Circus

Old Turkish proverb: "If a clown goes into a palace, the clown does not become king; the palace becomes a circus."

- ALEX MAGNO

Donald Trump returns to the White House on Jan. 21. Coming in with him is a whole busload of clowns. The seat of American executive power could become a large circus – or a nuthouse.

The returning US president does not have a reputation for subtlety or for finesse. He operates like a jackhammer does.

The past week, he was busy announcing his nominations for senior positions in his recycled administration. The last one announced, as of this writing, is the nomination of a fracker to be secretary of Energy. This is complemented by the appointment of climate change denier Lee Zeldin to head the Environmental Protection Agency. Drill, Baby, drill indeed.

In making his appointments, Trump ignored the usual practice of requesting the FBI to vet his people. He simply does not trust the agency. Nor does he want to be bogged down by bureaucratic procedures.

He does not even want to deal with the Senate's confirmation process. He asked his people in the US Congress to put the institution on recess so that his appointments will not have to be heard by the legislators.

The peril of not conducting proper vetting on his nominees was made clear immediately. His nominee for secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, a Fox News broadcaster who served several tours of duty as a combat soldier, was found to have paid to settle a sexual assault complaint. The nominee represents the Christian Right constituency.