Betsy DeVos gets my vote as she is impacting the future voters of your country.
4
Gotta go with Andrew Wheeler. He's just terrifying. We don't have a pipeline of competent judges to uphold constitutional values that would give us a toehold to stop his policies. Life is right up there in the US Constitution but hey...
5
Why don’t we just make it a unanimous tie with all winning the booby prize- hard to chose among all these incompetent, tone deaf and uncaring folks.
9
Wevotefor: Mr. (your "predidente') trump to be the absolute worst person in what remains as your federal government. He is the root-cause enabler of all of the others he has selected who are plotting against your society.
7
Aw, let's not make the Prez a "loozer." Under his direction, these princes were chosen. He is the big winner!
Does "awful" equal "deplorable"?
3
Wilbur Ross, hands down-so many dishonest dealings.
2
There is way too much SOUL-ROT (and cruelty) for me to pick just one. trump has managed to assemble the worst cast members of humanity & inflicted them on the nation, world & planet. I have never seen a white house so soiled, so incompetent & all this accomplished by one lying needy, greedy, seedy man & his ambitious, corrupt followers. He managed to show us the depths of evil in himself, in the so called religious right & in his cowardly, near death republican party. Can't wait till he's just a bad, fading memory (with McConnell) & the historians mint in the history books how russia (and a self righteous FBI director) assisted mightily in his ghastly, undeserved, dangerous election.
5
Where’s Ben Carson on this list?
3
Honorary mention must go to Sarah Huckasands and the queen of alternative facts, Kellyanne. Obfuscation is their specialty.
2
can't wait to see readers comments when Trump proposes Herman Cain for the Fed
1
Can I just vote "Yes"?
7
Mike Pompeo is a tool...of trump. He should have guardrails around him as he is very apt to start a war. He couldn’t find a foreign policy with both hands. And he wants to be Senator or president!!!
2
Steve Miller IMHP
2
Can we not vote for Mike Pence, perhaps the lowliest Trump sycophant of them all?
3
I'm with Ornstein. Wilbur Ross by a country mile.
2
Sorry, but they are all bloody amateurs compared to the very stable genius who appointed the entire lot.
4
The "Son of Perdition" seems to take the show....
That'd be our Puppet president, who is the Head of his cabinet and who is therefore a Mirror of what his cabinet should look like... Right ?
His Puppet cabinet is the "Beast" of himself and they are what mr. trump represents !
Our president is the "Beast" in the book of Revelation.
1
I'd hate to have to handicap this race.
1
Rick Perry! I'd vote for all of the above but since I live in Texas he's just the worse choice ever for a cabinet member.
3
The only one worse than the cabinet ministers is the one who appointed them!!! Vote out the corruption in 2020!
4
"Your vote counts! Let me know your Worst Cabinet Member pick and we’ll crown some winners next week."
My vote: all of the above.
An interesting thing about Trump's cabinet: They're all evolution deniers. Reality makes them cry.
4
Andrew Wheeler- potential to do the most damage to the world. And the starving polar bear video.
2
This race makes the Oscars seem downright uncompetitive. That said, Steve Mnuchin for the win!
2
Even though he’s out the door, Acting AG Whittaker gets the nod from me. Brazen ineptitude and fraud are his signature
2
DeVos! Her efforts to undermine rights for students with disabilities, LGBTQ students, and survivors of sexual assault will be felt for a generation.
2
My Vote: The Republican lead Senatorial committees who confirmed this bunch of villains, grafters, plutocrats, sycophants, and just plain stupid and inept cabinet members. My hope is that many of them will get their comeuppance, come November 2020. If we can make to then.
3
A plethora of choices. Kristen Nielsen has my vote with Wilbur a close second.
3
I’ve gotta go with Ross, only because DeVos is inept. Start with his shady Cayman banking background, then his seemingly psychotic lack of empathy for poor people having to endure increased food costs after the rising price of steel (remember the Campbell’s soup can), of course his comments about federal employees during the shutdown... But mostly his push for the census question which would cause a lot of people not to participate. And illegal immigrants who DID participate would then have to live in fear of ICE coming to their house. Assurances that the information would never be used that way? Tell that to the Japanese Americans during WWII.
5
The entire operation is like a ship packed with pirates. Each pirate with their own set of malign characteristics. Seeking out their booty, lining their pocketbooks and feeding their already grand egos, all at the expense of our nation and whatever values we once thought we represented. It’s amazing how much damage can be inflicted in just two years. That said, my vote goes to John Bolton the most dangerous pirate of them all, and the one who now is at the helm of the ship.
7
Kirstjen Nielsen’s family separation policy is by far the most egregious in this administration. In 1922, my Jewish grandparents and two year old father arrived at Ellis Island on the SS Rotterdam from Latvia. I can’t imagine my grandparents losing him to a family separation policy. Almost a century later, Secretary Nielson is keeping fascism alive.
8
I guess I'd go with De Vos and HHS secretary.
2
I would say it’s definitely a tie between all of them; this administration is a ship of fools, steered by a raving lunatic! I’d call it the Titanic, but even the Titanic had survivors. This entire administration has no moral compass. We used to be a Plutocracy under Bush, now it’s a kakistocracy!
4
Is there an option to select All Of The Above?
3
All of them together form a rogues's gallery of marginal miscreants whose only reason for being there is that none of them will pull the trigger on the 25th amendment on their boss.
1
Shouldn't there be some standards or guidelines the president must adhere to in choosing heads of departments? Trump has picked leaders whose backgrounds indicate they will try to subvert the goals of the departments rather than support them. How can that be acceptable? I'm baffled that this man is allowed to continue in the powerful position he occupies.
12
Wilbur Ross his recent callous cluelessness and his very murky background give him the slight edge over the others on the list.
Rachel Maddow did a whole show on him in 2018 revealing his leading role at the Bank of Cyprus, one of the worlds leading Russian money launderers
2
Definitely Kirstjen Nielsen. Her policies have separated families & incarcerated children. She is truly the ICE queen.
24
All I can say, Gail, is that the only reason I miss Scott Pruitt is because he was usually a good answer to your periodic question about the worst pick Trump has made.
8
Pompeo. Many close seconds.
7
All of them are dirty rotten scoundrels!
21
I am a teacher so I vote for Betsy DeVos. I know there are many reasons to choose any (or all) of the nominees, but my vote goes to Ms. DeVos.
But I think Stewart Wilber has a point. Give all of them Participation Trophies.
12
Pres. Coulter and VP Hannity, along with Steven Miller and Kirstjen Nielsen, secretaries of horror.
23
Mnuchin in a tie with Ross, beating the rest by barely a nose.
7
A special lifetime achievement award to Donald Trump, my one time neighbor almost 70 years ago and the most obnoxious kid I ever met.
43
Just curious, what types of behaviors did Trump exhibit back then when he was a kid in your neighborhood?
1
I am so appreciative of the wit and wisdom of the prior responders but this is my "personal" response.
Sadly Gail, I am one of those folks who finds herself missing Scott Pruitt. So EPA's Acting Admin Andrew Wheeler is my pick for "worst of the worst".
In 1956 I was 11 yr old, and it was probably either in LIFE or LOOK magazine I viewed photos of (& presumably also read an accompanying article about) the environmental methyl-mercury poisoning victims in Minimata -- island of Kyushi -- Japan ("Minimata disease").
They became poisoned from eating fish contaminated by waste water from the chemical plant Chisso Co., Ltd. Although this contamination had been going on from 1932-1965 (approx 36 years), both the government and the company itself largely ignored the situation. At some point though Chisso finally began offering compensation to the victims.
I had no idea that such a thing could happen, let alone that industry/gov't would give it a collective "meh". I'm still haunted by those photos.
The NIH's US Nat'l Library of Medicine has at least one article about it, and of course Wikipedia. Not to mention gobs of other sources: type something similar to "mercury poisoning Japan 1956" and you'll find them.
America does *not* want this situation here, & Mr Wheeler has cracked open a window.
12
Yes, all of Trump's cabinet members have messed with the progress the nation's made over the last 50 years, but Nielsen deserves a special place in hell for intentionally taking children away from their parents and putting them in cages. So much for any shame the nation has over the encampment of Japanese-Americans during WWII. At least those families were able to keep their children with them.
31
Munchkin.
6
It's easy.....Putin
24
While every entrant is worthy of the accolade of worst, I think my pick has to be Kirstjen Nielsen because of her dishonesty and heartlessness in separating children from their families with no system in place to track both the parents and the children so that they could be reunited. The last I heard on this topic, there are thousands of children still being kept from their parents and many whose parents may never be found. That is beyond despicable and yet she blithely spouts platitudes and lies when challenged about this.
On the ignorance scale, Betsy DeVos wins with Rick Perry as runner up. These two are prime examples of irony in appointments given their views being antithetical to the goals of their departments. Also in this category would be Andrew Wheeler, David Bernhardt and Ben Carson.
In the "Let them eat cake" category we have Wilbur Ross, Steve Mnuchin.
And I must mention the departed AG, Jeff Sessions, a man whose civil rights record is worthy of 1950s Alabama.
This is not a "Team of RIvals", more like a Cabinet constructed by a man who is Putin's puppet choosing people who by any objective standard would be at the bottom of any realistic list of candidates.
All in all this is part of the upside down world of Trump, "Through the Looking Glass" where up is down and down is up, lies are alternate facts and truth is fake news. Of course Trump is the capricious Queen of Hearts ruling by whim.
The Mueller report and/or 2020 cannot come soon enough.
21
Mike Pompeo. On his last Mideast tour, what was his main talking point? Improving relations with Egypt? The Palestinian crisis? How to deal with Iran? How to solve the mess in Syria? No, it was attacking his own country's previous efforts under Obama to solve these problems. I am so sick of Trumpians acting like they have vanquished an occupying force in their own country. All they have done is replace competence with chaos.
34
The worst are all those who have not made a living working in the trenches in the occupations affected by their decisions as Cabinet members.
Has DeVos ever been a public school teacher /administrator? Carson actually rented his properties to people who rely on subsidies for decent housing? Mnuchin, Ross, taught economics and ethical banking/investing? Wheeler is a chemist who has been involved in water purification or worked as a landfill operator who knows how to neutralize harmful substances? Pompeo was in the CIA and Special Forces, learning about other countries' dirty tricks? Neilsen was an immigration court judge/attorney?
Trumpet: "I hire only the best people"
12
Sadly this column is a repeat of a weeks worth of "Doonesbury" cartoons published in the early 70's. Mark Twain famously said "History never repeats itself but it sure does rhyme" but I think Mr Twain expected a little more variation than the criminals we find ourselves, once again!, surrounded by. When you elect a clown, expect a circus.
20
My first thought when I read the title was Betsy DeVoss, but after reading the article and thinking about it, I have to go with EPA because of the potential for damage.
9
Remember, there's no real difference between Republicans and Democrats. Right? So feel free to vote for the vanity candidate of your choice next time around. What's the worst that can happen? Poison in the water supply? Cities sinking beneath the sea? Nothing serious.
9
Can we get a group rate?
12
Lest we not forget Jeff Sessions and his initial (and trump's) "zero tolerance" immigration policy. He is the one who paved the way for Kirstjen Nielsen.
6
Batman villains, all of them. All we're missing is Two-Face and the Joker. I have a theory about why each of them was chosen. Trump doesn't actually care about Federal Agencies one way or the other but he LOVES to troll people who do care. And that's the key to his cabinet picks. He looks for the Bizarro choice for each position simply because it amuses him.
16
This is a bad idea, Gail. Remember that every gratuitously insulting thing done to these folks will be done to the cabinet officers of the next President and the next after that. I am truly against what people like the EPA chief and the Education secretary and most of the rest are doing. But I'm not sure I'm up for theatrics in the NY Times that will make it harder for the next folks to do a good job.
The man in the MAGA hat who cast his vote for Trump. Without him, none of these creeple would have been appointed.
19
As a retired teacher I probably should pick Betsy DeVos as the most lame cabinet member, but honestly teachers will prevail despite incompetent leadership. Instead I am compelled to choose Kirstjen Nielsen because I can't shake those images of children in cages, reports of sexual assault, no oversight of the money making refugee centers and her incessant tweets praising ICE. Her expertise apparently is cyber security, obviously not how to deal with immigrants seeking asylum or immigrants who have lived in the USA for years and are taken from their families in a sweep by ICE. She is in a position of great power to alter the course of people's lives, sadly she spouts the Monty rhetoric of a fear mongering admisinistration.
7
Wilbur. Hands down. Why? Because I actually have to work for the Department of Commerce.
15
When I first started to read the title of this article I saw the words "Help Pick the Worst of Trump" and I thought you were talking about his worst moments. I immediately thought to myself .... "well, from what DAY is she asking about". Now I see what you are asking..... going to go throw some dice for this one.
3
Ah Gail, really is there no room for all of the above?! They’re all so evil-villain in their own peculiar and horrifying ways. If forced to choose though, my money is on Kirstjen Nielsen, she of ripping babies out of mother’s arms and throwing said moms and babies into separate cages for months on end fame. I can see Meryl Streep or Glenn Close shredding the scenery as Kirsten in the horror movie that tries to capture this time of insanity; that is, of course, should we actually survive this administration.
7
It’s Trump’s cabinet. Doesn’t he share the collective responsibility for his band of misfits?
3
The whole lot are members of the Dunning-Kruger club.
Unfortunately with power. All riding the orange basket dragging our well being with them.
2
In the era in which so many claim that so many others should “go back to where they came from”, would Kirstjen Nielsen be accepted in Scandinavia?
8
No!
