As President-elect Donald Trump faces pushback on his Cabinet picks, financial expert Dave Ramsey has a message: strong leadership demands decisive action.
"There’ll be a time where you have to fish or cut bait," Ramsey said on "Cavuto: Coast to Coast." He stressed the importance of standing by your team.
"A leader that won’t stand beside their team and cover their back the first time something gets rough sends a signal to the rest of the team that he’s not going [to] stand there."
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This comes as nominees like Defense Secretary pick Pete Hegseth and Attorney General nominee Pam Bondi face Senate hurdles. The pressure is mounting, but Ramsey insists on unity.
"If I were in this situation, I’m going [to] back this until I make a decision not to," he said. "I’m not going [to] waffle in the public eye." Ramsey highlighted the importance of resolving issues directly and moving forward as a team.
The challenges are real. Two nominees—Matt Gaetz for attorney general and Chad Chronister for the DEA—have already withdrawn. But Ramsey says Trump’s choices reflect more than just Senate approval.
"I don’t think he picked them for Senate confirmation," Ramsey said. "He picked them because their values align with where he wants to go."
Loyalty is key, according to Ramsey. He believes Trump wants team members who can disagree respectfully but remain committed.
"He’s looking for people who, if they disagree with him, they’re going [to] have a good healthy disagreement. But not someone who’s going [to] slit his throat from behind."
Ramsey suggests Trump focus on three critical questions for each nominee.
"Are our values lined up? Is there an alignment on loyalty? Are they smart enough, skilled enough to do the job in front of them?"
He warned against letting external pressures sway decisions. "You can’t let the masses dictate your leadership. Because if you do, you’ll soon figure out that the ‘m’ is silent," he said.
With the Senate majority narrow, the stakes are high. Trump can only afford to lose four Republican votes per nominee. The confirmation battles ahead will test the administration’s resolve.
Ramsey believes Trump’s loyalty and clarity will define his leadership. "Let the Senate deal with it," he said.
