Trump launches pressure campaign on Senate Republicans to get Gaetz confirmed

President-elect Donald Trump has begun applying pressure to Republican senators in an attempt to ensure his Cabinet picks get confirmed.

In the past two weeks, Trump has announced over a dozen nominations to various Cabinet and federal positions, most notably tapping Republican former Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida for attorney general. Although his candidates have the wholehearted support of the president-elect, the Trump transition team is doing the legwork to ensure Gaetz gets confirmed.

'They want someone who's gonna shake up Washington, D.C.'

Republicans took back the Senate majority this election cycle, flipping seats in West Virginia, Montana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. If Trump's nominees were to be confirmed during the next Congress, they would be able to afford to lose only three Republican votes, assuming that Vice President-elect JD Vance would also weigh in.

This leaves little wiggle room for nominees like Gaetz, prompting Trump's pressure campaign to secure GOP Senate votes.

Several senators have already expressed skepticism about Gaetz. Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska said Gaetz was not a "serious nomination" and said she was "shocked" by the pick.

There has been a mounting effort, particularly from Vance, to persuade GOP senators who may have reservations about Trump's nominees. Earlier on Wednesday, Vance was spotted ushering Gaetz and Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida around Capitol Hill, making their pitch to senators in the form of phone calls and closed-door meetings. Trump has reportedly even placed some of these calls himself to ensure Gaetz is confirmed.

These efforts have paid off in some respects. Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma came out in support of Gaetz despite historically being a critic of the nominee.

"I think the president wants a hammer at the DOJ, and he sees Matt Gaetz as a hammer," Mullin said in a CNBC interview on Tuesday.

"His picks have been maybe unconventional, but we hired an unconventional president," Mullin continued. "The American people wanted that. They don't want politics as usual. They want someone who's gonna shake up Washington, D.C."

Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, a Trump ally, warned his own conference about voting against nominees like Gaetz.

"Republicans: If you're not on the team, get out of the way," Tuberville said following Gaetz's nomination.

“If you want to get in the way, fine," Tuberville continued. "But we’re gonna try to get you out of the Senate too if you try to do that."

The Trump transition team is facing an uphill battle with some of its nominees, but that has not deterred the president-elect.

Trump was asked by a reporter at Tuesday's SpaceX launch in Texas about whether he was reconsidering Gaetz's nomination.

Trump's one-word answer was, "No."

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