2
If you think "worst" means most evil, it's pretty much a seven-way dead heat, but if you think the prize should go to the one whose evil, competence and positioning can and and will cause the most harm, then it should go to Bernhardt, with Azar winning second prize and DeVos getting dishonorable mention.
4
The Secretary of Transportation, just because she is married to the Senate Majority Leader.
9
I thought that “Brownie, you’re doing a great job” had permanently won that award. Didn’t think anyone could ever compete.
1
Andrew Wheeler has my vote!
1
True,y we must look at the acumulated achievements of the contestants and not some last season push (Wilbur! Does anyone name their children Wilbur anymore ?) as such I would have to vote for Betsy (bless her heart) for her consistent ineptitude and ignorance of what is important to the education of children.
4
Kirstjen Nielsen. Even with all the competition for horror-inducing acts, nothing beats separating children from parents. It is so inhuman I think someone should check to be sure she is not an evil robot
10
I vote for NIelsen. As a child psychologist I know separating young children from their mothers is a trauma they will never recover from. What's worse, they didn't keep track of where the children and parents are and for thousands, they will never be reunited. This was deliberately cruel and was decided as a way of deterring others from even trying to seek asylum.
However, I propose a second category of "who you would most like to punch in the face", and that goes to Mnuchen. And his wife gets a good smack while we are at it.
15
Has anyone looked into this?
The two people mostly responsible for the implementation of this cruel, immensely damaging policy permitting the separation of small children from their mothers and fathers do not have children of their own. I knew Jeff Sessions was a southern bachelor. I just verified Nielson. She is not a parent. Any parent or even simply an animal lover would not separate a child, puppy/kitty cat, parrot etc from its parent.
There is also the damage caused to ICE personal and all others implementing the policy. These are in large part low wage struggling parents. How does anyone with a family come back home after a day’s work separating little one from their parent’s arms?Having to provide for their own little mouths to feed by doing this soul crushing work is what this is. No one should judge the workers.
Nielson and Sessions are from a different kettle of fish, they do deserve time and history’s judgement. They perhaps could have made a difference.
Has no one thought of this?
L.
8
A joint award to Acting Administrators Wheeler and Bernhardt of EPA and Interior. Certainly true that all nominees are "able" contenders, but Wheeler and Bernhardt get a leg up by their enviable advantage of being positioned to end life on Earth (or at least a sizable portion of it) as we know it, thereby destroying the playing field for their competition.
5
I vote for Ben Carson as "most invisible". When I read that he was in the HUD lobby greeting returning workers on the first day of work after the shutdown, I had to get over a few moments of surprise. Is he really still there? I think I've heard of Rick Perry at least once or twice in the past six-eight months -- Ben never.
6
In a field of really good choices for the worst Secretary, it's an easy decision to vote for Mike Pompeo to take the top spot, because he could quite frankly get us killed.
Case in point: Tomorrow 2/1/19. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is expected to announce that the US will suspend participation in an arms control treaty with Russia that has been a centerpiece of European security since the Cold War, the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty.
Let's ponder that once more to let is fully sink in: Suspend arms control with Russia that was signed in 1987?!
11
I hope the Times gives this a headline in “second coming” type.
2
if we define “the worst” as the person who’s likely to cause the greatest harm to the largest number of people on the planet, Andrew Wheeler is unquestionably the hands down choice.
5
The ones you don't hear much about are the the best because they aren't getting anything done. The ones doing things are the worst. Just talking, like Ross, is not really that bad. So I'm afraid I must vote for Wheeler, although it's quite a matchup.
4
Too easy. It’s a tie. Put another way, which is even minimally competent and ethical?
3
I hate to vote for Ross as I feel that he's just the flavor of the month. Pretty sure deVos doesn't know what's she's doing either. I'm also kind of worried about all the "Actings". But I have to go for Secretary of State because he's enabling Trump's activity dissing friends and kissing enemies, thereby helping remake the postwar world into a brave new one.
Btw, do we have an acting Defense Secretary? Should I worry about him/her? I'm afraid that the right Trump puppet in that position could bring on all sorts of military adventures and disasters.
5
Hillary Clinton would have made political appointees that would have been outstanding all the way, without regard to politics, especially in the #3 to #300 people in every department and agency. That would have made a world of difference.
12
Sad - when will this circus end. It is damaging not only to the USA and its standing in the world but it doing untold damage to the world. There will be a price to be paid - future deficient (huge), pollution (why would you want to turn back the clock on this issue!), civil disobedience - a culture driven by fear is not a healthy culture, global warming, etc. The chapter will not be treated kindly by the future generations (if the world survives that is).
6
What a conundrum. The collection of the awful led and hand picked by the clueless narcissistic tweeter-in-chief.
I think John Bolton and Andrew Wheeler head the list. Bolton is a warmonger that doesn't have a clue how to pick up the pieces. Have we forgotten his Iraq fiasco? Just listening to him should send cold shivers up and down your back.
Lets's look at Andrew Wheeler. We got rid of Pruitt and got someone worse. How? I guess Wheeler was salivating to top Pruitt in bad EPA calls. The damage done by this administration and its cadre of morons to the environment may not be redeemable.
I agree that Wilbur Ross is beyond any margins of sane thinking. His advice to federal workers was something out of the 16th century. Actually, like allot of Republicans yearning for 'the old days'. You know, no health insurance, a destroyed earth, good life for only but the rich and a whole list of bad ideas.
So the worst of the worst march on under the guise of helping the country but really doing everything they can to ruin us and our environment.
5
#1– Secretary of State Hannity.
11
You will need to better define worst.
Most ignorant, tie between DeVos and Perry. Most slimy... hmmm Mhunchin might win but Ross right in there. Most dangerous- EPA, Homeland Security or Sec of State.
All of the above is too easy
10
Wow, so many “winners” it’s just impossible to select only one.
Therefore I propose “awarding” “President” Tweet’s entire cabinet the unprecedented WORST ADMINISTRATION/ Cabinet in US history.
They will receive their gold plated toilet trophy’s with the “T” on them at a lovely fast food banquet at The Trump international criminal Hotel.
9
Answer: All of the above
2
Hmmmmmm ..... ALL OF THE ABOVE!
4
Ross wins!
1
Wilbur Ross has crushed it!
1
Anonymous, who is too chicken to come public.
2
Perdue, the fox in the Ag chicken house, must at least be in the running.
6
I am shocked by the omission of Secretary of Labor Alex Acosta. It was Acosta who engineered the sweetheart deal with Jeffrey Epstein to go essentially unpunished for the rape and molestation of 80 or more underage girls. And that doesn't even rate a mention? For shame, Gail!
8
Put them all in assending alphabetical order.
3
Wilbur Ross, hands down.
But....but trump assured us he only surrounds himself with the best people...............
5
so many choices. one vote? all of them are heartless people with one thing in mind. take all you can, while you can and hope it lasts
2
Its really, really difficult. But Ross it is for me.
1
I am part of the “all of the above” crowd. Gail, could you run a contest on best replacements? I would like to see Betsy DeVos replaced by First Lady Laura Bush.
4
Cabinets all.
Let's think outside this horrible box and name Putin, Mercer, Koch and Adelson.
Each Cabinet member, original or replacement, was chosen to be a destroyer. They are not destroying out of stupidity or incompetence but precisely to serve these masters.
6
Kirsten Nielsen is the winner, due to her advocacy of a policy - family separation at the border, children from parents- that is both cruel and not terribly effective in preventing people from coming to the US to seek asylum. And it must be pretty costly to fly kids to NY and house them while the Feds hold the parents in tents in Texas.
5
Stephen MILLER is the most devious and disgusting brown noses of the gang. Even his own family does. It like him.
11
It has to be DHS Sec. Kirstjen Nielsen for what is happening to children on the border. And its worse than originally reported. How is this America?
7
Can't we pick a Dirty Dozen? It's impossible to select just ONE worst cabinet member from this bunch.
3
Child separation policy was the worst. No doubt.
3
Hello Gail,
Hummm...
This is a real challenge. Your list of contenders leaves off at least 11 members. Of course, there are a few unfilled positions. So from the names you provided...
Here's my list in reverse order:
10 Rick Perry ~ Energy
9 Ben Carson ~ Housing & Urban Development
From here on they're all really bad & can be interchangeable...
8 Steve Mnuchin ~ Treasury
7 Betsy DeVos ~ Education
6 Alex Azar ~ Health & Human Services
5 Mike Pompeo ~ State
4 David Bernhardt ~ Interior
3 Andrew Wheeler ~ EPA
2 Kirstjen Nielsen ~ Homeland (In)Security
1 Wilbur Ross ~ Commerce
Anyone from 4 - 1 can take the prize of worst cabinet member, depending on how much damage they're doing to the Nation, we the people & the rest of the world.
1
Tough choices. Betsy DeVos, She really messed up Michigan and is working as hard as her incompetence permits to mess up the rest of the country.
3
How can ANY conversation about tThe Contemptables in Trump's circle leave out the Dark Lord himself, Steven MIller? Who has done more to stoke misogyny, antisemitism and racism? Or warmonger John Bolton, the architect of the Iraq disaster? Or - possibly the most glaring omission -Javanka?
8
Definitely D.H.S. Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen. She's the worst because after we've forgotten all else, locking children in cages will permanently be added to the U.S. walk of shame, along with Japanese American Internment Camps, Wounded Knee, and slavery.
6
I just watched Black KKKlansman. After watching Chao and Mnuchin stand behind the President during his post-Charlottesville white nationalist apology tour, and not tender their resignations, those spineless beacons of irrelevance and worthlessness remain at the top of the worst heap pile.
8
From Europe: Oskar goes to Bolton, war cabinet member.
Lifetime achievement award to all the others.
4
My pick for worst cabinet position is Steve Mnuchin. Because money is the root of everything, or the boot closest to ground, Mnuchin is the worst Secy of T in the last 150 years. He plays to Wall Street and proposes nothing to improving the financial system America's economy is based on. However, and this applies to all of the Cabinet appointees, he was placed there to follow the words of that great actor known for saying "I know nothing, nothing."
6
I would like to add the very distressing perspective that what in a normal persons view of these people is revulsion is compelling attractiveness to conservatives. Lying, cheating and stealing are fundamental to conservative capitalists. It is always good to keep in mind that the disgust that you have for these people is equivalent to how they feel about Obama.
4
Trump certainly wins the award for picking the most ignorant, inept and clueless and dangerous cabinet ever. But really, ever since Nixon the Repubs have been putting people in many of these jobs who were put there explicitly because they were incompetent, vociferous critics of their department and were expected to destroy their department. Repubs hate government so much they are at their very core traitors to our government and the American People.
Remember, if you want effective government and a civilized society NEVER, EVER VOTE FOR A REPUBLICAN.
7
They all are so awful. It really is hard to pick. But I have to give the edge to Nielsen for inflicting such cruelty on other human beings.
5
They’re all horrible, of course. Each has a unique way of advancing a malevolent agenda and contributing to what is clearly the worst executive branch of all time.
But I have to vote for Pompeo and Bolton. They are bent on eliminating any possibility of our country being a force for good on this troubled planet.
3
To be blunt, this is kind of like trying to decide who was the worst member of the old USSR Politburo or the worst member of the Cambodian communist party who created the killing fields, when you have a group of bad people, naming any of them as 'the worst" implies somehow the others are more acceptable or less dangerous, and that isn't true here, with the Trump cabinet they have varying levels of vileness and/or incompetence, but in sum they all are dangerous, nasty people who are helping destroy the country, one mean and or/stupid decision at a time.
4
Those three dudes in Florida who are running Veteran's Affairs are my vote. Could we please focus some sunlight on that situtation?
5
Like so many commenters responding to your call for nominations, Ms. Collins, I find it impossible to choose. They all pop out as worthy winners. But as long as I’m here, let me leave a closely related comment.
What you’re proposing is an award that would gleam with the luster of several extant awards, such as the IgNobel Prize, the Darwin Awards, the Bulwer Lytton Fiction Prize, the Golden Raspberry Awards, and so forth. It’s about time we had one for dumb, destructive, integrity-challenged, nefarious, or otherwise useless government officials who slither around in the upper echelons of the current administration. I suggest the award be called The Grifter, named, of course, in honor of the current resident of the White House, our Grifter in Chief.
Your column sent me out the door this morning with a smile on my face. May I also suggest that in a forthcoming column you solicit suggestions for qualifications for the Grifter Award. You know, a job description for employment in the current administration. T'would be fun.
5
@Mercutio.
This suggests an awards ceremony like the Academy Awards, with statuettes of Donald Trump crafted by Illma Gore. Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal could provide technical details. Stephen Colbert could be the host. It would be ratings blockbuster.
5
"Norman Ornstein, a resident scholar at the AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE, ticked off Pompeo, DeVos, Nielsen, Steve Mnuchin ...and Ben Carson."
If a Republican president has offended the far right wing AEI, that's really something. My vote is for Steve Bannon, who, I believe, picked all or most of them. trump is evil, but I don't think he is smart enough to pick evil secretaries. Don't forget Grover Norquist who does his share of evil behind the scenes.
3
Although she doesn't deserve to be No. 1, Elaine Chao should at least be on the list.
I know, I know, the position of Sec. of Transportation doesn't rank as high in importance (and potential for inflicting great damage) as many of the others, but if nothing else she earns demerits for guilt by association with her husband, Mitch McConnell.
7
Is it too late to vote for Arne Duncan?
