Last Updated:
Donald Trump’s cabinet picks feature loyalists and controversial figures aligned with his policy goals, including stricter immigration enforcement, and a reduced government regulations.
Donald Trump’s picks for his administration (Photos: AFP)
Donald Trump, who is now the President-elect in the United States, is handing top roles for his future White House to a mix of political allies, firebrands and a few relatively conventional figures. Following his election victory over Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump, each day is making a flurry of picks for his cabinet and other high-ranking administration positions.
Trump defeated Harris, the Democratic candidate, in the November 5 presidential election after promising Americans he would impose steep tariffs on all imports, with higher ones aimed at Chinese goods, and signalled much softer support for Ukraine in its war against Russia. Harris’ loss came after Biden was forced to step aside in the race because of concerns that at 81 he was too old for another term.
Trump’s Republican party also won control of both houses of the US Congress, giving him additional power to push through measures on trade and other issues.
Here are the early picks and top contenders for some of the key posts overseeing defence, intelligence, health, diplomacy, trade, immigration and economic policymaking.
MARCO RUBIO, SECRETARY OF STATE
Trump tapped US Senator Marco Rubio to be his secretary of state, putting the Florida-born politician on track to be the first Latino to serve as the United States’ top diplomat.
Fifty-three-year-old Rubio was arguably the most hawkish option on Trump’s shortlist for secretary of state. The senator has in past years advocated for a muscular foreign policy with respect to US geopolitical foes, including China, Iran and Cuba.
Over the last several years he has softened some of his stances to align more closely with Trump’s views. The president-elect accuses past US presidents of leading the United States into costly and futile wars and has pushed for a less interventionist foreign policy.
MATT GAETZ – ATTORNEY GENERAL
In an announcement, Trump said he had selected Gaetz, a US representative, to be his nominee for attorney general.
“Few issues in America are more important than ending the partisan Weaponisation of our Justice System,” Trump said in a statement announcing the selection of the Florida lawmaker.
Trump’s inner circle has described the attorney general as the most important member of the administration after Trump himself, key to his plans to carry out mass deportations, pardon January 6 rioters and seek retribution against those who prosecuted him over the past four years.
TULSI GABBARD – DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE
Trump has named Gabbard, a former Democratic representative and critic of the Biden administration, as his director of national intelligence.
Gabbard left the Democratic Party in 2022 to become an independent and has little direct experience with intelligence work. If confirmed she would become the top official in the US intelligence community after Trump starts his second term in January.
ROBERT F KENNEDY, JR – HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY
Kennedy is an environmental activist who has spread misinformation about the dangers of vaccines. He has suggested he would gut the 18,000-employee Food and Drug Administration, which ensures the safety of food, drugs and medical devices, and replace hundreds of employees at the National Institutes of Health.
Kennedy ran for president in this year’s election, first as a Democrat and then as an independent, before dropping out in August in exchange for a role in Trump’s administration.
The Department of Health and Human Services oversees the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health and the massive Medicare and Medicaid Services programs, which provide health coverage for the poor, those aged 65 and older, and the disabled.
PETE HEGSETH – DEFENCE SECRETARY
Trump picked Hegseth as his secretary of defence. Hegseth is a Fox News commentator and veteran who has expressed disdain for the so-called “woke” policies of Pentagon leaders, including its top military officer.
Hegseth, if confirmed by the Senate, could make good on Trump’s campaign promises to rid the U.S. military of generals who he accuses of pursuing progressive policies on diversity in the ranks that conservatives have rallied against.
It could also set up a collision course between Hegseth and the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force General CQ Brown, who Hegseth accused of “pursuing the radical positions of left-wing politicians.”
LEE ZELDIN – EPA ADMINISTRATOR
Trump has appointed Zeldin, a former congressman from New York state, as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.
