‘Sleazebags and losers’: The proof that Trumpism is here to stay

May 18, 2026 — 5:56am

You have reached your maximum number of saved items.

Remove items from your saved list to add more.

Washington: When I arrived in Washington at the start of 2025, one of the first names on Capitol Hill I paid attention to was Republican senator Bill Cassidy, of Louisiana.

A gastroenterologist who served in the Louisiana state senate before being elected to Congress and then the federal Senate, he was a respected figure who was looming as a potential handbrake on some of Donald Trump’s more outlandish appointments.

As a physician, Cassidy had serious concerns about one pick in particular: vaccine sceptic Robert F. Kennedy to become secretary of health. After grilling Kennedy at his confirmation hearing, Cassidy said he was struggling with the idea of voting for him.

But he did. He also provided a crucial vote for Pete Hegseth to become defence secretary, despite reservations about the former Fox News host’s qualifications for the job. He also flirted with the notion of opposing Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence, but ultimately voted for her, too.

When I saw Cassidy in the corridors of the Senate recently, I asked him whether he had any concerns about Trump’s mental health, in the light of some pretty outlandish social media posts, including one portraying himself as Jesus. Cassidy looked at me quizzically and said: “No. Where did that come from?”

Cassidy exemplifies the difficulty of being a non-MAGA........

© Brisbane Times