2
DeVos, by a country mile, I would happily argue she is worse than Trump himself. (ditto for Pruitt if while he ran the EPA)
The others have wildly different, sometimes abhorrent policy views, or are woefully out of touch and incompetent....but DeVos was explicitly hired to sabotage her department (again, ditto for Pruitt) She isn't taking it in a different direction, she is trying to break it as much as possible to help drive public support for private and charter schools that allow the wealthy and powerful far more control over funding, and how diverse, or not diverse, the students are. She is damaging a generation of children for her own selfish agenda. Thats to say nothing of her bizarre fixation with rolling back policies meant to fight sexual abuse and make reporting easier.
Trump is a sociopath and a narcissist, most of his cabinet are incompetent, opportunist yes men...
But Devos is a monster.
4
President Signs Order to Help U.S. Manufacturers and ‘Trump People’
Seeing the above news header, one cannot help but think that a President who would only pledge to help "his" people has to head the list of worsts.
3
This IS difficult, but I have to go with Kirstjen Nielsen. Not only did the woman with the silent J in her name testify that she did not know that Norway is “a predominantly white country”, but after separating parents and children, she chose a Mexican Restaurant for that special Friday night dinner.
6
Trump has lived up to his promise to " clear the swamp" but in doing so the White House has become the Out House, and a new septic swamp has developed. Voters seem to be pleased with his recipe of self satisfaction. God Bless America.
1
D.H.S. Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen is my pick. She's doing things right now to hurt children and families who are simply trying to get somewhere that it's safe to live and work.
5
This is like picking out the worst serial killer.
Are we counting for style points or not?
I still could not single out any one of Trump's clueless wonders.
3
Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders gets my vote for the worst member of this administration.
No one has done more, on a daily basis, to advance President Trump’s despicable agenda—including the lying, vulgarity, attacks on the free press, and the undermining of our law enforcement and intelligence institutions. And Sanders delivers her special brand of flim-flam viciously, with a snarl.
4
Because "threat to homeland security" has blind trigger power, and she's leveraged this fact to slay all human decency - Kirstjen Nielsen.
4
Each one of them is worse than all the others.
6
Remember this word: kakistocracy.
2
I have to cast my vote for Mnuchin. We all know that Trump feels threatened by people whom he believes to be smarter than he. If he doesn't feel threatened by Mnuchin, well....
4
Not technically in the Cabinet but my vote is for Sarah "Huckster" Sanders. Always ready to stand up and defend the President no matter how offensive, ridiculous and wrong he is. And today she declared that God selected Trump to be president!
4
How can one confidently choose when presented with a kraal of evenly matched contenders?
They all are odious.
2
Nielsen, for sheer cruelty. All the others close behind. Thanks, Donald.
5
My vote is for Kirstjen Nielsen. I draw the line at physically tearing children out of the arms of their parents coldly and remorselessly. If she can lie, defend, and stand behind this president and his abhorrent, cruel, immoral, and inhumane policy she has no business near our government. But then, do any of them?
4
Let me make a distinction. Worst should mean most harmful impact. It should not mean most recent terrible behavior. Ross wins the terrible behavior award.
Nielsen has done the most harm to our nation. Not because she lies; all of them lie. She tears at the very fabric of our country and all that it represents. She is the worst. Ever. Retire the award.
3
They can each get a participation award, for sure.
1
It's not who Trump chose for appointed positions, but the people whose approval the little boy craves.
Sean Hannity, (Michael Cohen's OTHER client), is Trump's only friend. Laura Ingraham is the Dominant who is always ready to punish Trump when he strays into reality. Rush 'Oxycontin' Limbaugh is a shepherd and a court Jester, sort of a twofer. Ann Coulter is his disapproving girlfriend, currently on the outside.
The Russians have a full psyche profile of Trump, at the least we should have the same.
2
Betsy Devos is my pick, though all of the others are good candidates as well.
2
It is difficult to choose from this rogues’ gallery, but I vote for Betsy DeVos, because even though her crimes are mostly the result of gross incompetence and rank stupidity, they harm the most vulnerable among us, our children.
1
Pick one, pick all:
"We are the Borg. Resistance is futile. You will be ripped off!"
1
They're all bad. Draw a name from a hat.
1
Ross is seriously offensive, yes, but he can't compete with Wheeler and the other one who are dangerous.
1
I see that John Bolton was not mentioned. If he succeeds with his life's dream of dropping a nuke on Iran he would blow his competition out of the water (and possible off the planet).
1
Bolton is an advisor in the White House, not a cabinet member.
Jared Kushner, via his Dad.
@ gemli and all others.
I'll say this and duck. Yeah, Ms. Collins is crazy funny. These guys richly deserve parody but please don't forget they're the Mongol hordes. Not teletubbies.
Up with Pelosi et al.
2
Gina Haskell, Queen of torture or dearly departed Mattes, temporary Custodian of perpetual wars.
I'm all in for Wilbur!
1
None of the others are in the same league with Wilbur Ross. You can proclaim him the winner and retire his Jersey number.
I vote for Nielsen.
1
Kirstjen Nielsen. Are children still in cages? 'Nuff said.
3
This is like trying to choose which is my favorite overflowing outhouse. Mnuchin and Ross tied for first with the rest running dead last.
2
Kirsten Nielsen wins for doing the most harm, even if she isn’t intending to do so - malevolent motivation isn’t required. Wilbur Ross is awful and evil but so far hasn’t gotten away with much.
3
Secretary Konstantin Kilimnik should be considered in this contest.
Here in Texas we can get all sentimental about almost anything. So I'm going with my homey Rick "Not Him Again" Perry.
1
You forgot Mick Mulvaney. The guy who looks and acts like you would think Jimmy Conway really acted.
@dccork1 Mick Mulvaney makes David Stockman look like Mother Teresa. I saw Stockman interviewed the other day advocating for withdrawal from NATO. We are through the looking glass.
1
I think they should all share the prize, like those Pre-K class contests in which every kid gets a trophy.
180
@Stewart Wilber
Good idea. Much like Murder on the Orient Express -- they were all guilty.
6
What I find interesting is that we hear nothing - and no policy initiatives have been announced - by Mitch McConnell's current wife and DOT Secretary Elaine Cho. She defended her husband against protesters when they were going out to eat but other than that ....
I can't think of one Cabinet secretary who is worthy of the position.
2
The very worst of the Presidents Cabinet has to be Donald Trump himself. Any person holding a Top Secret Clearance knows that meeting one on one with a foreign citizen, without anyone else present, is a big NO NO. Where is the required report on what was discussed? Why was the Secret Service absent from such a meeting? We know already that this President cannot be trusted, so never let it happen again. He should have been FIRED for it.
100% the worst of Trumps Cabinet.
3
Even the Academy Awards "Oscar" has had a tie vote in the past.
I propose they all receive a first place ranking and call it a tie.
3
I'm going with Jared Kushner and Ivanka. No, they aren't formalized Cabinet members, but they have the same access as the real ones do. Plus, they (especially Kushner) have weasled their way into everybody else's venue. They are the Free Range Cabinet members.
5
I vote for the group presentation another reader suggested. Collectively, this cabinet is the Terminator in the flesh.
1
It is truly a difficult choice.
But I don't think the moment should pass without mention of someone that combines corruption and incompetence better(?) than any Attorney General in our history (even though, being interim, he may not be eligible): the execrable Matthew Whitaker.
He deserves at least a Deplorable Mention award.
6
Ice maiden Kirstjen Nielsen gets my vote. Separating thousands of young children from their parents at the border, without much in the way of record keeping, keeping them in cages, and apparently not interested in reuniting them with their families should qualify her for an appearance at the International Criminal Court at The Hague for crimes against humanity.
7
I'm sure it's already been said, but I vote for "All of The Above"
8
The trouble with picking a worst one is that that person might leave and then soon a cabinet meeting will consist of Trump, Mulvaney, and Jared Kushner, who will become acting (volunteer) secretary of all cabinet positions, except Interior, which will be Ivanka’s, under the mistaken impression the Secretary of the Interior means redecorating hotel lobbies.
5
@Kathy Menzie
What about decorating cell blocks at women’s correctional?
1
Wheeler because he has more negative impact which is hard to reverse
5
I vote Nielsen.
I just hope she does not have any children. The way she treated the kids at the border might entice Children’s Welfare agencies to her door.
Unfit individual. Resign.
6
All of the above. There isn't a keeper in the bunch. Do we taxpayers have to pay Rick Perry a salary?
5
As another poster noted, Ms. Collins neglected to mention Secretaries Coulter and Hannity. He forgot Secretaries Limbaugh, Dobbs, and Supreme Court Judge Judy.
8
In an effort to be completely egalitarian (do I have to explain to the contestants what that concept means??), why not just just hand them all the Worst Cabinet Ever Award.
4
As I read through the list I kept changing my mind. What fun I thought, until I realized there is nothing fun about a house of shame. What a bunch of unqualified and unprincipled people. Still the award goes to Betsy DeVos as she goes about destroying our education system that is badly in need of help.
6
You could stage a debate with the topic being "most tone-deaf" Cabinet member. De Vos and Neilson would score major points in the damage to children division. Carson would score points for taking away housing for the elderly. Mnuchin and Ross win the 'clueless billionaire' division.
Bolton, however, has the ability to start a nuclear war. Then everyone in the world suffers. He is the worst of the bunch by far.
6
It's truly a tough call as the majority of them are so very, very bad. But for purposes of this 'contest', I pick Wilbur Ross. I am influenced because of his terribly offensive and extremely out of touch comments during the government shutdown. He has no business being in the job either. And besides, he has been known on numerous occasions to fall asleep in his own meetings. So Wilbur it is! But Gail, if you run another contest in the next few weeks, I could very well pick a different candidate.
2
think this will have to be like the SAG Awards...just call it for the Trump Cabinet Ensemble. Really no competition
4
This was kind of funny......at one point. Guess I’m forgetting how to laugh at the trump administration.
1
Why not do what what seems to be popular among the "young-uns" these days and give the trophy to ALL the players. Let them know how 'special' they all are. Spread the joy!
3
Gail! I can't choose! It looks and feels like Mr. Trump intentionally picked the worst people for the job in order to crash and tear down the government just like Mr. Bannon wanted him to do. Can't we call them "The Gang of Outlaws" and put out wanted posters for them all? I really liked what you said about Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the Department of Swagger. That's good.
3
lethal and insidious: jared kushner.
3
Trump is a thug, Perry and Carson are imbeciles, Mnuchin oozes slime and Ross is clearly the wrong end of a horse.
But none come close to Kristjen ‘Norway’ Nielsen and her mentor General John ‘empty barrel’ Kelly. By putting children in modern day concentration camps away from their parents, they have brought everlasting shame to this country and caused untold suffering that cannot be reversed.
15
It’s an embarrassment of wealth to have so many buffoons from which to choose. To further marvel at our slate of candidates, let’s toss in Barb and Ken (i.e. Ivanka and Jared).
3
Easy winner, Vladimir Putin the secretary of Treason.
5
Hard to pick a winner considering they are all losers!
4
One also needs to consider the newly revealed secret transportation of Plutonium through Nevada. I mean putting the entire west at risk from nuclear annihilation by one of the Secretary's "oops" moment has gotta count for something. Right? Secretary Perry?
4
I really want to see the Marie Antoinette award..they should hold a contest for creating that
1
No one more deplorable than the one holding the basket.
No pallbearer more deplorable than the one in the casket.
It is a rhetorical question that you need not ask it.
It is the one who is always blowing his gasket.
3
Jeff Sessions. Hands down, the most bigoted, ignorant and dopiest AG in my 66 years.
2
Really, Gail. It is impossible to pick the worst cabinet member. They are all inept, corrupt enablers, helping a destructive president destroy all that is good in our country.
2
Why in the world did you leave out Jeff Sessions. Just because he is currently out of a job, thank God, he still counts. THE worst AG in my 66 years. A bigot, if there ever was one, led the policy of child separation (C'mon, is there really anything worse than this short of murdering someone on 5th Ave.?), putting an idiot in place of the Criminal Justice Division who has zero, yes zero credibility to do that job and lying through his teeth every day in office. And let's not forget his famous reference to a passage from the bible that was the justification for slavery before the Civil War. NO CONTEST!
4
How many votes do I get?
3
In a field of such slime, I vote for DeVos. She may have the greatest impact on the minds of our young and of future generations.
1
Perhaps the only person who is worse THAN Trump is the charlatan's very own insurance policy, wrapped up in the facade of a man: Mike Pence. Is there any doubt that the charlatan chose Pence as his running mate to ensure that even the most rabid foes wouldn't want to rid the world of the faux gold-plated stench of Trump himself, lest the alternative and even worse man out of Indiana, be propelled onto the throne? That's my take on Trump and those who surround him, like so many maggots around a fetid piece of rotting flesh, looking for sustenance but finding little in the carcass of that man occupying the White House.
4
Kirstjen for her wildly successful "Kids in Kages Kampaign", KKK.
5
Too bad we can’t include Stephen Miller here. When you combine intelligence with evil and malicious intent you get....... Wait for it. Stephen Miller!
It helps that he’s the slimiest looking member of the WH. (I know, Mnuchin looks pretty icky but he’s actually doing his job rather well.) And Miller has a track record of evil deeds going all the way back to high school. I guess that’s what happens when you invite girls to prom and the uniform reaction is “Ewwwwwwww, icky!”
And think of the additional damage he could do if he’d stop pulling wings off butterflies........
3
The Trump cabinet reminds me of the rogue gallery of criminals in the old Batman TV show...
2
the obsequious and oh so phony suck-up Pence! even though his is the one valid reason not to impeach the hot air buffoon
3
Well, since we seem to have been morphed into District members ruled by Panem, we should take a cue from President Snow. Split the vote equally among these most deserving winners.
