President-elect Donald Trump has named U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz the next U.S. Attorney General.
The attorney general is the federal government’s chief law enforcement officer and head of the Department of Justice.
Trump posted on Truth Social that “[Gaetz] has distinguished himself in Congress through his focus on achieving desperately needed reform at the Department of Justice.”
Gaetz (R-FL) responded on X, “It will be an honor to serve as President Trump’s Attorney General!”
The Senate confirms or denies all cabinet nominations made by the President. In the next Congress, 53 Republican senators will form the majority.
The congressman is just one in a series of Floridians appointed by Trump to the most high-profile executive positions.
Sunshine state politico Susie Wiles was the president-elect’s first hire, claiming the role of Chief of Staff. Her selection was embraced by the MAGA world and establishment types, including former Florida Governor Jeb Bush.
Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), Trump’s former presidential competitor in the 2016 election, was selected to be Secretary of State for the next administration.
Congressman Mike Waltz (R-FL) was chosen as Trump’s National Security Advisor. The Augustine Beach area representative has served in the House since he was first elected in the 2018 midterm elections. Since the announcement, the selection of the former U.S. Special Forces officer has come under fire, as some critics have called him a “neocon,” while supportive messages have called him “bad news for China.”
Gaetz was elected to Congress in his Niceville-area district in the same Florida Republican wave that supported then-presidential candidate Trump in 2016, and he has remained in Congress since then. In 2023, he led a motion to vacate then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Gaetz was successful in giving McCarthy the boot, and ultimately, the action led to the election of Mike Johnson (R-LA) as the current Speaker.