Why is Donald Trump dumping loyalists from his Cabinet?

United States President-elect Donald Trump is building a Cabinet. But if his choices are any indication, he's going forward without a blueprint - based on instinct and personal relationships rather than any grand design or ideology.

Presidential transitions usually usher in major changes. But even for a Republican administration, Trump’s choices are sharply conservative. Some of Donald Trump’s picks are in line with what conservatives were hoping would happen.

Trump's choice of secretary of state, ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson is expected to face a struggle before he can get the nod of US senators concerned about his close ties to Russia.

Tillerson has done business with the Kremlin and was awarded the the Order of Friendship by Russian president Vladimir Putin in 2013. Lawmakers have questioned his appointment and Trump may find it difficult to get his appointment ratified by the Senate.

Former presidential candidate Ben Carson is his nomination as the next secretary of the department of housing and urban development. A very conservative choice and - despite his lack of experience - probably a popular choice. Congressman Tom Price is Trump’s pick for secretary of health and human services. He knows Obamacare better than anyone. He has been working for years on legislative proposals to correct them.

Nominating senator Jeff Sessions as attorney general shows that Trump is serious about his campaign pledge of fixing the US' “completely broken immigration policies”. Betsy DeVos is his education secretary. She's the former chair of Michigan's Republican Party, the daughter in law of Amway's co-founder and a fierce advocate for charter schools. Critics say she will support charter schools at the expense of public schools.

Andrew Puzder will be Trump's his labour secretary. He opposes raising the minimum wage and opposes broader rules for overtime pay. He is a supporter of automated services at the expense of human employees.

High-income households won’t receive absolute tax cuts. The new pick for treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin says that much. Scott Pruitt will head the Environmental Protection Agency. The Oklahoma attorney general is an outspoken critic of the EPA and denies that climate change is real. He has gone to court to stop EPA's enforcement efforts. He is another appointment democrats are vowing to fight. Retired Marine Corps General James "Mad Dog" Mattis is to be the next secretary of defense. The four-star general has been a field commander in the Persian Gulf War, Iraq and Afghanistan. He would require a congressional waiver from a law that prevents any service member from being secretary of defense for seven years after leaving the military.

General Mattis is blunt to say the least. His appointment points to the homeland security concerns of the next President of the United States (POTUS). What Mattis will say about Trump's Vietnam draft dodge remains to be seen. Another four-star general will be in charge of the department of homeland security. Retired General John Kelly commanded the US Southern Command until early 2016. He also commanded American forces in Iraq several times during his more than four-and-a-half decade with the Marines.

The appointment of Iowa governor Terry Branstad to be the next US ambassador to China speaks of Trump's intent to engage rather than snub China. Branstad has a decades long relationship with incumbent Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Trump is not rewarding loyalists

Some of Trump's earliest supporters like Rudy Giuliani, governor Chris Christie, Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich and Mike Huckabee have not fared in his picks. There may be a variety of reasons why Trump has turned his back on many loyalists.

Many brought too much personal baggage, like Rudy Giuliani, with his paid speeches to a group that was once on the state department’s list of terrorist organisations, or Christie - because of the George Washington Bridge lane-closing scandal. Others may have been rejected by the new gatekeepers around Trump, read Reince Priebus majorly. Donald Trump’s incoming White House chief of staff and the departing chairman of the Republican National Committee and Stephen K Bannon, Trump’s chief strategist for the White House.

They may have taken over the brainstorming after the POTUS-elect made clear his choices. And if you manage to not see their personal prejudices, before they held the post(s), you shall probably agree with the quote:

“Here sir, the people govern.” (Alexander Hamilton, 1788, New York)