It's a long list to choose from. But I think the kids should also be on it. Ivanka, Jared, (and the boys). Trump's friends at Mar-a-Lago. Most of Fox News entertainers...
They all have at least as much influence on Trump as the cabinet members. More.
The one thing everyone on the long list of Worst of Trump has in common is, how incompetent and inappropriate they each are for the job Trump has assigned them.
3
I am sorry Gail, but I think that you need to go to the top. The top "evaluator" of talent needs to be the worst cabinet member, and that is 45. None of the other candidates would even be a thorn in the side of this country if it was not for trump.
2
An overly generous tax structure enabled these detached oligarchs, and the truly sad state of affairs is that their politically indentured senatorial servants have not already taken care of this matter.
2
So hard to choose, but if I must, I choose Andrew Wheeler (which really frosts me as that was my wonderful but deceased son's name). As horrible as the others are, Wheeler may have the greatest long-term effect on most Americans as he dismantles pollution regulations.
If air and water and land are poisoned, then poor fiscal policy, a lack of understanding of public housing, inability to understand public education, driving around to find an obscure moisturizer, insider trading, "let them eat cake" mentality and more just won't matter.
2
Can't choose just one! Maybe we can just call it the worst cabinet in history, start to finish, top to bottom, and leave it at that.
2
Definitely Ross, if only because he succinctly articulated the administration's core values even as the rest try to avoid doing so.
For me it's Jared and Ivanka...I know I'm cheating somewhat because they aren't Cabinet Secretaries and it's two picks instead of one. I don't care, I'm cheating. Which is the one and only real qualification you have to have to be in Trump's Cabinet. The ability to disregard rules and cheat.
2
According to Sarah Sanders, these cabinet secretaries must have also been gifts from God. What have we done to deserve these gifts?
This is a depressing exercise but it reinforces the arguments in Michael Lewis's recent book The Fifth Risk, which explains the damage to several cabinet departments by this administration.
A more useful exercise for readers would be a feature for each cabinet secretary summarizing what good, if anything, they have done and itemizing the bad and extremely bad they have done and the consequences of same. It is a real Murderers Row we have here that puts to shame the Warren Harding regime.
3
Can't we just make it a 12-way tie, or however many people suggest? I can't bear to evaluate exactly how awful all of these people are.
It’s not fair that we can only choose one. They’re all bad!
1
Is this one of those contests where I have to laugh to keep from crying? This just isn't funny anymore.
I think there should be an ensemble award. Never in the history of our country has there been so many great-at-being-horrible nominees.
I think Rick Perry has been pretty successful. Given responsibility for our uranium supply we haven't had one nuclear disaster or power plant meltdown since he was in office. Did you really think he could avoid a major disaster for two years?
Charles and David Koch.
I know, they're invisible but they are standing behind every cabinet member.
This cabinet was left up to Pence... and Pence is a wholly-owned subsidy of Koch, Inc., right down to his brother.
181
Thought about it and realized the bar is so unbelievably low, as in the negative range, that it's impossible to pick just one. I do hope in the future there will be an "all of the above" choice.
2
Though this doesn't qualify as a contender I liked Ivanka's statement early into the Trump family nepotism /appointments in office.
She commented she liked to stay out of "Politics".
Imagine that-working in the White House without politics in the picture. Such an intelligent statement. Like father, like daughter and sons too.
6
After reading this article and several dozen responses it seems obvious that it is impossible to choose just one. And if we can’t choose just one, why should we limit ourselves to just cabinet positions? After all, John Bolton is not a cabinet member and certainly qualifies as one of the scariest administration members currently not under indictment. Therefore my vote, in the interest of a pick that everyone can get behind would be “The Trump Administration”
5
It’s DeVos. She is clearly inept but what really scares me is that she and her family seem to have a grand class warfare agenda that she is using the Department of Education to execute.
She has probably learned from her brother that there is nothing you can’t get away with, if you have the right sponsors. So, minority children, females who are sexually assaulted on college campuses, students who need loans in order to pay for college, are all at risk.
She has the power to make it very difficult for the next couple of generations to get an education that exposes them to the full spectrum of science and philosophical ideas.
So, my vote goes to the Secretary of Un-Education. Her ideas may be good for some version of Handmaids Tale Land, but not for the fair and equal America for which I yearn.
7
Donegal: You are right. I have felt the same for too long a time. BUT, the one thing that Trump has been successful at is leaving us all feeling that his way is the new normal.
I would hope that articles like this would re-focus on the horrors that we are living through so that change can be made.
2
Secretary of of HLS is right: Norway is not Predominantly white country, for example my mother-in law late Ruth Flagstad (no relations to famous opera singer) was a total red head—she claimed to be Eric the Red's great great great granddaughter (I might be forgetting number of words "greats" there) and pink skin. There are many black Norwegians (descendants of the not-as-famous Eric the Red but Eric the Black, the great football star who played for the Bergen Vikings.
Actually, when carefully considered Norway is country reflective of rainbow colors but not predominantly gay.
1
This is easy. The worst of Trump is Trump. Without that multidimensional underbelly magnet, all the others remain under their rocks.
8
I'll have to give my vote to Nielsen given her irreparable damage to the lives of so many people with the separation policy about which she lied. Hopefully we can eventually recover from the rest of the clown car cabinet; hopefully.
4
As a registered Independent I find it interesting to watch Gail Collins and like-minded columnists, journalists, talking heads, et al. stoke the flames of rage toward Trump.
You're not helping. You are simply adding to the divisiveness of the country.
Maybe try writing a column that will back your readers from the edge and get them to at least give some different thought about politics in America. Even David Brooks does that.
5
@Tom
First, this is meant to be a bit of cathartic humor. Reading actually distracted me from my anger and made me laugh for just a moment. So loosen up.
Second, if you aren't furious with Trump, you're either not paying attention, you don't care, or you're one of the few hundred or so folks who actually benefit from his policies. Trump does a very nice job stoking flames of rage himself, thank you. Gail played absolutely no part in it.
3
@ToddTsch
I wrote a response but made the decision to delete it. Probably would have been better off doing that in the first place.
Just wishing there was less partisanship.
Would you suggest ignoring Trump et al as they dismantle the republic? Isn’t it bad enough the gang uses “hey! Look over there!” kinds of activity to hide their truly dangerous and unwanted policy formulation? The Trump administration is the 100-car wreck we can’t look away from.
2
Andrew Wheeler - A major polluter in charge of the pollution control and prevention agency.
5
My nomination goes to Javanka, including my alter ego,
First daughter, senior adviser, master brander, Ivanka Trump, and her boy toy, Number One Son-in-law, Jarad Kushner.
3
I favor more greasy burgers plus fries plus onion rings plus gooey deserts for President Trump; all he can eat. I see no practical political solution, considering Republican politicians' demonstrated cowardice and complicity.
It bears noting that two of the serious contenders (Nielson and DeVos) are women. Obviously a clear sign that President Donald is supportive of gender equality in his senior appointments.
1
My pick is Steve Mnuchin. And you can add his wife also. Tone deaf, doesn't care about the American people, went to Davos during the shutdown.
Worst of all, he gleefully stands by the trillion dollar deficit directly caused by the tax cuts. if Mnuchin didn't know that this would balloon the deficit, then he doesn't know math, economics or monetary policy.
Add eliminating the SALT deduction to the list of unfair and unsound deeds. His policies directly help the rest of the cabinet in defunding public schools, public services, deteriorating infrastructure and leaving local and state governments holding the bag.
177
@Susan Gloria An excellent choice, and let us not forget that presidential candidate Kamala Harris declined to prosecute Mnuchin’s OneWest Bank for foreclosure violations in 2013.
11
Sorry, Gail, I've got to get some work done (just trying to help MAGA you know); I don't have remotely the available bandwidth to take on this task. Regrets, --Charley
1
The underlying thesis of this article is that the United States of America is effectively living under a kakistocracy (a system of government which is run by the worst, least qualified, or most unscrupulous citizens), which until it has been dismantled, will never not be absolutely terrifying.
14
@Chirag Only learned "kakistocracy" after the Trump "administration" assumed office. Telling.
It has to be Nielsen. Ross shows he is inhuman but he did not succeed with the citizenship question. But Nielsen actually destroyed lives. Some of the damage of the other Secretaries might be reversible. Her damage and the suffering she has caused to children and families may be permanent.
13
Mere corruption, ineptness, cluelessness, and lack of empathy aren't enough. Any cabinet member, acting or legit, who actively promotes rather than works to mitigate climate change is the worst by far, as climate change is a global existential threat! Unfortunately, several qualify!
2
Andrew Wheeler gets my vote for worst Cabinet Member. If he continues down this path of environmental destruction, none of us will be around to worry about education, immigration, energy, economics, etc.
But just in case he’s ousted before the winner is announced - a not unlikely possibility since he’s only “Acting” - I vote for Kirstjen Nielsen. Evil just got a new picture in the dictionary.
6
Nielsen because children separated from parents.
I would like to write in a cohort: anyone who supported #45, voters and the GOP.
12
Is there a Best cabinet member? How about Best Supporting Cabinet Member in a comedy role?
3
@Will Goubert
Funny, love it.
Or best supporting and abetting criminal support? We have lots of choices there too.
Stone's outfits are hilarious plus his lies more blatant than Trump's. Late night Seth Myers - late night comedy, commented Stone might plead not guilty but can definitely plead insanity for his dress code.
1
My vote for that would have to be Scott Pruitt because of all the ridiculous things he did while at EPA.
If the swamp were truly drained, the Executive Branch would be completely unstaffed.
5
Rudy Giuliani of course. I know he is not a Cabinet member but he has earned it and he would be first among equals.
3
Come on people, lighten up. I assume Gail is aware that DT always intended for his cabinet picks, individually and collectively, to be a joke.
1
While the others in the running are tempting to choose, my choice is D.H.S. Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen. Her lack of humanity and the profound cruelty of the decisions she executes for the administration put her at the front of the pack. Such sorrow!
6
Although he wasn’t mentioned, and isn’t a cabinet member, I still want to cast my vote for comic-book- villain, STEVEN MILLER.
His cold-blooded reptilian stare and complete lack of sympathy and empathy warrant making him the poster child of Trump’s dysfunctional administration.
14
In the theater business there is often an award given for best ensemble. In this case we need an award for the worst ensemble compared to all U. S. presidencies. I vote for the Trump cabinet — worst ensemble. And of course, worst lead.
12
Jared Kushner advised Trump that firing James Comey would be a good move, and popular, too. He also urged Trump last month to shut down the government, then told him to stick by the decision. And he insisted that Trump dump Chris Christie as head of the transition team, resulting in the hiring of all those other incompetents.
Jared is not only the worst member of the Trump Administration; he's the worst son-in-law of all time. And his father is the worst brother. You can read all about it in Christie's memoir, Let Me Finish.
3
I would have an easier time counting all of the stars in the sky.
4
This is a circus in search of a tent. So many choices, so few brain cells! Still, my unanimous pick is Betsy De Vos. Remember when the Obama DOJ exposed the pay for education scam and how it showed normal working class people spending tens of thousands of dollars, and going into tens of thousands of dollars of unpayable debt, only to earn nothing for their efforts? Not only did she NOT allow the law passed by Obama to forgive the debt be enacted, not only did she purposely stand in the way of these hard working, debt ridden people get relief, she then undid all the legislation that punished these greedy corporations. She punished thousands of Americans for this travesty, while encouraging those scam corporations to re-enter the field of Pay for Play universities. This is far far more sleazy than anything Mr. Ed has said or done, far greedier and meaner than anything Nielsen has lied about. Just my opinion on this. She gets 1st place.
5
Hard to imagine anyone could top DHS secretary Nielsen for zealously carrying out a policy to remove children from their parents as a way of discouraging immigration.
That level of cruelty and inhumanity is without equal in this rogues gallery of incompetents. She's got my vote but the others are all a close second.
5
I vote for Kirstjen Nielsen because of the harm she is inflicting on innocent babies. BABIES! I mean wrecking the remaining open space and air and water of the US is really bad and will probably inflict more damage to more people overall, but BABIES. TINY BABIES!
4
Pick for worst cabinet member: E.P.A. Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler. The others are pathetic but Wheeler has sway over the air we breathe via the repeal of the Clean Power Plan, and our water that effects more than just drinking water - environment etc. The pollutants are accumulating and once it's done, it's difficult to reverse. This line-up would be laughable if it weren't so tragic for our country/environment.
Runner up? Kirstjen Nielsen or Cruella de Vil; small children in place of puppies.
I typically love your work, Gail Collins. Sarcasm and wit are strange but welcome medicine in the times that ail us. But this column makes we want to cry. Like taking bets for the precise moment the Titanic will sink beneath the icy waters.
3
It is so hard to pick the worst of the worst. Why not run this again looking for the BEST of the worśt?
The tragedy is trying to find one who is the least culpable and power hungry. History will not be kind to these folks in these times.
1
The Republican Senate for standing idly by.
5
I wanted to go with Kirstjen Nielsen, using “increase in human suffering” as THE most important criteria.
But for pure scale in this “human suffering” category, my vote goes to Betsy DeVos. And it’s not because of what she’s doing, it’s because she is doing nothing. This will affect scores of students with lasting, insidious, and almost invisible effects. It will damage the students chances for promising careers, which means they suffer, and we continue our need to hire qualified students from other countries.
As for Wilbur Ross, he’s the obvious runaway winner. But his depravity puts him in another category from the rest. All the other cabinet members seem to be amateurs at depravity, while Ross is clearly a pro.
3
Going with Nielsen, whose evidence of cruelty was so unavoidably easy to see in the faces of children she damaged. She made me cry.
