Donald Trump has ordered nominees for jobs in his Cabinet not to post on social media without approval ahead of their Senate confirmation hearings.
In the stunning move Trump’s chief of staff Susie Wiles told those who will become his top lieutenants to get anything they put on X, or other networks, cleared first.
It came after a MAGA ‘civil war’ erupted this week over the issue of visas for skilled migrants.
‘While this instruction has been delivered previously, I am reiterating that no member of the incoming administration or Transition speaks for the United States or the President-elect himself,’ Wiles wrote in a memo reported by the New York Post.
‘Accordingly, all intended nominees should refrain from any public social media posts without prior approval of the incoming White House counsel.’
It was unclear what sparked the move but Senate confirmation hearings for Cabinet nominees are due to start next week.
Earlier this week, Tesla billionaire Elon Musk, who will head Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), threatened to ‘go to war’ with MAGA Republicans as he defended visas for skilled foreigners.
Trump sided with Musk after a fierce debate, including on social media, sent some of his supporters into a meltdown.
Trump chief of staff Susie Wiles called for nominees to get their social media posts approved
Donald Trump sided with Elon Musk in a MAGA ‘civil war’ over visas for skilled migrant workers
It also came as Democratic senators are fiercely fighting some of Trump’s Cabinet picks for his second administration.
They have little power to prevent Trump’s choices from taking their new posts.
After the 2024 election the Senate flipped red giving Republicans more seats. Cabinet confirmations only require a simple majority in the 100-member chamber.
That means, as long as Republicans stick together, Trump should be able to put his team in place in the new year.
The most controversial picks include Pete Hegseth to lead the Pentagon, and Kash Patel for head of the FBI.
Also in the spotlight are Robert Kennedy Jr., who Trump wants to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and Tulsi Gabbard, who he wants as his Director of National Intelligence.
Tulsi Gabbard and other Cabinet picks have ben told to get their social media posts approved by the incoming White House counsel
Pete Hegseth will also need to get any posts approved
The row involving Musk was over his support for the H-1B visa program, which allows highly educated immigrants to work in the U.S. for up to six years.
Tech companies have used H-1B visas for skilled foreign workers and say they are a critical tool for hard-to-fill positions.
But some members of Trump’s movement have accused Musk, and others in Trump’s new flank of tech-world supporters, of pushing policies at odds with the ‘America First’ vision.
Elon Musk walks on Capitol Hill on the day of a meeting with Senate Republican Leader-elect John Thune (R-SD), in Washington, U.S. December 5, 2024
Robert F. Kennedy JR. will have to have any posts cleared by the incoming White House counsel
Kash Patel is Trump’s pick to head the FBI
They argue the system undercuts U.S. citizens who could take those jobs and have called for it to be eliminated.
Musk’s remarks about the visas came after Vivek Ramaswamy, who will co-run the DOGE with him, suggested this week that American culture was to blame for its need to hire foreign workers.
On Saturday, the president-elect praised the use of visas to bring skilled foreign workers to the U.S.
In the past Trump has criticized the H-1B visas, calling them ‘very bad’ and ‘unfair’ for U.S. workers.
During his first term as president, Trump unveiled a ‘Hire American’ policy that directed changes to the program to try to ensure the visas were awarded to the highest-paid or most-skilled applicants.
Despite his criticism of them and attempts to curb their use, he has also used the visas at his businesses in the past.
