains@lemmy.world 1 points 5 hours ago

It matters if the boss is an idiot but if most people in an organisation are competent it can limp forward. Probably won't achieve much of lasting value. These type of populist regimes tend to evaporate as quickly as they arrived.

[–] danielsan256@feddit.org 1 points 16 hours ago

Internet Explorer is that you?

[–] themeatbridge@lemmy.world 0 points 16 hours ago

You know why.