8
This week with the Venezuela news, can I vote for Obama tied with Bush 43? Together they ran a 16-year sanctions conflict that paved the way for wacko Bolton, war-criminal Elliot Abrams, and School of the Americas Valedictorian Guaido to step up and look like the problem-solvers. If Trump does Trump, i.e. talks big, drops the Mother of all Bombs on an empty runway, declares victory and goes home, I will not complain this time around.
Everyone wants to yell "Wilbur Ross," etc. because they make a public buffoon.
But none of them compare with Betsy DeVos. She is quietly and under the radar undoing decades of sensible education regulations which impact the most vulnerable among us - our children. And which impacts one of the most fundamental socialization processes in our country - the education system.
She has done nothing illegal that we have been able to see. Or at least not blatantly as some other Cabinet members have.
She deserves the most scrutiny - for the fundamental changes she is making. Maybe the changes line the pockets of her and her for-profit school crony's. But far more than possibly any other, her changes are ideological in nature. She wants to upend the entire education system because of her warped beliefs.
Yeah, you're going to say that the new EPA secretary is a coal person. Yes, but that's still just about lining his pockets. But I still think (or at least pray) that we can undo the damage he is doing to the environment.
DeVos makes changes that impact the development of children - development that gets locked in and very difficult to undo as they get older.
She will literally be responsible for the dumbing down of America - unless we can stop her. An educated populace can make critical judgements about the change needed to be made. A ill-educated populace is more vulnerable to bad facts / propaganda.
Vote Betsy DeVos for worst Cabinet Secretary.
7
1. Kirstjen Nielsen: malevolence beats incompetence or love of money.
2. Andrew Wheeler: turning a blind eye to killing the Earth and competent when compared with Pruitt.
5
Great column Gail, but i feel that it will not sway me or millions of others from our first pick of Wilbur Ross.
2
I think Kirsten Nielsen is the worst of the worst. She has no problem separating babies from their mothers and then lying about it. That's about as low as a person can go.
4
It's a three way tie between Wilbur Ross, Andtew Wheeler and Steve Mnuchin.
It's impossible to choose just one. All of the cabinet members mentioned are greedy, unqualified, corrupt, vile and lack basic human decency, just like their boss.
4
At this point why not just make Sarah Palin UN ambassador. She is the only clown missing in this circus. The funniest part is the hypocrites like Pence who think that this is Gods will. Judgment day, if it occurs, will be incredibly hilarious
1
Could we pick Mike Pence even though he doesn't run anything? You remember him, he is the guy who appears in every photo but isn't allowed to say anything. His Isis comment was well delivered and he has really nice hair so that should qualify for something.
4
so many good choices but education is our future, which will need lots of help given the traitors trump picked, so de vos is the worst of the lot
Andrew Wheeler gets my vote for worst Cabinet Member.
Betsy
To paraphrase an old 'light bulb' joke...
Question: How many cabinet members does it take to screw up the country?
Answer: All of them!
1
Sort of like asking if you'd rather be shot or stabbed, isn't it?
This is a really tough decision, but I'm going to have land on Andrew Wheeler, if only because my kids have decided they don't want kids because of climate change. Wheeler is depriving me from being a "Bubbie" and screwing up every living thing on the planet to boot.
I'd give first runner up to Kirstjen Nielsen for her sheer heartless Cruella DeVille impersonation and second runner up to Betsy DeVoss for her clueless malevolence.
That said, Mnuchin and Ross could be wearing the Mr. Non-Congeniality Sashes and carrying bouquets of rare orchids harvested by orphans in Madagascar.
6
Is Pres. Trump considered "in the cabinet"......
1
If special envoy for Venezuela was on par with cabinet members, Elliott Abrams, the only convicted war criminal (to date, anyway), would be the obvious choice.
Abrams was questioned by Congress about his Contra-related activities and lied voluminously. He later pleaded guilty to two counts of withholding information.
As Adm. William J. Crowe Jr., the one-time chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said about Abrams: “This snake’s hard to kill.”
https://theintercept.com/2019/01/30/elliott-abrams-venezuela-coup/
2
The phrase that comes to mind is...basket of deplorables.
3
Dear Gail Collins, You do NOT need any help picking out the worsts of Donald trump. If you can NOT find them, you will make them up.
I bet my life on it.
But, but...she doesn’t have to...
Everyone of them is the direct opposite of what they should be. It takes a special kind of mind to assemble this cast of dunces. Only a stable genius could rub America's nose in the foul odor of this band of thieves, liars and miscreants. I say we put the names in a hat and pick from there. They all deserve the honor.
4
I vote for Nielson, but actually they all deserve the title of WORST!
2
The Worst Cabinet Member recognition duly deserves a more formal title. Perhaps you could initiate a sub-competition for this prestigious title, Gail. My personal choice would be “The Spiro Agnew Award for Integrity In Government “.
2
Kirsten Njielsen. Separating children from parents and then LOSING them is the worst thing this admin has done.
7
All of the above??
But obviously the chooser in chief should take the crown.
3
I love Gail Collins. Love her. I would buy the Times just to read her.
3
Impossible to pick just one. Sorry, I tried.
2
The Worst of Trump? It's Trump. He cheats on his wives. He cheats on his father and siblings. He cheats on his taxes. He cheats on his workers. He cheats on his banks. He cheats on America.
5
Clearly the worst cabinet member is Vladimir Putin. Just as trump is the worst cabinet member in Putin's cabinet. The rest are amateurs.
6
The Trump Cabinet is filled with people who are dishonest, corrupt, and incompetent, but only one of them is actively committing crimes against humanity. Kirstjen Nielsen deserves this award, and then she deserves to sit in front of an international tribunal.
2
My thoughts exactly—in another time and place, she would deserve to be on trial in The Hague.
How can we possibly overlook 10-day Tony Scaramucci. His mouth was loaded with smut.
Seriously, I don't know who makes the final choices here, Stephen Miller perhaps, but these are just about the most ridiculous group of grifters and loosers you could ever come up with. . . . .Our so called president has a patent on one expression that sums it all up; SAD!
1
We need to have some criteria here, Gail! "Worst" is too vague.
"More Corrupt than His Boss" - Andrew Wheeler
"Dimmest Bulb (non-Led)" - Betsy DeVos
"Most Likely to Sleep on the Job" - Ben Carson
"Gramps with Cramps" - Wilbur Ross
"Bulldozer Operator" - Ryan Zinke
"World War III - Here We Come, Iran"- Mike Pompeo
"Tariffs, Junkets and Clueless Spouse" - Steve Mnuchin
"I Just Hit Uranium" - Rick Perry
15
Hopefully this groups' sheer incompetence and inanity will save(?) us. Wheeler and Bernhardt ( hello Dick Cheney!) are the one's to worry about.
Kirstjen Nielsen. A country that takes immigrant and refugee children (some of them just babies!) away from their parents in order to discourage other immigrant families from seeking help is truly a sick country. Trump is the deadly pathogen and Kirsten Nielsen is the carrier.
5
Pig headedness, inflexibility, compromise, etc etc
How about Secretary of Deep State and Shadow President Vladimir Putin?
2
Nielson. I'd rather have inept capitalists try to bankrupt the government than a secretary that enables the racists to persecute people based on skin color.
5
Pompeo for bowing and scraping to the Saudis (torture and murder in the embassy!) to protect the financial interests of the current temporary occupant of the White House and his family.
4
I know he wasn’t a cabinet member, but boy if I could throw my shoe at Justice Anthony Kennedy, I sure would like to klunk him in the head. He opened up a spot on the Supream Court and we all know how that ended up, the “I Like Beer” guy !!
3
Advisor row!
Indicted: Roger Stone
Indicted: Paul Manafort
Indicted: Rick Gates
Indicted: George Papadopoulos
Indicted: Michael Flynn
Indicted: Michael Cohen
Guilty Plea: Michael Flynn
Guilty Plea: Michael Cohen
Guilty Plea: George Papadopolous
Guilty Plea: Rick Gates
Awaiting sentence: Paul Manafort
5
It is a very tough choice indeed when you are picking the most rotten apple from a bunch of them. Hard to argue that just like Trump being the absolute worst President in history his band of deplorables is the worst cabinet in history. In fact, since these despicable sleazeballs are cabinet members can we not just lock them all up in one? After careful consideration, I am going to do what everyone mentioned in this article does which is bend the rules. My choice for the worst cabinet member is Trump himself. After all, why shouldn't he get the attention that a Toddler so desperately needs because, in the end, he chose them all in his image? Special mention though to Wilbur Ross who is deserving of being banished to Siberia in his underwear for all-time. Someone should break his glasses.
4
Wilbur Ross and Mnuchin's wife should host a Let Them Eat Cake Ball for all of their billionaire free-range criminal friends.
7
D.H.S. Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen
Anyone who presides over a policy of forcibly separating children from their parents ... my god it's still hard to believe "we" did that (I only hope it's over) ... automatically wins The Worst award. Among a crowd of insensitive, tone-deaf clowns bent on destroying what they're supposed to be guarding Ms. Nielsen is in a class by herself.
If your response to a child dying while under your department's supervision - no matter how indirectly - is "This family chose to cross illegally," you win The Worst...not only cabinet member but Worst Human Being as well. The utter lack of compassion, the misrepresentation of the challenges facing immigration, the refusal to take any responsibility for the suffering and the deaths that have occurred along the border ... she's The Worst _____
8
Once you reach a certain level of vileness, aren't we then splitting hairs? Every one of Gail's nominees has crossed that line (except maybe Rick Perry, who's just too dumb to be taken seriously), so I say they should all be put on trial, a la Nuremberg, after Trump abdicates - or whatever he's going to do with the rest of his miserable life. Other commenters have noted that some non-Cabinet administration titans such as Stephen Miller, JarVanka, and Kellyanne deserve consideration and I'd find a couple of stools in the dock for Mutt & Jeff, the Trump boys, as well. Gail: help us here - find a way to smother them all with the verdict of history they deserve.
3
Kirstjen Nielsen
6
I vote for the all the members of the Senate who voted for all the original bozos first soiling the respective cabinet offices. And continue to do so. Ad ifinitum ad nauseum. But if I was forced to pick one bozo it would be Ross. He reduced thousands of Americans to a number within the GDP. He would have made a good concentration camp Commandant. Too harsh?
4
Being a loyal Texan, I nominate our own Rick Perry! After all, he was our Worst Govenor which should mean something!!! I admit Wilbur Ross is probably worse but Rick Perry is so darned good looking compared to Ross! Shouldn’t that count?
1
Trump himself. He may not be one of the drawers of the cabinet, but he is the frame they all slide into.
6
What about dense Pence? He's surely got to be at the top of anybody's list. Otherwise, it's a toss-up between DeVos and Ross.
1
In the picture with the article, looks like old Wilbur is getting ready to give Pompeo the three finger salute, and McConnell’s wife thinks it’s funny.
1
All the above!
3
President should appoint his daughter in law, Lara, to a cabinet post. That would make it much easier.
Trump picks people who have qualities the exact opposite of what the job needs, consequently the Education Secretary is required to be the stupidest. DeVos is (admirably) using the least amount of intelligence to get the job done. Andrew Wheeler may win the popular vote, but the electoral college is still going to give it to DeVos.
2
For sheer immediate damage to other human beings that would have to be: Kirstjen Nielsen. Over 15,000 innocent children living in so-called "camps", some of whom have died. I suggest giving her a black armband to wear the initials GOP overlapping one another in a nice circular movement. She could also add knee-high riding boots to her attire to complete the picture.
7
Gail, didn't you mean the dumbest of Trump and not the worst of Trump?
So many losers, where to begin. How about the head loser in the Kitchen Cabinet of the White House, scarfing down donuts and cheesy popcorn cakes. Sniff, sniff.
1
They all stink. But I have to vote for Andrew Wheeler.
1
Wilbur Ross, especially for his kindly expression.
4
You know the worst when Rep. Louie Gohmert and Senator Ted Cruz joined him on the recent Rio Grande Freedom Flotilla. It was a reprieve from his “oops” failed presidential bid. That Flotilla event, armed to the teeth with Sean Hannity and Ted Nuggent showed him to be a true border warrior. Jade Helm conspiracists, Sons of Liberty, Oathkeepers and My Militia fondly call him patriot.
A 15 gallon hat, Winchester and trusty steed paint Rick “Pickles” Perry as the worst cabinet impersonator. His Dancin with Stars sidekick former Majority Leader Rep. Tom DeLay rounds out his posse.
Ride off into the sunset, all of you. Please.
2
If the NYT wants to generate subscriptions, it would offer Gail's column and especially the comments FREE to every newspaper as a loss leader.
Betsy Devos! Local disgrace
3
Wilbur. He gives a bad name to a charming talking horse.
3
They are all mini DTs. Toss 'em all back especially the DT and chief. (Delirium Tremens is Donald Trump) They are all giving the world the shakes.
3
Has to be Wilbur Ross.
1
Its a tie Gail! All of them.
1
Wheeler!
Gail, it's a tie. They are all the worst. They all deserve 'worst in show.'
2
Wilbur Ross. He even looks the part.
1
I would vote for all of them as a single callous ,immoral and ethical challenged individuals. They all bad because they sold their souls to serve under a psychopath. If you make one the worst the others will get a free ride. You must be the worst group of people because even after seeing so much mediocrity they decided to join regardless.
2
Join the Trump Adminstration "where ineptitude...cancels out bad intentions!"
Catchy! Gail, you missed your calling in advertising.
3
The big winner- the biggest loser is the USA- is the guy who appointed this clown- car cabinet, the one and only DTrump.
