President Donald Trump, in the first week of his return to the White House, has "hit the ground running," former Rep. Pete King said on Newsmax Sunday.
"What struck me most is the energy he's shown," the New York Republican said on Newsmax's "Wake Up America." "I mean, he's done more in the first four or five or six days than Joe Biden did in the last three or four years. And having been in Washington, I'll tell you, the energy level, the enthusiasm."
Matters were different when Trump first came to office in 2017, he added, because people did not know what he was going to do.
"There was the whole Russia hoax hanging over him," said King. "He wasn't familiar with his own people. Then he had a secretary of state that he barely knew. Now he's got a team in place. He's ready to go. …Nobody hit the ground running quicker than Donald Trump this week."
Former Rep. Jack Kingston, R-Ga., also on the program, said Trump's "shock and awe" rollout, including the hundreds of executive orders signed, stood out to him.
"Peter and I have seen executive order signed before," he said. "It's usually done quietly and not even a lot of press about it. The president took it straight to the people yesterday on the no tax on tips rally in Las Vegas. It was absolutely an alignment with the blue-collar voter. And that's where the Republican Party is right now. And finally, let me just say this. He did more press last week than Joe Biden did for the last year, period."
Meanwhile, Trump nominees Pete Hegseth, Kristi Noem, John Ratcliffe, and Marco Rubio have been confirmed for their Cabinet positions, and King said they're all "top-rate, first-class people" who "all want a strong America, and a strong military, want to have secure borders."
"This team is ready to go," he added. "America is back."
Several other key confirmation hearings are coming up this week, including for Kash Patel as FBI director, Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to head Health and Human Services. King said he believes they will "firm up their positions."
He added the one he is most interested in is Patel.
"He is going to impress everyone when he comes back strong and tough," said King. "We need him at the FBI."
King also commended Trump for his travels to California and North Carolina and said that even with California Gov. Gavin Newsom showing up "uninvited," Trump can still work with anyone.
"To him, the bottom line is to get the job done," said King. "It doesn't mean he's going to like Gavin Newsom any more or less, but he'll get the job done if that's what it takes."
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Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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