Lynne Patton, Administrator for Region II, Housing and Urban Development
The official overseeing federal housing programs in New York, as well as billions of dollars in taxpayer funds, is none other than the Trump family’s longtime event planner, Lynne Patton. She faced early criticism over her general lack of experience, as well as how she lists her unfinished time in law school on her resume. At a glance of her resume, her most substantive executive experience was serving as Vice President of the board of the Eric Trump Foundation, a charity that reportedly funneled $1.2 million dollars into the Trump Organization.
How does an event planner that worked for a financially irresponsible charity end up administering billions of dollars for the federal government? Pure, unadulterated cronyism.
Kyle Yunaska, Chief of Staff, Department of Energy, Office of Energy Policy and Systems Analysis
Eric Trump’s brother-in-law, Kyle, was promoted from his “beachhead” political position in November to oversee an Energy Department office. While he holds an MBA from East Carolina University and was named one of Washington D.C.’s “hottest bachelors” in 2013, his resume shows no signs of anything remotely energy-related.
The Office of Energy Policy and Systems Analysis within the Department of Energy implemented many of President Obama’s climate change initiatives. Yunaska, with his severely limited experience, has zero qualification to lead an office responsible for climate change policy.
Read more: Loyalty outweighs expertise in Trump’s musical chairs of appointments
Michael Kratsios, Deputy Assistant to the President for Technology Policy
The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy lacks a permanent director over a year into Trump’s presidency, and the person filling the gap is a 31-year-old with a political science degree. Kratsios joined the Trump administration after serving as Chief of Staff to Silicon Valley billionaire Peter Thiel, a major Trump ally. The last time Kratsios worked in politics was as a college intern. With the flu season at pandemic levels, space exploration apparently back on the table, and climate change a bigger problem than ever, can we really trust a venture capitalist’s assistant with a bachelor’s degree in political science to advise the President on science and technology?
Couldn’t do his job: Taylor Weyeneth
Taylor Weyeneth was promoted to Deputy Chief of Staff at the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) at the age of 23. Weyeneth was appointed to ONDCP after working on the Trump campaign. Due to high turnover, he eventually reached a position in which he undertook the duties of the acting Chief of Staff, which was to fulfill the responsibilities of the Director. ONDCP has been without a permanent director since Trump took office.
To get where he did, Weyeneth told different stories across multiple resumes about his volunteer experience and education, claiming he was on track to receive a masters he had not started. He also claimed to have worked for a law firm where he “just didn’t show.” Weyeneth stepped down in January under immense media pressure, but his appointment itself indicates one thing: Trump does not see the Opioid Crisis as a priority.
At least, unlike the rest of the people on this list, Weyeneth had to leave.
Cronyism
Donald Trump has assembled the most unqualified and corrupt cabinet in modern American history. His administration’s unabashed and unchecked cronyism has created a government of officials with no experience in the offices they oversee.