With Matt Gaetz's withdrawal, Trump's 'retribution' campaign hits the harsh reality of governing in Washington

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

62% : And there was little, if any, effort to take the temperature of senators before Trump surprised the political world with his announcement last week.
55% : The second source acknowledged that confirming Gaetz was always going to be an uphill battle, and that Trump is expected to meet "very soon" with a new round of attorney general prospects, with no particular person at the top of the list.
41% : Trump has other confirmation challenges ahead.
39% : In Gaetz, Trump would finally get the loyal attorney general he felt like he never had in his first term.
39% : "Gaetz made the call to withdraw on his own and notified Trump of his decision earlier Thursday, two people with direct knowledge said.
32% : But it was a tough sell from the moment Trump announced Gaetz as his choice eight days ago -- in a pick that shocked much of Washington.
27% : One of the sources said they had observed no internal pushback when Trump informed his team of his pick for attorney general, even though multiple staffers did not believe Gaetz could be confirmed.
25% : The Justice Department that Trump wanted him to lead had once investigated Gaetz in a sex-trafficking case it closed without charging him.
20% : At least five Senate Republicans were planning to vote against Gaetz and had communicated to other senators and those close to Trump that they were unlikely to be swayed, according to multiple people with direct knowledge.
18% : A person close to Trump said Gaetz's withdrawal was "welcomed" by the transition team, adding that "the [House Ethics] report started to leak out and there was no way for Matt to make it.
11% : Trump also intends to nominate anti-vaccination activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as health and human services secretary and former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, who has been accused of amplifying Russian propaganda, as director of national intelligence.

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