Either this POTUS is a Russian plant, designed to destroy the country, or the Republican Party has helped install the most inept and corrupt fool ever, in public office, at any level. His company of infirm nitwits is just the icing on this very foul cake.
I refuse to consider who may be the most corrupt, as they’re all equally as rancid as the next.
5
Join the Trump Adminstration "where ineptitude...cancels out bad intentions!"
Catchy! Gail, you missed your calling in advertising.
Mnuchin...follow the money, it will lead to the stinkiest part of the swamp.
Secretaries Coulter and Hannity.
465
Kim Ruth,
Secretaries? They're the president and vice president! :-)
16
@Kim Ruth
For their stellar performance in encouraging and extending the government shutdown!
8
@L How about the entire Swamp.
2
I have to vote for "all of the above" but I am compelled to give a dishonorable mention tto Mnuchin and his wife Cruella DeVille during their visit to Fort Knox.
I have followed politics for over 50 years and have served in various government and public service employment [primarily as an attorney] and I am "gob-smacked" pretty much on a daily basis at the sheer lack of morality, legality and empathy that exists in Trump and his appointees.
Thanks Gail for giving us a vote.
7
The award should be named "the Hillary." She called it long ago.... baskets of Deplorables. Who knew how large the basket would become
4
Based on ultimate cruelty, stupidity and generated false evidence and outright lying, I vote for Nielsen.
3
Nielsen
1
I go with the gentleman who suggested "All of the above".....
To a person, they are all dismal and lacking in any qualifications for their job except stupidity and greed.
2
Nielsen
2
It has to be Secretary of Education who has rolled back sexual assault rules put in place during Obama admin.
What a waste of time this article is and any voting that takes place around it. Why don't you do something more contructive Gail, like go clean up a national park or take in an illegal immigrant family for a few years?
Then come back to me with something more interesting and thought provoking than administration bashing.
Transportation: Elaine Chao is married to Mitch McConnell
4
Donald Trump. He picked ‘em.
1
Kirstjen Nielsen is the hands-down winner. All the others are nefarious, duplicitous and stupid to varying degrees, but only she has had her vicious policies lead directly to the deaths of two children (that we know of). Only she has instituted policies that are intentionally cruel. No contest in my mind: she’s the worst.
1
Only if we can pick "The Worst of Gail."
"Dog on the roof"...anyone, anyone?
Mitch McConnell. I know he's not part of the Trump administration, but he might as well be, and he is, in my mind, the worst if the worst. Trump is just dumb, but McConnell is evil.
4
Oleg Deripaska.
He runs the show, yet can’t make a meeting.
3
Didn't you write this same column last year, but with different names? You know... I'm really starting to think that maybe there is some animosity in the staff of the NYTimes against Trump and his administration. It's just a feeling that I get sometimes... please correct me if I'm mistaken.
Wilbur Ross was head of the Cyprus Bank where Paul Manafort laundered his money! All those rugs, don’t clean themselves!
How about John Bolton? Now there's a man who seems to be itching for a war.
4
Forget the Worst Cabinet Members. Take a vote instead on the knuckle draggers hanging around the Commander in Chief. Let's Lock Up the Kids Stephen Miller, Let's Have a War Bolton, et al, ad nauseum.
4
Ms Collins:
I couldn¨t add a simple coma,The pick up selection is , and for your next column, allow me to restrained, for new coments. However, my best regards. and keep it looking.
@elizondo alfonso, monterrey, mexico
WHAT???
1
So much travesty, so little time. One cannot make a single choice from this group of crony-corporate-connected, entitled, incompetent, dangerous, anti-American losers. Therefore, the prize must go to the man who selected and is in charge of the whole horrible Klan, Donald J Trump. His voters, supporters, enablers and sycophants owe the rest of us bigly for their stupidity and mendacity.
3
Betsy DeVos. She seems so ignorant of everything involved with helping people learn and grow. Naming her education secretary is like asking the Big Bad Wolf to educate Little Red Riding Hood.
1
I don't know whether to laugh or cry at Gail's rundown of candidates for the distinction of Trump's Worst Cabinet Appointee.
So many to choose from, and every one of them doing his/her best to wreck the government agency he/she was appointed to serve. It seems to be the Republican way.
Since the competition is so vigorous for the Worst Trump Cabinet Appointee, maybe we should do what our middle school did in central NY. In the school's effort to motivate middle-schoolers to do better, they held a monthly "Best Student of the Month" contest.
So maybe Gail should do one of these Worst Trump Appointee of the Month contest every 30 days, since the competition is so fierce. Personally, I learn a lot from what she tells about Trump's fellow DC Swamp rats.
Perhaps widen the contest to Worst Government Contractor and Crony Capitalist of the Month Living Off Taxpayer Dollars.
A minor point: I disagree with Norm Ornstein who thinks Wilbur Ross is "worst" because he lies, because lying is what all Trump appointees do/have to do to keep their jobs, and those that remain appear to lie quite willingly.
It was pretty clear Rex Tillerson wasn't going to last as Secretary of State, because he did tell the truth--that his boss was a ______ moron. And that is the truth. Fired!
But based on Gail's contest today, I vote for Mike Pompeo, who wanted to rebrand State as the “Department of Swagger.” Because that is seriously plain crazy.
Pass the wine!
3
It's a tie between all of them... except for Rick Perry. (Real evil requires a minimum IQ level.)
My vote would be for Acosta. Our Secretary of Labor gave a convicted (wealthy) pedophile the “deal of a lifetime” when he should have spent a lifetime in prison.
If you are rich enough, not only can you get away with murder, you can commit heinous acts against children and Acosta will protect you (reminds one of the Catholic Church)
1
No question Gail, its' a tie
Not a cabinet member, but may as well be—Stephen Miller, our own little Goebbels.
4
Surely this should be an ensemble award! A gathering of demons perhaps; a herd of trolls; a package of poisons.
And the award goes to.......Donald Trump and his gang of thieves!
2
...and yet at least half of Americans worship all those billionaires. Good job billionaires, you have successfully brainwashed enough ignorant Americans to believe that you actually care about anyone other than you.
This must be what it's like picking the Razzies. I guess I'll go with Mnuchin. I hate him, I hate his face, I hate his wife.
2
This column wins the award for the bleakest example of gallows humor ever to appear in the Times
Wilbur Ross
Hands down
Where's Sarah Huckabee or Kellyanne?
1
I’m sorry, but there is no cabinet member more out of touch, more ignorant and more self-serving than Donald Trump himself. I’m afraid this idiot in chief has gotten himself into a terrible pickle- he’s been played by Vladimir Putin and now that he has been trapped.... he is doing everything he can to survive. Pity , he is so unbelievably stupid as not to know how to do the right thing at the right time.
2
Crooked Kushner and his wife
4
Gail,
I'm going with the dark horse Alex Azar. With his degrees from Dartmouth and Yale, I just expect him to be a wee bit smarter and more compassionate. He seemed to be lost during the border fiasco when his dept. was responsible for all those kids Kirstjen Nielsen snatched. Where are all the children Mr. Secretary "duh". Can you really trust a privileged white guy who opposes access to contraception and abortion. Yes Alex, we know you're not getting pregnant. Lastly a Lily executive who hiked drug prices is now going to make your meds affordable? Now we are in fantasy land.
1
Testifying to all the gall (brazen boldness with impudent assurance/insolence) ain't working. Shame... (responsibility)..left DC and the US. As a Dem. i did not expect to feel for local ex-Gov Chris Christie. But the case of Daddy Charles Kushner (Jared Kushner's training in life)....is disgusting. Boy Jared's obsequious smiling at his Donald is now just too much. Its gross. Jared's Christie payback to defend his gross father? Yeah baby! Jared Kushner, winner and guilty by association!
1
Everyone, just another 'Snake' on Medusa's Head.
1
One wonders if this gathering of clowns, was concurred on by Vladimir Putin? He seems to be calling the shots on everything else.
As to the worst? Kirsten Nielsen, wins hands down. This mean hearted, bigoted hater puts children in cages. She goes to the front of the class.
3
Gotta go with Mnuchin. Didn't he say, "Just do it for me"? He wants it, so let's just do it for him.
1
Ross is a doddering, corrupt old fool.
DeVos is stupidity incarnate.
Wheeler is, well, a wheeler dealer, in it for the money.
Perry has always been dimwitted and corruptible.
But Nielsen is in a class by herself - ordering her minions to kidnap babies of asylum seekers, and then lying about it repeatedly. She wins, hands down!
6
Can't you just make this an ensemble award and give to the whole stinking crew?
Trump is the Pied Piper.
A garish character who turned his following of rats on the public.
How do you pick the worst from a sea of vermin?
5
Why has John Bolton been overlooked??
224
@Nate Smith He's technically not a cabinet member, the NSA is just a advisor.
6
@sarah
This is getting a little repetitious...
So that everyone knows that you are being sarcastic, you should put a smiley or laughing emoji after your sentence. Otherwise some readers might question your statement.
11
Most stunning stupidity has to be Mike Pompeo Agreeing with Trump that the US should leave NATO.
6
I'm going with Mrs. Mitch McConnell herself, Elaine Chou, our Secretary of Transportation - the only member with enough clout to fly under the radar, despite her family's extensive business interests in China (shipping - really - no conflict there). Chou doesn't even open her calendar to the public, blocking "long stretches" of time out as "private." After filing for info through the Freedom of Information Act, Politico did the math, reporting that her "private time" added up to almost seven weeks during her first 14 months in office. Beat that. Ikea has better cabinets.
8
How do you pick anyone as worst of the worst? As soon as one rapidly rises to the top, another does something even worse. Doesn’t stop. They’re all unfit members f the human race.
5
I'm just going to whine and say no fair because as you described so brilliantly all the contestants' traits, it is just too hard. I'd say Mnuchin b/c his role rather important, Betsy b/c she would take generations away from learning anything and ruin public education, but heck, I'll go w/Betsy for the worst harm other than the new interior guy for generations to come. The two seem to go together: the environment in which they will/would live is polluted and all they know to do is pray.
1
Wilbur Ross, based on that one video interview. A video, in this day and age, lasts forever. And that one was by far the most revealing about this bunch of rich thugs. As a retired educator, I was leaning toward Betsy DeVos, because she is hell bent on hurting as many poor kids as she can while lining the pockets of her charter school buddies. So I'm voting Ross 1, DeVos 2.
2
I had a long conversation this morning with Mr. Ed, who is plenty ticked off at Wilbur. He claims that "Wilburrrrr" has been shorting him per his oats.
He said that he had given thought to going down to the local bank and applying for a loan so he could buy his own oats, but then remembered that "A horse is a horse, of course, of course, and no one can talk to a horse, of course..."
I said, "Yeah, 'that is, of course, unless the horse is the famous Mr. Ed.'"
He said, "Damn right. Thanks for reminding me of that. I already feel better. Heck, I feel downright empowered."
I said, "My usual charge is $120 an hour and I don't take insurance."
He said, "Are you a member of Trump's Cabinet, too?"
2
After reading this op-ed piece, it occurred to me that I could select a more competent and humane cabinet from the current candidates for early release at any large state prison.
Did the president intentionally select these cabinet members to make himself appear articulate and informed by comparison?
7
Wilbur Ross is up there for sure. But if I have to pick one, I'd say former EPA head Scott Pruitt because the health of our planet should be a top priority and he de-regulated (along with trump) feverishly. We've lost a lot of ground in these last 2 years in regard to trying to save our planet - and we didn't have those 2 years to lose.
3
@Kat Ward
Unfortunately Pruitt doesn't count anymore because he's one of the many who've been ditched.
That said. Yes, he was bad -- and his replacement is continuing along the same vein.
1
As someone here has commented, it’s a tough choice. My choice is Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.
3
I'm with Ornstein, his remarks about federal employee's finances during the shutdown sealed his place at the top of the worst.
Education has changed my life immeasurably. I'm going to have to declare Education Secretary Betsy DeVos the Worst Cabinet Member.
Keep up the good work, Gail. Love from Rhode Island.
5
He's not a cabinet member, but Stephen Miller should be considered based on extreme awfulness.
7
@Michael Burke
I’ll second this nomination.
Miller isn’t just awful, he’s frightening.
4
Could award the whole lot of them as “Worst Ensemble Cast” in our national nightmare.
8
We need a decision-making framework to do this properly. But this is fairly unprecedented - it's like picking the worst terrorist of all time. It's all about your frame of reference.
I propose Hall of Fame style elections. Nine candidates have made the eligibility list. We can each vote for three. Top vote-getter is enshrined.
Sure, there will be several deserving who don't make the HOF this year. But barring impeachment, there will be a new election next year. Sadly.
Pence.
He always reminds me of Oliver Cromwell, a religious fanatic whose co-called Christianity is merely a thin cloak for intolerance. His only merit is that he is the best argument against impeachment.
15
As a proud Danish-American, I nominate Kirstjen Nielsen as an outrageous embarrassment to her heritage - which happens to be predominantly white, like Norway and other Scandinavian countries. Indeed, kidnapping children from their families and concentrating them in internment camps has absolutely NOTHING to do with homeland security. Indeed, they wanted to work for the likes of trump, for cheap.
As for Ross, a 2-3% tax on his entire wealth as Se. Warren has suggested, should be peanuts for him. Indeed, he can easily obtain loans to pay for the tax if his assets are frozen.
For slime to be compared with Mnuchin is insulting. Slime gets more respect than that.
The "Merchants of Death" actively destroying our only planet for profit should be jailed in a toxic coal pit knee deep with coal ash, mercury and tar as soon as possible. They are certainly not pro-life if they are willing to abort future generations.
