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This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.

Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

FACT BRIEF

Has Donald Trump appointed political rivals to prominent positions in his administration?

Sunday, July 19, 2020

By Ercole Durini di Monza

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YES

President Trump later appointed at least three 2016 primary opponents to prominent positions in his administration. Former New Jersey governor Chris Christie was the first head of his transition team. Two others still serve in his cabinet: Former Texas governor Rick Perry, as Secretary of Energy, and Dr. Ben Carson as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Nikki Haley's support for first Sen. Marco Rubio and then Sen. Ted Cruz in the primary did not prevent Trump from naming the former South Carolina governor as his first ambassador to the U.N.

Others who previously expressed disdain or dislike of Trump later became appointees, such as former House member Mick Mulvaney, who became budget director and then chief of staff. Sen. Lindsay Graham, who also sought the 2016 nomination, denounced Trump forcefully during the campaign but became a staunch supporter.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

US Senate: Trump cabinet nominations

Reuters: Trump picks Christie to head transition team

The State: Gov. Haley's role in 2016 race fades

New York Times: Mulvaney called Trump a 'terrible human being'

CNN: Interview with Sen. Lindsay Graham (2015)

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Gigafact

Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

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About fact briefs published on Gigafact

Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.