Feb. 19, 2026

The Jeremy Carl Nomination and America’s Dangerous Slide into Loyalty Over Competence

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Trump Nominates an Apostle of ‘White Erasure’ for the State Department

Jeremy Carl, President Trump’s nominee to lead the State Department’s outreach to international organizations, had a rough confirmation hearing, but he stood by his views on “whiteness.”

After nervously rambling about white food and Black food, white music and Black music and white worship styles, Mr. Carl told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that a loss of a dominant white culture is weakening the country. That notion has become an intellectual framework animating much of what has been described as the New Right, and Mr. Carl, who would if confirmed be the assistant secretary of state for international organization affairs, is one of its most prominent proponents.

New York Times February 13, 2026

~1,000 words | 5 minute read

On February 12, 2026, the Senate held confirmation hearings for Jeremy Carl, President Trump’s nominee for Assistant Secretary of State for International Organizations. The hearing revealed a nominee who had deleted thousands of inflammatory social media posts, made comments minimizing the Holocaust, promoted theories about “white erasure,” and expressed anti-Israel views that even Republican Senator John Curtis of Utah found disqualifying.

Curtis’s opposition—creating an 11-11 tie that blocked the nomination—represents a rare crack in the wall of Republican senators who have otherwise rubber-stamped Trump’s most controversial picks. But this single instance of resistance should not obscure a far more troubling pattern: the systematic appointment of unqualified loyalists to positions of critical national importance.

A Pattern of Loyalty Over Competence

The Jeremy Carl nomination is not an aberration. Consider the record:

Pete Hegseth - Confirmed as Secretary of Defense 51-50 (requiring VP Vance’s tie-breaking vote) despite allegations of sexual misconduct, alcohol abuse questions, and past statements opposing women in combat. He now controls the Department of Defense.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. - Leading Health and Human Services despite spreading vaccine misinformation, opposing water fluoridation, and promoting dangerous health claims that endanger public health policy.

Kristi Noem - Confirmed 59-34 as Homeland Security Secretary, managing 260,000 employees despite serious qualification questions.

Pam Bondi - Confirmed as Attorney General 54-46 amid concerns about whether she’ll maintain DOJ independence or serve as Trump’s personal attorney.

Conservative groups spent $450,000 pressuring senators to support these nominees, warning that opposition could trigger primary challenges. A White House official made it explicit: “It’s pass-fail. You either support everyone or you don’t.”

The Pressure Campaign That Undermines Democracy

Senator Joni Ernst—a combat veteran and sexual assault survivor—faced “immense pressure” after expressing reservations about Hegseth, then voted to confirm him. Of 53 Republican senators, all but eight voted with Trump 100 percent of the time in 2025. This isn’t party unity—it’s systematic elimination of independent judgment.

Republicans changed Senate rules in September 2025 to confirm nominees in large groups rather than individually, stripping away scrutiny they dismissed as Democratic “obstruction” but which was actually constitutional advice and consent.

The Cognitive Fitness Question Nobody Can Answer

Trump relentlessly attacked Biden’s cognitive fitness during the 2024 campaign, demanding transparency. Yet at 79, facing his own questions, Trump offers only unverifiable claims.

He asserts he “aced” three cognitive tests with perfect 30/30 scores on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment. His appointed physician declares him in “excellent health.” But we have:

No actual documentation of test results
No independent verification
No promised details Press Secretary Leavitt said she’d provide “at a later date”
No comprehensive evaluation beyond a 10-minute screening test

The MoCA detects severe cognitive impairment by asking people to identify animals and draw a clock. Medical experts note it “does not measure intelligence, judgment, decision-making, or overall cognitive fitness.” Yet Trump calls it a difficult “IQ test.”

Meanwhile, concerning behaviors mount: dozing off at public events, confusing names and dates, bizarre rants, and letters like his “Dear Jonas” message demanding Greenland that led NBC’s medical analyst to call for “a more thorough public assessment of his neurological fitness.”

When Trump contradicted his own health statements in a Wall Street Journal interview—walking back MRI admissions and treatment changes—it revealed a pattern: claims without documentation, assertions without verification, and refusal to provide the transparency he demanded of others.

Why the 25th Amendment Should Be Invoked

The Constitution’s remedy for presidential incapacity is Section 4 of the 25th Amendment, allowing the Vice President and Cabinet majority to declare a president unable to discharge duties.

Here’s why it should be seriously considered:

Impaired Decision-Making: Systematically selecting unqualified loyalists—from Carl to Hegseth to RFK Jr.—over competent professionals suggests compromised judgment affecting national security, public health, and America’s global standing.

Undocumented Health Claims: Demanding cognitive transparency from opponents while refusing verifiable documentation, as staff walks back contradictory statements, creates legitimate capacity concerns.

Concerning Behavior Patterns: Inflammatory statements, confused references, apparent nodding off during events, and loyalty-based decision-making suggest someone whose judgment may be compromised.

Unacceptable Stakes: These appointments affect military competence, public health science, diplomatic credibility, and Justice Department independence—not mere political disagreements.

The Constitutional Crisis

The 25th Amendment faces a fundamental problem: it requires the very people who benefit from Trump remaining in office to act against their interests. Vice President Vance has been “heavily involved” pushing controversial nominees, casting Hegseth’s deciding vote. Cabinet members are themselves Trump loyalists who passed the same loyalty test.

This is our constitutional moment’s crisis: we have mechanisms to remove an incapacitated president, but they depend on officials acting in the national interest rather than personal or political interest. When loyalty becomes the primary qualification, safeguards become hollow.

What Must Happen

The Carl nomination failed because one Republican senator decided some lines cannot be crossed. His courage revealed what’s possible when senators remember they serve the Constitution and country, not one man.

But one senator stopping one nominee isn’t enough. We need:

Bipartisan courage to put country over party
Transparent documentation of claimed cognitive test results with independent verification
Serious 25th Amendment consideration by Cabinet members honestly assessing whether appointment patterns and behaviors indicate incapacity
Electoral accountability making the 2026 midterms a referendum on this governance model

The appointment of unqualified loyalists to critical positions isn’t political disagreement—it’s a threat to American security and democratic governance. When party-line votes override obvious unsuitability, when pressure campaigns replace independent judgment, and when cognitive fitness claims remain undocumented, we face a constitutional crisis demanding constitutional remedies.

The 25th Amendment exists for exactly this: when a president’s decision-making capacity threatens national wellbeing but the president cannot or will not recognize it. The Carl nomination showed some Republicans can still say no. The question is whether enough—especially Cabinet members—will find that courage before damage becomes irreversible.

The evidence is mounting. The pattern is clear. The danger is real. It’s time to invoke the 25th Amendment.

FTS