Mixed reviews for Trump’s Catholic cabinet nominations

Robert Kennedy Jr has compared the government’s failure to report problems with vaccines to the Catholic Church’s cover-up of sex abuse by clergy.

President-elect Donald Trump nominated several Catholics to positions in his cabinet, names welcomed by some commentators though it was unclear how large a role each would have shaping policy. In recent decades, most policy-making decisions are made by the White House staff, with varying levels of consultation with cabinet officials.

Senator Marco Rubio has been nominated to be Secretary of State. Rubio, a Cuban-American, was raised Catholic but now occasionally attends an Evangelical church. Rubio has advocated for forceful policies in the past, supporting sanctions against Cuba and Venezuela, and backing aid to Ukraine in its war against Russia and to Taiwan in its struggles with mainland China. As Secretary of State, Rubio will be part of the foreign policy team that defines options for the president on major decisions. 

Joining Rubio on the foreign policy team will be Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, nominated to serve as US Ambassador to the United Nations, while John Ratcliffe, a former congressman, was nominated to lead the Central Intelligence Agency. Stefanik is an outspoken opponent of antisemitism and is expected to articulate a strong defence of Israel at the UN. Ratcliffe briefly served Trump in his first term as director of national intelligence.

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One of the most controversial nominations is that of Robert Kennedy Jr to serve as Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. The son of assassinated Senator Robert Kennedy, Kennedy belongs to US political royalty but broke with his Catholic family’s politics to endorse Trump. 

Kennedy has challenged mainstream medical views on issues including the efficacy of vaccines, and critics warn any effort to shut down vaccination programmes could lead to an outbreak of measles and other diseases that have been mostly cured. He has compared the government’s failure to report problems with vaccines to the Catholic Church’s cover-up of sex abuse by clergy. 

Less controversial is Trump’s nomination of Sean Duffy as Transportation Secretary. Duffy, a practising Catholic, was a well-liked, pro-life leader during his eight years in Congress.

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