Zeldin, 44, a staunch Trump ally, served in Congress from 2015 to 2023. In 2022, he lost the New York governor’s race to Democratic incumbent Kathy Hochul. Trump has promised to overhaul US energy policy, to maximise the country’s already record-high oil and gas production by rolling back regulations and speeding up permitting.
MIKE WALTZ – NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER
Trump said on Tuesday he had picked Waltz, a Republican US representative, to be national security adviser. Waltz is a retired Army Green Beret who has been a leading critic of China.
Waltz, a 50-year-old Trump loyalist who also served in the National Guard as a colonel, has criticized Chinese activity in the Asia-Pacific and has voiced the need for the US to be ready for a potential conflict in the region.
The national security adviser is a powerful role, which does not require Senate confirmation. Waltz will be responsible for briefing Trump on key national security issues and coordinating with different agencies.
While slamming the Biden administration for a disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, Waltz has publicly praised Trump’s foreign policy views.
SUSIE WILES – CHIEF OF STAFF
Trump announced that Wiles, one of his two campaign managers, will be his White House chief of staff.
While the specifics of her political views are somewhat unclear, Wiles, 67, is credited with running a successful and efficient campaign. Supporters hope she will instill a sense of order and discipline that was often lacking during Trump’s first four-year term when he cycled through a number of chiefs of staff.
TOM HOMAN – BORDER CZAR
Trump has announced that Homan, the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement during Trump’s first administration, will be in charge of the country’s borders.
Trump made cracking down on people illegally in the country a central element of his campaign, promising mass deportations.
Homan, 62, said on Monday he would prioritize deporting immigrants illegally in the US who posed safety and security threats as well as those working at job sites.
ELISE STEFANIK, UN AMBASSADOR
Trump announced that Stefanik, a Republican congresswoman and staunch Trump supporter, would be his ambassador to the United Nations.
Stefanik, 40, a US representative from New York state and House Republican conference chair, took a leadership position in the House of Representatives in 2021 when she was elected to replace then-Representative Liz Cheney, who was ousted for criticizing Trump’s false claims of election fraud.
Stefanik will arrive at the UN after bold promises by Trump to end the Russia-Ukraine war and Israel’s war in Gaza.
ELON MUSK AND VIVEK RAMASWAMY – HEADS OF DEPARTMENT OF GOVERNMENT EFFICIENCY
Trump on Tuesday named tech billionaire Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, a former Republican presidential candidate, to lead a newly created Department of Government Efficiency, rewarding two of his well-known supporters from the private sector.
Trump said that Musk and Ramaswamy will reduce government bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut waste and restructure federal agencies.
Trump said the new department would bring in external expertise and work with the White House and Office of Management and Budget.
KRISTI NOEM – HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY
Noem, the governor of South Dakota, has been picked to serve as the next homeland security secretary, Trump has said.
Fifty-two-year-old Noem, once seen as a possible running mate for Trump, is currently serving her second four-year term as South Dakota’s Governor. She rose to national prominence after refusing to impose a statewide mask mandate during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Department of Homeland Security is responsible for everything from border protection and immigration to disaster response and the US Secret Service.
DOUG BURGUM – INTERIOR SECRETARY
Trump said that he had chosen Burgum, the Governor of North Dakota, to be interior secretary. Speaking at an event at his Mar-a-Lago retreat in Florida, Trump said he would make the formal announcement on Friday.
“He’s going to head the Department of Interior, and it’s going to be fantastic,” Trump said.
Burgum, 68, a wealthy former software company executive, has portrayed himself as a traditional, business-minded conservative. He ran against Trump for the Republican presidential nomination before quitting and becoming a loyal Trump supporter.
The Interior Department manages public lands and minerals, national parks and wildlife refuges. The department also carries out the US government’s trust responsibility to Native Americans.
JOHN RATCLIFFE, CIA DIRECTOR
Trump said he had picked Ratcliffe, the former director of national intelligence, to serve as director of the Central Intelligence Agency in his second administration.