Actually, I can't chose, they're all so abominable.
5
The test shouldn't be who is the most disgusting character-Ross wins that one, but who is causing the greatest irreparable damage, Wheeler, hands down.
2
I have to go with Mr. Wheeler, head of the EPA (which, note, is not in the US--as in most countries--a cabinet-level office; it's just an "agency.") The poor kids who get a bad education because of Ms. DeVos, or the sick people whose prospects for good health are dimmed by Mr. Azar will eventually die, but the harm caused to the planet by the EPA's allowing it to be trashed enure to the detriment of generations to come.
However, in the category of "for sheer and publicly ridiculous ignorance," Wilbur Ross takes the cake.
There need to be sub-categories here.
3
I think you are safe to say that it's not one person that deserves this heinous role but the whole Republican party that stands by and let's it all happen.
4
“Garsh, a year ago I couldn’t spell cabinet or secretary, now I are one.” Rick Perry wanted to abolish the agency he now runs, but he famously couldn’t remember the name. Rick Perry wins for moronic choice, but EPA head Andrew Wheeler is a more sinister dangerous choice. Too bad we don’t have: d) All of the above.
4
Alas, so many contenders who in any other administration would sweep the roses.
Gail, you have thrown down the gauntlet, inviting us to choose Trump's Absolute Worst cabinet secretary. For sheer, monstrous inhumanity, I choose Kirstjen Nielsen. As someone of Scandinavian descent, I especially cringe when I hear your name, Kirstjen.
4
Gail,
The category "worst" actually has two meanings: (1) "most evil" , and (2) "most incompetent." Therefore I propose that you award recognition in both categories. For "most evil," I would nominate (as co-winners) Kirstjen Nielson and Stephen Miller. I know that , technically, Mr. Miller is not a cabinet secretary, but he is more powerful than most secretaries, and his undiluted vitriol requires that be be at the top of this list. Wilbur Ross is the clear winner for the "most incompetent" award, but Steve Mnuchen deserves special recognition also. And althought awards cannot be given posthumously, we shouldn't forget our Good Old Pal Jeff Sessions, whose brief career as AG is worthy of an Honorable Mention in the "most incompetent" category. (Or should be be in the "most evil" category? Either way, he deserves our recognition.)
1
Gail, you need three categories. 1) Most incompetent 2) Most unqualified and 3) most evil intentions. Unfortunately, each of them results in a multi-way tie.
6
The most powerful man in Washington is Jared Kushner, so I pick him.
Tied with him is Ivanka because she enabled this power.
The rest are expendable and therefore not the worst, although Miller is up there, as is Bolton.
Jared could easily have Miller and Bolton fired, but he doesn’t, so Kushner is really, truly the absolute worst.
3
Where does Stephen Miller fit into this? Not a Secretary but certainly "Best" Creep Behind the Scenes?
8
Can we just give it to The Field?
Although not a cabinet secretary, Mr. Miller deserves a special category.
7
@Donegal
To the extent that there's "humor" in Gail's piece - it's derision - not happy-jolly-fun-time humor.
Abject disgust - and derisive humor - have never been mutually exclusive.
Who doesn't know that??
2
It's all of the above. Each week, one of them rises to the top, like bubbles in the La Brea tar pits, but then sinks back down into the slick goo that is this cabinet.
1
It’s like playing “Whack-A-Mole”, I just can’t keep up. Hamlet.
2
Kakistocracy - a system of government which is run by the worst, least qualified, or most unscrupulous citizens. Who knew Trump knew big words?
2
Articles like this one have not been funny or even mildly amusing for a very long time.
Kirstjen Nieldon is my top pick for continuing to seperate immigrant kids from their families for extended periods of time and then not knowing how to reunite them afterwards, Sarah Huckabee Sanders is a close second for continuing to spread the Trump lies and for claiming that Trump was chosen to be president by none other than God himself.
2
Wilbur Ross, easy. His entire adult life has been dedicated to accumulating obscene wealth specifically and exclusively by inflicting great harm to blue collar industrial workers. He wins, hands down, even if he had spent the last two years in the fetal position.
1
Can this be a ranked-choice voting system?
3
Dear Ms. Collins,
I have been a regular reader of the NY Times online for over fifteen years now, and have your columns in my regular reading rotation. With this in mind I have to mention that commentary like yours has become tiresome. As a public school educator we teach young people to be Safe, Respectful, and Responsible. Much, if not all of the commentary surrounding President Trump in the NY Times has become neither of these things. I used to use the NY Times as a learning tool for students, but wouldn't dare now. How can I in one breath teach and ask young people to be respectful and responsible toward one another, then teach them a lesson through commentary like your most recent opinion on cabinet members being terrible people.
My opinion is not based on politics, but common human decency. That decency is not being portrayed in this newspaper. I recommend some research into finding good people to write about and highlight their successes; Bashing President Trump is surely low-hanging fruit that may sell newspapers, but doesn't encourage us as Americans to find the good in others.
@L. Lawyer, I understand your point, but I think it is worthwhile to keep before our awareness on a daily basis just how bad the situation is, so that the behavior and character of Trump's people don't become normalized.
@L. Lawyer
I'm sorry you find yourself in a difficult position, vis-a-vis your young students and the tools you use in teaching them empathy. Perhaps you have the wrong villain, though. Has it not occurred to you that we wouldn't have to call out bad people if they weren't such bad people? Do you avoid teaching your children about other evil people? What you are suggesting is that we ignore the bad until it goes away. Not a good lesson in my opinion.
1
I pick Sean Hannity, though unofficial, he has more of the president's ear than any cabinet member and the largest and most loyal audience to spread his vile messages.
3
Can't pick. Too depressed after reading this... Going to crawl under a rock in a polluting oil field that has a privatized school in it, where they're being taught that voting is bad.
3
Many of the disasters of the last 2 years have a chance of being reversed if we move fast enough to throw out this administration.
But the scars of family separation will be born by those children forever. I vote for Kirstjen Nielsen.
3
This is way too difficult. Let’s just put all of them, trump included, on a tiny atoll in middle of the Pacific and have Rick Perry set off one of the nukes he probably carries around to show everyone (3rd grade show and tell) when he tries to explain what his job is. The resulting blast might have some impact on Global Warming, but the cleansing effect of the nuke will make everyone feel a lot better in the end, like finally getting rid of a persistent migraine, or curing that hacking cough from drinking too many Starbucks (I hate the taste of burnt coffee). Then we can get on with the job of trying to repair all the damage caused by trump’s wrecking crew.
2
I pick donald (no I did not forget to capitalize the d). He is head of the circus, and has worked hard to make sure the buck always stops in his pocket.
3
Cabinet then and now: the worst of the worst in terms of policy, temperament, intelligence, knowledge, and let's not forget empathy. No one could have set out intentionally and come up with a collection this bad. I liken it the "Legion of Doom."
2
Let's not forget Mike Pence, who said in the VP debate that his religion informs his view on abortion.
I wish his religion would inform his other opinions. Jesus was a refugee who with his wife and baby was denied a place to stay and ended up in a stable.
1
@Marc So
Actually, Jesus was the baby, who stayed in a stable with his parents. Another gospel has the family fleeing into Egypt as refugees from infanticide.
If you are going to cite Scripture, please do so accurately. Otherwise you are not helping our cause.
1
Each of the cabinet is ghastly in his or her own right. It's difficult to chose only one. Trump and his cronies surely have a directory of greed, incompetence and corruption in which they consult when searching for cabinet members. All of the above has to be my pick.
1
This competition is indeed crowded and tight. The result of trading the swamp for a cesspool.
But, I would say Scott Faber's "levers to pull" and "moss under his feet” comment could easily get the Worst mixed metaphor in recent memory. Visions of bare feet pulling levers just has that ick factor.
Gotta vote for Andrew Wheeler, Gail. It's not a sexy choice (and there are so many sexy cabinet members), but Wheeler is doing the most damage to the most number of people, hands down (and, btw, I do wish Trump would keep his hands down). Wheeler is kind of an anti-utilitarian. The Darth Vader to John Stuart Mill.
2
Despite the fact that Trump fired him, in terms of hard-hearted mean-spiritedness, Jeff Sessions wins in a landslide. The breathtaking combination of arrogance, self-certitude and pseudoreligious quackery means that he will still be discussed (and lionized on the right) for years to come. From instituting draconian charging policies to establishing legal doctrines for ripping crying babies from their families ("hey, if you don't want your babies took, stay out of the US"), Sessions has to be given an honorarium in this debate; Jeff Sessions, Esquire: Cruelty in practice, Hypocrisy in action, Religious fanaticism on display. Hey, put him in charge!
Definitely Ross’s turn. All the others are honorable mentions at this point. Sadly, we have two more years worth of choices.
But remember: They are the "best people. Trust me."
Wilbur is a real temptation, as are the K girl and slippery Steve. But, I gotta go with Wheeler (with the rest of the MOD commandos in tow). The idea that we're putting oil and coal company lobbyists in charge of protecting the environment is the kind of stuff Eric Idle and John Cleese would be hard pressed to dream up.
Miller is in a category by himself and not really a cabinet member. He'd be great for the role of the serpent if someone is casting for a remake of "Genesis," but his tenuous connection to membership in homo sapiens keeps him off this list.
2
I'd like to say I'm still most disgusted by Javanka - all these other lying, grifting saboteurs had to work moderately hard to get there, but Javanka think it is their inheritance. But of course, they aren't cabinet members.
An important point that was missed about Pompeo is that he appointed Elliot Abrams as his lead on Venezuela. Elliot Abrams who is most famous for 1. lying to congress and 2. trying to cover up one of the worst massacres in LatAm history (by US supported forces). He also recently gave a speech in the Middle East with the sole objective of tearing down Obama. So given that Ross's malice is tempered by thorough incompetence, Pompeo might have it.
1
Just going through the process of picking one person reveals what a remarkable job Trump has done. It’s as if he has laid a minefield in our government. Wherever you look lethal danger lurks.
1
Please, we have enough negativity without deliberately trying to find it.
Really tough to choose, no doubt. Wheeler is the most dangerous, because he kind of knows what he's doing, and he could do long term damage to the environment in a short amount of time. But they're all so unqualified and smarmy. It's easier to pick the best SNL characters: Betsy and Wilbur.
Andrew Wheeler. The guy who's job it is to protect the planet for future generations. There is no more important job. He is evil.
2
How about "all of the above?"
2
This contest reminds me of the old joke about weather. Who is the worst? Just wait five minutes.
1
His critics are the worst of Trump. The fanatical hatred is so obvious.
2
Such a competitive field!
. . . but I have to vote for AZAR---taking decent healthcare coverage from millions? Should we try to total up how many will die and how many will suffer without care?
Trump was going to hire "the best people." Unfortunately, we didn't ask for the definition of best. Here it is:
* On a corruption scale of 1 to 10, best is at least an eight.
* On a competence scale of 1 to 10, best is lower than five.
* On a "I hate government and the department which I will lead", best is a ten.
* On a "Disdain for my fellow American working stiffs", best is a nine.
In Trump's incompetent, greedy orbit, he did hire the best people. Do you hear any Republicans complaining about his Cabinet? No.
1
That's easy — Trump is all bad. There is nothing good about him.
1
I think Stephen Miller takes the biscuit for pulling the levers of the great and powerful Oz, “Don’t look behind the curtain!” as there you will find Mr. Miller working furiously to reincarnate 1950’s America
2
The worst cabinet member appointed all the rest - Donald J. Trump.
2
Three way tie: Ann Coulter, Sean Hannity and Jared Kushner.
Hey, he listens to them more than anyone in his cabinet....
3
Oh, Wilbur Ross by 10 lengths (as if he could run a horserace in his specially-apportioned velvet slippers). And Stephen Miller. I know he's not in the Cabinet, but he would be worst if he was. He would be worst Anything, no matter what it was.
I hope all these corrupt individuals serve serious prison time. I also hope cows can fly to the moon.
Just to add, can you imagine if President Obama had even one of these mobsters in his cabinet or said the stuff they say or acted the way all of them act or make choices like all of them do or watched tv all day or played golf too much or had three marriages and a former "model" wife or staff that lies for him or had friends and lawyers with shady backgrounds or had friends and employees who had been indicted or were fraudulent or went to jail or jailed kids or ruined our air, water, and preserved land spaces or picked the foolish education secretary or had secret meetings with Putin or...?
2
“I will only have the BEST people in my administration!”
1
Why limit it to just one? The whole Cabinet is probably the worst in history,
Didn’t Mr. Trump say he was going to surround himself with the smartest people?
I guess that didn’t happen unless he misunderstood sycophancy
for intelligence.
2
It was a tough decision, but Wilbur Ross by a hair. On the inside track. No question. I lend him my vote.
1
Worst Cabinet member can mean different things. Most destructive could be Wheeler, most ignorant could be DeVos, most corrupt could be Ross or Mnuchin (they really should be paired like Sacco & Vanzetti), most useless could be Ben Carson, most annoying could be Pompeo, but, and it’s a big but, but to me the worst is Nielsen. How can you take children away from their parents, then lose the children and put them in cages, claim that’s not your policy and not be the worst cabinet member ever. Ever!
1
Tempting as Wilbur is, I've got to go with Wheeler who's doing the most to permanently damage the real world we all live in.
I vote for the whole Republican party.
3
Nielsen gets my vote for worst: she lies an awful lot and she knows better than to think Trump's evil policies will work. Yet she executes them anyway for the sake of having a prestigious job. While my description of Nielsen applies to most Trump cabinet members, she earns the top spot because she stands by (and lies) while children are traumatized and even die. Truly deplorable.
