The confirmation process for Trump nominees begins in January.

In early January, the Senate will rush to confirm as many of President-elect Donald Trump's nominees as possible. However, due to the fact that Republicans do not control the Senate and Trump does not take office until noon EST on Jan. 20, senators are currently unable to do much. Nevertheless, there will be a great deal of activity in January.

First the mechanics.

In 2016, the newly elected president was unprepared and found himself without the necessary personnel and political infrastructure to quickly form a Cabinet. As a result, he turned to the Republican National Committee and other "establishment" Republicans to help him assemble his team of nominees. However, many of these nominees were not aligned with Trump's vision, and they struggled to develop a strong relationship with the new president. Consequently, Trump let go of several of his nominees when they refused to comply with his wishes.

The incoming president is choosing nominees who are aligned with his movement and are Trump loyalists. While this may anger the left and some on the right, it is his prerogative to make these picks. This could potentially make the confirmation process smoother in some aspects.

And frankly, it creates simultaneous headaches.

In early 2017, the Senate held confirmation hearings for several Trump cabinet nominees.

The Senate could not vote to confirm the nominees until the new president took office on Jan. 20.

Elain Chao, the wife of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., was not confirmed as Transportation Secretary until Jan. 31.

The Senate will have a rocket docket in early 2025.

After senators return from the viewing stand on the West Front of the Capitol on Jan. 20, they will warm their hands by sipping a hot coffee or a scotch. It is likely that the Senate will vote on a comprehensive slate of Trump's nominees into the evening.

""On the 21st of January, we should be ready to confirm President Trump's nominees for his many Cabinet positions," said Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn."

However, Democrats intend to erect roadblocks.

"Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., stated on MSNBC that Democrats are ready to do whatever it takes in response to Donald Trump's actions, as he has gone beyond making a mockery of what an incoming president should be doing, regardless of the majority in Congress."

There is concern among others that the Senate may bypass the traditional confirmation process and install nominees without a vote during a recess of both the House and Senate, which makes them wary of conducting due diligence on the nominees.

According to Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., on CNN, the lack of hearings and confirmation votes for Trump's cabinet picks is concerning because there are significant financial questions surrounding his national security team.

Trump and John Thune, the incoming Senate Majority Leader, have signaled a possibility of placing some struggling nominees through recess appointments.

"Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., on Fox, defended the legitimacy of recess appointments, stating that they should start from the beginning of our republic," said Sen. Tom Cotton.

Cotton claimed that only liberals were concerned about the possibility of recess appointments.

"Cotton stated that the left has not learned from the campaign or the past eight years, as they continue to hyperventilate about an anti-constitutional practice that is enshrined in the Constitution itself. However, Cotton believes that there will be no need for recess appointments because he expects the Senate to work efficiently and promptly to process all of Trump's Cabinet nominations and place them in office."

The GOP is willing to blame Democrats for potential holdups on various nominees, potentially necessitating recess appointments. However, ironically, the issue lies with the GOP.

With 53 seats in the Senate next year, Republicans only need 51 "yeas" to defeat a filibuster on a nominee for an administration post. However, a simple majority is enough to confirm the nominee. As a result, some Republicans are closely monitoring senators they believe could defect, depending on the nominee.

Watch to see how McConnell might vote on the Health and Human Services secretary nominee Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., given his history of polio as a child.

It is uncertain how much influence McConnell retains in the Senate now that he is no longer the leader of Senate Republicans.

According to Al Weaver of The Hill, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., stated that when he speaks, people will listen.

Along with Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., and Sen.-elect John Curtis, R-Utah, there are other Republicans involved in the issue.

During Trump's previous term, both Senators Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Susan Collins, R-Maine, occasionally opposed him.

In most cases, it would be a mistake to shorten the investigative process and public hearings, as it is the Senate's constitutional duty, according to Collins.

The Republican from Maine stated that it is acceptable to bypass the process for minor positions in the administration, but not for any other roles.

When discussing Cabinet positions, it's necessary to follow the standard procedure, as stated by Collins.

The new president and his allies on Capitol Hill will not hesitate to monitor any potential defectors.

""We can accomplish it without the help of Democrats," stated Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala."

This week, Vice President-elect JD Vance was sent to Capitol Hill by Trump to meet with senators and nominees.

Some left-wing Democrats are dismayed by the president-elect's Cabinet selections and may follow their colleagues' lead in opposition.

Rep.-elect Lateefah Simon, D-Calif., warned on MSNBC that she will be closely watching every Senate confirmation hearing to give her colleagues the chance to reveal the truth and share their stories, in order to expose the wrongdoing of the devil.

In January, observe the pace of confirmations and the willingness of Republicans to either support or oppose the president-elect's nominees. This could reveal a lot about the Senate under President Trump. Additionally, watch for retribution against those who disagree with him.