A former congressman and prosecutor who served as director of national intelligence during Trump’s last year in office, Ratcliffe, 59, is seen as a hardcore Trump loyalist who could likely win Senate confirmation.
Still, during his time as director of national intelligence, Ratcliffe often contradicted the assessments of career civil servants, drawing criticism from Democrats who said he politicized the role.
SCOTT BESSENT – POTENTIAL TREASURY SECRETARY
Bessent, a key economic adviser to Trump, is widely seen as a top candidate for treasury secretary. A longtime hedge fund investor who taught at Yale University for several years, Bessent has a warm relationship with the president-elect.
While Bessent has long favoured the laissez-faire policies that were popular in the pre-Trump Republican Party, he has also spoken highly of Trump’s use of tariffs as a negotiating tool. He has praised the president-elect’s economic philosophy, which rests on a scepticism of both regulations and international trade.
ROBERT LIGHTHIZER – POTENTIAL TRADE CZAR OF TREASURY SECRETARY
A loyalist who served as Trump’s US trade representative for essentially the then-president’s entire term, Lighthizer will almost certainly be invited back.
Though Bessent likely has a better shot at becoming treasury secretary, Lighthizer has an outside chance, and he might be able to reprise his old role if he’s interested.
The Wall Street Journal has reported Trump wanted Lighthizer as his trade czar.
Like Trump, Lighthizer, 77, is a trade skeptic and a firm believer in tariffs. He was one of the leading figures in Trump’s trade war with China and the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, with Mexico and Canada during Trump’s first term.
HOWARD LUTNICK – POTENTIAL TREASURY SECRETARY
The co-chair of Trump’s transition effort and the longtime chief executive of financial services firm Cantor Fitzgerald, Lutnick is in the running for treasury secretary.
A bombastic New Yorker like Trump, Lutnick, 63, has uniformly praised the president-elect’s economic policies, including his use of tariffs.
He has at times given elaborate, unvarnished opinions about what policies will be enacted in Trump’s second term. Some Trump allies had privately complained that he too often presented himself as speaking on behalf of the campaign.
LINDA McMAHON – POTENTIAL COMMERCE SECRETARY
McMahon, a professional wrestling magnate and former Small Business Administration director, is seen as the frontrunner to lead Trump’s Department of Commerce, three sources briefed on the plans said.
McMahon, 76, is a major donor and was an early supporter of the Republican president-elect when he first ran for the White House almost a decade ago. This time, Trump tapped her to co-lead a transition team formed to help vet personnel and draft policy ahead of the November 5 election.
McMahon is the co-founder and former CEO of the professional wrestling franchise WWE. She later served as director of the Small Business Administration, resigning in 2019, and went on to lead a pro-Trump political action committee that supported his 2020 reelection bid.
KASH PATEL – POTENTIAL CANDIDATE FOR NATIONAL SECURITY POSTS
A former Republican House staffer who served in various high-ranking staff roles in the defence and intelligence communities during Trump’s first term, Patel frequently appeared on the campaign trail to rally support for the candidate.
Any position requiring Senate confirmation may be a challenge, however.
Patel, 44, has leaned into controversy throughout his career. In an interview with Trump ally Steve Bannon last year, he promised to “come after” politicians and journalists perceived to be enemies of Trump.
During Trump’s first term, Patel, seen as the ultimate Trump loyalist, drew animosity from some more experienced national security officials, who saw him as volatile and too eager to please the then-president.
TODD BLANCHE – DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL
Donald Trump has chosen Todd Blanche, an attorney who led the legal team that defended the Republican at his hush money criminal trial, to serve as the second-highest-ranking Justice Department official.
A former federal prosecutor, Blanche has been a key figure on Trump’s defence team both in the New York case that ended in a conviction in May and the federal cases brought by Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith.
If confirmed as deputy attorney general by the Republican-led Senate, Blanche would manage the day-to-day operations of the sprawling Justice Department, which Trump has vowed to radically overhaul.