1
Betsy Devos- she proudly bought her way into politics in Michigan- built a career (if you could call it one- since I think secretary of Ed is actually her very first job) of demonizing public education in favor of religious, private, and charter schools. Then she takes the job of chief public education official- just disgusting.
Looking at each one of these clowns separately is like trying to decide what is worse for global warming: CO2 or Methane. Together they are the perfect storm, and the whole is much greater than the sum of the parts.
2
The worst are the Republicans who know all this disgusting stuff as well as you or I do, and yet they still support him.
The list provided by Gail Collins is comprised of people invaded by evil devils who have taken over their brains. They cannot help themselves.
The rest of the Republicans cheering them on or not working to remove them (and Trump) are the morally reprehensible ones. They know better.
3
@JustThinkin
In the spirit of the Oscars, How about Worst Foreign Actor? Obviously, the award goes to Putin.
All the statues can be brandishing the sword.
1
The first group of undesirables left because of prior illegal or immoral problems that were discovered. Others left on their own,realizing that association with Trump would do more to harm than help their careers. The cabinet members we're left with are all losers just like the President.
1
This article reminded me that, when Kinky Friedman ran for Governor of Texas -- a mantle, he pointed out, that was once worn by Rick Perry, and also Dubya -- his slogan was "How hard can it be?"
I ll vote for Mick Mulvaney. Although not on the list, he has left a trail of destruction across the government.
I'm in a mood to be generous, so how about more than one winner? Kirstjen Nielsen, Betsy DeVos and Moochy Mnuchin, all three because with names this difficult to spell I maintain they're hiding something. I also vote for Pompeo -- he should know better as should Wilbur Ross who certainly is old enough and wealthy enough to know better. That's my list. Oops, forgot Rick Perry. Lest we forget that the fish stinks from the head down, why leave Donald J. Trump off the list?
2
In order, Pompeo, Gold; Ross, Silver; Neilsen, tarnished Bronze.
If Pompeo wasn't driven, escorted or flown places, he'd be lost...; how's that fer swaggerin'? On the global stage, he's proven himself unworthy, befuddled and inarticulate. South Carolina should be so proud.
While I am relieved Steve Mnuchin got rid of that disturbing facial tick (must have been a software glitch) and I would cast my vote for him since the trips to Fort Knox and the jaunts with his plastic, intellectually challenged wife normally would qualify, I have to vote for Wilbur. He is as old as dirt and keeps falling asleep during meetings, didn’t know what the Commerce Department was responsible for, and failed every step of the way to resolve his financial conflicts, the greedy little worm.
Anyone who is called the bankruptcy king should automatically be excluded from the position. But, what else would you expect from the President’s bankruptcy history. Are we sick of winning yet?
1
This is another Gail Collins trick question. The answer is obviously 'All of the Above'.
2
I underscore the nomination of the former president of the Bank of Cyprus. Although Ross’ appointment to this post has puzzled many observers, Wilbur’s service on the Mediterranean isle put him in an ideal position to launder money from Ukraine and Russia for the ultimate benefit of his master, Mr. Trump. Come on, Mr. Mueller, the nation turns its weary eyes to you: time to focus your investigative microscope on Wilbur, the winner of Gail Collins’ worst cabinet officer award.
1
Kristjen Neilsen looks to be the early winner, with the ever-popular Vlad being hors de combat.
2
Indirectly, the worst cabinet member is former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for running a poor presidential campaign and enabling all of these deplorables to become cabinet members.
You should even name the award, "The Wilbur"! It could awarded (or re-awarded) for the years to follow.
3
Personally, it’s a toss up between McConnell, Miller and Putin.
2
Herman Cain
per Politico, DJT is considering Cain for Federal Reserve Governor
Sarah Huckabee Sanders for the win.
Only because she can take the name of the Lord in vain in the very same breath that she uses in bearing false witness.
This, as a daughter of a preacher man.
1
And despite many bad choices, Trump must top the Republican ticket in 2020, even if he's drooling and speaking in tongues. If he doesn't, he faces a long list of felonies he has committed while dishonoring the Oval Office.
1
It’s not over yet. A FOX news anchor will probably be our next United Nations ambassador.
2
Fun! Or, not. In any case, while I'd like to give my vote to Mr. Burns - erm, Wilbur Ross - I agree that there are others in more pernicious posts of power. Nielsen probably nails it on that score, but I can't get past my desire to see someone push Stephen Miller's head in a toilet as they undoubtedly did in high school. Sorry for that.
1
Kirstjen Nielsen is the worst - hands down. She is weak, unethical and a lier. What can be worst on a position of holding the trust of the American people ?
There are so many excellent contestants, but I'd have to go with D.H.S. Secretary Nielsen:
Rep. Cicilline: You do not know how many people have DIED in DHS custody?
DHS Sec. Nielsen: "I don't have an exact figure"
Rep. Cicilline: "I'm talking about people who have died in your custody. You don't have the number?"
DHS Sec. Nielsen: "I will get back to you with the number."
1
My vote is for D.H.S. Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen. Anyone who can do what she did to children by tearing them away from their parents and incarcerating them deserves a special award for inhumanity.
1
Wow, this is tough: so many worthy contenders! I'm going to have to go with EPA's Andrew Wheeler, just because the damage he can (and likely will) do will last for decades.
This certainly isn’t the best and the brightest in fact they are not even decent human beings. My vote goes to Betsy DeVos. As Secretary of Education she can and is doing the most significant long term damage to the aspirations of working people and the middle class. Education is our ticket to a better lifestyle not just better jobs. This is to me the most disgraceful behavior of all the secretaries of ? and related positions.
4
Keep an eye on Mulvaney. After securing the chief of staff position, he now wants to succeed Ross. He didn't mention giving up either of his current positions, chief of staff and OMB director.
2
Proof that laughter is the best medicine. Thank you, Dr. Collins!
9
Come on, Gail. Devise some sort of group prize. Each of these characters is bad for the U.S. in their own special way. As befits a man who never should have been elected president, none of these characters should have ever been placed in these very high positions. OTOH this makes sense in a twisted, opposite-day gestalt kind of way.
8
This is like being shown a lineup of the 15 worst criminals in the country and being asked the select the worst one. It's an impossible task. But asked to make a selection, I would choose Andrew Wheeler, the (acting) Secretary who supports poisoning the air we breathe and the water we drink, the undeniable impact of which will be to impair people's health and reduce their longevity. The worst of the worst.
8
ALL of the above.
12
I think the crown goes to Andrew Wheeler, just as I thought it went to Scott Pruitt before him, and just as it would go to any fossil fuel shill/general corporate stooge who might serve as EPA administrator in this administration. That is a function of the long term broad and deep damage such people cause in this position.
I share the horror of others here at DHS secretary Nielsen's actions, but we shouldn't discount the tragedy that will be caused by the current EPA leadership, even though it will play out over a longer time, and with the illusion that it is less direct.
9
Viewing the Augean Stables--our current administration--it's difficult to pick which odiferous pile to start with. All of the people Ms. Collins mentions deserve to be shoveled out--it's really a Herculean task to decide where to start.
14
Because I find each of them equally loathsome, my choice has to be "all of the above". My argument consists of one question: who does one pick as "designated survivor"? The answer is obvious: "none of the above".
10
Perhaps voting now is premature. I hear there is a help wanted ad out there-
Trump administration now hiring. Many positions open. No experience necessary.
13
Tough choice, but if I had to pick one, I'd go with acting EPA administrator Andrew Wheeler because I think he is in a position to do the most damage.
7
Trump will probably choose the winner of this contest as the designated survivor for the State of the Union speech. Be careful what you wish for.
8
A tough call, for sure, but Nielsen gets the nod because of the continuing atrocities committed at the border; a scar that’ll never fade.
10
The president is a member of his own cabinet. there is no real competition here- it is President Trump himself.
10
Kirstjen Nielsen is causing the most immediate human suffering, but in the long run the actions of Andrew Wheeler will cause more damage. It's really hard to choose.
12
How about, and I'm sure someone has already suggested him, Jared Kushner? He's not a cabinet member per se but he does have quite a bit of influence. So too, does Ivanka Trump.
I think that the most tone deaf cabinet member is Wilbur Ross. His comments during the government shut down were unreal. Jeff Sessions wasn't so wonderful.
I'm beginning to have fond memories of James Watt, Reagan's Secretary of the Interior during his first term in office. This statement was among his most memorable:
“We have every kind of mix you can have. I have a black, I have a woman, two Jews and a cripple.” This is far less offensive than anything Trump or his cronies have said lately.
6
I agree that in this instance "all of the above" is the correct answer.
8
Deputy Interior Secretary (soon to be named Secretary?) David Bernhardt has been erasing the departmental handbook's climate change chapter. One-fifth of all American land would no longer require climate science to inform decisions about water, wildlife and landscapes because, as a Bernhardt order said, it could "potentially burden" fossil fuel extraction.
He's played a central role curtailing the scope of two bedrock environmental laws, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and the National Environmental Policy Act, both of which are big obstacles to extractive industries.
Bernhardt has also taken a leading role in overhauling the ESA, proposing to shed the highest protections for species that are merely listed as threatened. The proposed change would make it easier to delist a species and potentially tighten critical habitats.
Bernhardt flies under the radar, which makes him much more dangerous than many of the other obvious misfits in the Trump administration.
5
Shouldn't we be taking seniority into account? I don't mean that it should trump (oops) every other form of egregious behavior (so much to choose from; so little time).
But i do feel that cabinet members like Ross, deVos and Perry, who've been at it from the get-go, should get a little extra credit for the length of time they've been damaging their institutions, lying to the citizenry and consistently displaying their profound ignorance and indifference to their responsibilities.
Gail does make strong case for Neilson, but has she been at it for as long the three I've mentioned above? And shouldn't consistent lack of effort, conscientious ignorance and incompetence over the long haul count for something?
My vote goes--as it has in the past--to deVos. The wreckage she'll leave in her wake will have lasting consequences far beyond the life of this administration. And she doesn't need to dress herself in the morning. She's rich; she has people to do that for her.
7
Oh what to do, what to do? If this was a board game, I would have a very strong urge to pick up the board with all of its pieces ( Trumpsters and lackeys) and dump them into the nearest recycling bin. However, sinced Gail has asked us to select who I believe is the worst of the lot, after thinking it over for 20 seconds, it’s a toss-up between Wheeler and Pompeo.
If, on the other hand, I was Dante Alighieri attempting to decide who belongs in the Circles of Hell, I would have no trouble choosing mob boss Donald Trump, his corrupt and smarmy family, the entire cabinet, the White House staff, especially Huckabee Sanders, Conway and the neo-Nazi Steve Miller, along with the McConnell and the vast majority of Republicans on Capitol Hill and elsewhere. I can think of many others, but I’m sure you get my drift. Lock them all up and toss away the keys !
20
I agree with you entirely, but believe that Steve Mnuchin deserves a special call out as well.
7
If, for no other reason, than because Mnuchin married Cruella De Vil. Bonus points because his last name looks like a misprint.
1
@Maggie2 I agree, except I would throw them in the garbage disposal instead of the nearest recyclining bin. There is no way in hades that we should want any part of this government garbage to crop up anywhere else.
2
Gail, you are asking us to pick our poison. With Trump's cabinet there are many measures that apply. The kind of damage being inflicted, the degree of damage, its persistence, and is it remediable. It's tough reducing all that to a single ranking measure. I choose Andrew Wheeler. Environmental damage and global warming last a long time.
11
Gail,
As a retired teacher (45 years teaching) I have to remain true to being an advocate for children - The Homeland Security and Education Chiefs are tied for my top choice. They epitomize cruelty and are cold hearted monsters. Can you imagine caging children, snatching them from parents, giving more rights to sexual abusers than the abused? Playing Dante I would send them to the lowest places of hell. God forgive them. I cannot.
13
Each and every member of the Trump cabinet is as egregious as the next. Can we not vote for "the worst US Cabinet" ever? Trying to sort out who belongs in the 9th Circle of Hell is exhausting!
16
Nielsen!
She’s a liar, just like her boss. I know, they are all liars but she should know better. Shame on her!
13
Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta, who gave a multi-millionaire serial sexual predator a sweet deal when he was US attorney in Miami.
https://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/article222705580.html
7
Wheeler, because global climate change will kill us all not simply screw up education, finance, immigration etc.
8
Difficult to pick a winner out of this bunch where competence is a passing, merely aspirational notion, and then only once or twice a month. That said, I vote for Ross. Nielsen is a close second.
5
Stephen Miller, for inventing the idea of using the pain of family separations as a deterrent to immigration, and being proud of it.
11
You are not the only one watching Kirstjen Nielsen who is of Danish ancestry since she played dumb and dumbest about this Norwegian thing. But then, the physical distance between Denmark and Norway is tooooooo great to know about each other's population and their "shades".
9
The competition for worst Cabinet member is fierce, but let me put in a plug for Acosta, the former U.S. attorney who gave a sweetheart deal to a serial sex fiend and pederast. Some deep digging needs to be done into whether donald trump, another sex fiend and accused pederast, would have been mentioned in a federal indictment.
6
The outrageous actions of all the Cabinet Members you listed are equally horrific.
I vote an across the board tie. If one person is chosen, the others may do something even more disgusting to win the award next year.
10
Gail,
When would you and other writers start giving the agency that Pruitt headed and currently headed by Wheeler its proper designation, namely, EDA (environment destruction Agency)? "EPA" is totally passe and long outlived its usage.
8
@semmfan: Since nothing can be changed in the US, once established, perhaps the acronym could mean Environmental Pollution Agency.
5