He hired people he saw on TV who said something he agreed with at one point.

Most of the appointees were Obama holdovers. There was the least amount of turnover between Obama and Trump ever.

McConnell picked all the judges. McConnell told Trump not to appoint Sessions but he allowed it to teach both Sessions and Trump a lesson. Trump appointed Sessions because he said some things against sanctuary cities but never had a plan to stop it.

Reagan was the last Republican who reached deep down into the bureaucracy and fired people or replaced them with anti-communists. But by 1982 that was all over and had run it's course.