MTV, Fox News stars abound as Trump taps television for Cabinet

WASHINGTON — A former Fox News host who once hurled an ax and struck a band member on set is tapped to lead the Pentagon. A star of MTV’s “Real World” may oversee U.S. transportation policy and a TV doctor who hawks miracle cures may oversee the government’s biggest health care program.

President-elect Donald Trump bolstered his national profile on NBC’s “The Apprentice” before first running for the White House. Now he’s turned his second transition into a casting call, pulling from the ranks of entertainment and media to find loyal allies to carry out his agenda.

While critics say some of Trump’s picks are short on experience for the agencies they are being tapped to run, they offer to bring a different set of qualities, including telegenic looks or a flair for showmanship that play well on screen. Trump makes clear he values those attributes, given his own political rise has been heavy on theatrics.

“Trump isn’t filling a Cabinet so much as he is casting the first season of ‘Governing with the Stars,’ ” said Peter Loge, director of the George Washington School of Media & Public Affairs. “What he’s been consistent about is the spectacle in the theater surrounding talking about policies and people. His appointments reflect that.”

Trump’s affinity for the entertainment world is well known; long before his political career, he was a fixture of the New York tabloids. He made his mark on the campaign trail with showy, choreographed rallies, embraced unorthodox media outlets and has regularly highlighted his own celebrity support, such as actor Sylvester Stallone, who dubbed him a “second George Washington” after his comeback victory. Trump also judges the success of his presidential and campaign events by their TV ratings.

During this year’s campaign, as Trump vetted potential running mates ahead of the Republican National Convention, he described the process as a “highly sophisticated version of ‘The Apprentice.’”

“He wants a Cabinet that is all able to communicate his position and his talking points clearly and concisely and has the experience of being on camera to talk to the American people,” said Josh Novotney, a Republican strategist.

The Trump transition team did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Former “Fox and Friends” weekend host Pete Hegseth, picked to lead the Department of Defense, fits that bill. A former Army National Guard officer, Hegseth will manage 2 million active-duty troops in uniform, more than 770,000 civilians and a budget of more than $840 billion if confirmed. But despite deployments to Afghanistan and Cuba, his lack of management experience is raising concerns.

And despite allegations of sexual misconduct, alcohol abuse and mismanagement at two veterans organizations, which might sink a nominee in another administration, it’s Hegseth’s television credentials, where he regularly assailed Democratic policies on defense and was a staunch Trump supporter, that the president-elect sees as a major asset.

Hegseth’s biggest moment on screen, though, came when he threw an ax during a demonstration on “Fox and Friends,” missing his mark and hitting a drummer on set. The drummer did not appear to be seriously injured at the time but later sued Hegseth. The lawsuit was resolved.

Hegseth has been meeting with senators in recent weeks to bolster his nomination.

In a statement after his nomination, Fox News said Hegseth had been “an exceptional host.”

“His insights and analysis especially about the military resonated deeply with our viewers and made the program the major success that it is today,” the statement added.

Fox News has been a prominent source of Trump’s second-term picks, with the president-elect also selecting Janette Nesheiwat, a former medical contributor on the network, as his surgeon general and nominating former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, a frequent guest on the network who drew criticism for also hosting a show for three days while in office, to be U.S. attorney general.

On Tuesday, Trump tapped Kimberly Guilfoyle for U.S. ambassador to Greece. Guilfoyle is also a former Fox News personality from her stint on the roundtable talk show “The Five.”

For transportation secretary, Trump is nominating former Wisconsin Congressman Sean Duffy, who gained fame on MTV’s reality television show “The Real World: Boston” in the late 1990s.

While on the show, Duffy stood out for espousing conservative views and sparring with that cast’s lone African American female, whom he accused of being racist against white people, in one of the season’s head-turning moments. Duffy most recently was co-host of “The Bottom Line” on Fox Business and appeared on Fox News.

Popular celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz has been tapped to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, an agency that manages federal programs insuring more than one-third of Americans. A surgeon with no government experience, Oz drew attention from appearances on Oprah Winfrey’s television and his own show, “The Dr. Oz Show.”

Oz has drawn criticism for unsubstantiated medical claims made on his daytime show, including how astrology can impact a person’s health, for promoting questionable weight-loss therapies — including a recipe for so-called butt-busting brownies — and unproven supplements and vitamins. An episode on discredited practices aimed at changing someone’s sexual orientation drew fire from LGBTQ rights groups.

Columbia University, where he had a faculty appointment, cut ties with him in 2022, during his failed run for the U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania.

Trump has also tapped Scott Turner, a former NFL player and veteran of his first term to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development. A former cornerback, Turner played nine seasons in the NFL before going on to serve in the Texas House of Representatives.

Trump’s selection to run the Department of Education, though, may be one of the standout television performers in his Cabinet class. Linda McMahon is the onetime CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment, and a veteran of his first term, where she headed the Small Business Administration.

In the wrestling ring, McMahon was involved in some of the industry’s most outlandish and eye-popping scripted plot lines, including one where her character was thought to be comatose and forced to watch her husband have an affair. McMahon’s character would eventually come out of the coma and kick husband Vince McMahon between his legs in a raucous brawl on stage.

Trump, himself, has a storied history with wrestling, including a memorable story line dubbed the “Battle of the Billionaires” in which he feuded with Vince McMahon. The McMahons are now separated.

Recently, a clip of McMahon being body-slammed by wrestling great Glenn Jacobs, known as Kane, during a past event went viral.

“Donald Trump surrounds himself with people who agree with him and who are willing to go to bat for him, willing to get thrown under the bus for him,” Loge said. “That’s what he’s doing with his Cabinet.”