Editorial: The New York Times

• Donald Trump has demonstrated his lack of fitness for the presidency by surrounding himself with fringe figures, conspiracy theorists, and sycophants who value loyalty to him above everything else.
• A series of cabinet nominations by Trump showed the potential dangers posed by his reliance on his inner circle in the starkest way possible.
• The most irresponsible was his choice for attorney general, Matt Gaetz, who was the target of a federal sex-trafficking investigation.
• Tulsi Gabbard and Pete Hegseth, both with inadequate experience, were nominated as director of national intelligence and secretary of defense respectively.
• Trump's list of appointments increases with people whose only eligibility appears to be a willingness to say yes to his every demand.
• Trump evidently expects the Senate to simply roll over and disregard its responsibilities.

Conclusion: Extreme appointments like the ones Trump is proposing are exactly why the Constitution gives the Senate the right to dissent to a president’s wishes. They will now face an immediate test: Will they stand up for the legislative branch and for the American system of checks and balances?

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