The New York Times has a report out by Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan which suggests that President-elect Trump has admitted in private conversations that his nomination of Matt Gaetz for AG may not make it through the Senate.

They go on to suggest that Trump is perhaps employing a strategy used in judicial nominations by using an extreme pick to get what he wants.

Here’s what they write:

In his private conversations over the past few days, President-elect Donald J. Trump has admitted that his besieged choice for attorney general, Matt Gaetz, has less than even odds of being confirmed by the Senate.

But Mr. Trump has shown no sign of withdrawing the nomination, which speaks volumes about his mind-set as he staffs his second administration. He is making calls on Mr. Gaetz’s behalf, and he remains confident that even if Mr. Gaetz does not make it, the standard for an acceptable candidate will have shifted so much that the Senate may simply approve his other nominees who have appalled much of Washington.

But this time, emboldened by victory and the submission of the Republican Party, Mr. Trump is innovating. He is using an approach that has been discussed in the past for judicial nominees, which is nominating so many extreme choices that they can’t all be blocked. The strategy has never been used for cabinet picks.

It is possible that enough Republican senators are willing to risk their careers to oppose Mr. Gaetz, although it is unclear what the backup plan would be should Mr. Gaetz falter. Mr. Trump’s personal lawyer and pick for deputy attorney general, Todd Blanche, is seen as a possibility.

It is also possible that Mr. Gaetz is confirmed, along with the three other nominees who have raised such a furor in Washington. Mr. Trump has wasted no time in barreling ahead and putting personal pressure on senators.

One thing is certain: His four choices would have had virtually no chance of confirmation in a Republican-held Senate in the Washington that existed before 2024.

Nowhere in the article do they actually quote Trump, which suggests they got this from secondary or third-hand sources – or Trump told this to Haberman but made sure it was off-the-record. Whatever the case, there is no direct quote so make of this what you will.

But they aren’t the first to suggest that Trump might be trying to use Gaetz to get the nominee he really wants. That’s all speculation, of course, because as they point out Trump shows no signs of moving away from Gaetz at all and is even making calls to Senators to try and get them behind Gaetz. This suggests to me he is all in on Gaetz or he at least has to play the part if this is just to get what he wants.