By Gram Slattery
(Reuters) -President-elect Donald Trump has made a flurry of picks for his cupboard and different high-ranking administration positions following his election victory.
Listed here are the early picks and high contenders for among the key posts overseeing protection, intelligence, well being, diplomacy, commerce, immigration and financial policymaking.
MARCO RUBIO, secretary of state
Trump tapped U.S. Senator Marco Rubio to be his secretary of state, placing the Florida-born politician on monitor to be the primary Latino to function america’ high diplomat.
Rubio, 53, was arguably essentially the most hawkish possibility on Trump’s shortlist for secretary of state. The senator has in previous years advocated for a muscular international coverage with respect to U.S. geopolitical foes, together with China, Iran and Cuba.
Over the past a number of years he has softened a few of his stances to align extra intently with Trump’s views. The president-elect accuses previous U.S. presidents of main the U.S. into expensive and futile wars and has pushed for a much less interventionist international coverage.
MATT GAETZ, legal professional normal
Trump mentioned that he had chosen Gaetz, a U.S. consultant, to be his nominee for legal professional normal.
“Few issues in America are more important than ending the partisan Weaponization of our Justice System,” Trump mentioned in an announcement asserting the collection of the Florida lawmaker.
Trump’s internal circle has described the legal professional normal as a very powerful member of the administration after Trump himself, key to his plans to hold out mass deportations, pardon Jan. 6 rioters and search retribution towards those that prosecuted him over the previous 4 years.
TULSI GABBARD, director of nationwide intelligence
Trump named Gabbard, a former Democratic consultant and critic of the Biden administration, as his director of nationwide intelligence.
Gabbard left the Democratic Occasion in 2022 to change into an unbiased and has little direct expertise with intelligence work. If confirmed, she would change into the highest official within the U.S. intelligence neighborhood after Trump begins his second time period in January.
ROBERT F. KENNEDY, JR., well being and human companies secretary
Kennedy is an environmental activist who has unfold misinformation in regards to the risks of vaccines. He has recommended he would intestine the 18,000-employee Meals and Drug Administration, which ensures the protection of meals, medicine and medical gadgets, and exchange a whole lot of workers on the Nationwide Institutes of Well being.
Kennedy ran for president on this 12 months’s election, first as a Democrat after which as an unbiased, earlier than dropping out in August in trade for a job in Trump’s administration.
The Division of Well being and Human Companies oversees the Meals and Drug Administration, the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention, the Nationwide Institutes of Well being and the huge Medicare and Medicaid Companies applications, which offer well being protection for the poor, these aged 65 and older, and the disabled.
PETE HEGSETH, protection secretary
Trump mentioned he had picked Hegseth as his secretary of protection. Hegseth is a Fox Information commentator and veteran who has expressed disdain for the so-called “woke” insurance policies of Pentagon leaders, together with its high navy officer.
Hegseth, if confirmed by the Senate, might make good on Trump’s marketing campaign guarantees to rid the U.S. navy of generals who he accuses of pursuing progressive insurance policies on range within the ranks that conservatives have rallied towards.
It might additionally arrange a collision course between Hegseth and the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Workers, Air Power Common C.Q. Brown, who Hegseth accused of “pursuing the radical positions of left-wing politicians.”
LEE ZELDIN, EPA administrator
Trump introduced he had appointed Zeldin, a former congressman from New York state, as administrator of the Environmental Safety Company.
Zeldin, 44, a staunch Trump ally, served in Congress from 2015 to 2023. In 2022, he misplaced the New York governor’s race to Democratic incumbent Kathy Hochul. Trump has promised to overtake U.S. vitality coverage, with the goal of maximizing the nation’s already record-high oil and fuel manufacturing by rolling again rules and rushing up allowing.
MIKE WALTZ, nationwide safety adviser
Trump mentioned he had picked Waltz, a Republican U.S. consultant, to be nationwide safety adviser. Waltz is a retired Military Inexperienced Beret who has been a number one critic of China.
Waltz, a 50-year-old Trump loyalist who additionally served within the Nationwide Guard as a colonel, has criticized Chinese language exercise within the Asia-Pacific and has voiced the necessity for the U.S. to be prepared for a possible battle within the area.
The nationwide safety adviser is a robust position, which doesn’t require Senate affirmation. Waltz can be answerable for briefing Trump on key nationwide safety points and coordinating with completely different companies.
Whereas slamming the Biden administration for a disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, Waltz has publicly praised Trump’s international coverage views.
SUSIE WILES, chief of workers
Trump introduced that Wiles, considered one of his two marketing campaign managers, can be his White Home chief of workers.
Whereas the specifics of her political beliefs are considerably unclear, Wiles, 67, is credited with operating a profitable and environment friendly marketing campaign. Supporters hope she is going to instill a way of order and self-discipline that was usually missing throughout Trump’s first four-year time period, when he cycled by way of a lot of chiefs of workers.
TOM HOMAN, ‘border czar’
Trump mentioned that Homan, the performing director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement throughout Trump’s first administration, can be accountable for the nation’s borders.
Trump made cracking down on folks within the nation illegally a central component of his marketing campaign, promising mass deportations.
Homan, 62, mentioned on Monday he would prioritize deporting immigrants illegally within the U.S. who posed security and safety threats in addition to these working at job websites.
ELISE STEFANIK, UN ambassador
Trump introduced that Stefanik, a Republican congresswoman and staunch Trump supporter, can be his ambassador to the United Nations.
Stefanik, 40, a U.S. consultant from New York state and Home Republican convention chair, took a management place within the Home of Representatives in 2021 when she was elected to switch then-Consultant Liz Cheney, who was ousted for criticizing Trump’s false claims of election fraud.
Stefanik will arrive on the U.N. after daring guarantees by Trump to finish the Russia-Ukraine battle and Israel’s battle in Gaza.
ELON MUSK AND VIVEK RAMASWAMY, heads of Division of Authorities Effectivity
Trump named tech billionaire Musk and Ramaswamy, a former Republican presidential candidate, to steer a newly created Division of Authorities Effectivity, rewarding two of his well-known supporters from the non-public sector.
Trump mentioned that Musk and Ramaswamy will cut back authorities forms, slash extra rules, minimize waste and restructure federal companies. Trump mentioned the brand new division would herald exterior experience and work with the White Home and Workplace of Administration and Funds.
KRISTI NOEM, homeland safety secretary
Noem, the governor of South Dakota, has been picked to function the subsequent homeland safety secretary, Trump mentioned.
Noem, 52, as soon as seen as a doable operating mate for Trump, is at present serving her second four-year time period as South Dakota’s governor. She rose to nationwide prominence after refusing to impose a statewide masks mandate throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Division of Homeland Safety is answerable for the whole lot from border safety and immigration to catastrophe response and the U.S. Secret Service.
DOUG BURGUM, inside secretary and ‘vitality czar’
Trump has chosen Burgum, the governor of North Dakota, to be inside secretary.
Burgum, 68, a rich former software program firm government, has portrayed himself as a standard, business-minded conservative. He ran towards Trump for the Republican presidential nomination earlier than quitting and turning into a loyal Trump supporter.
The Inside Division manages public lands and minerals, nationwide parks and wildlife refuges. The division additionally carries out the U.S. authorities’s belief duty to Native Individuals. Within the vitality czar position, he’s anticipated to coordinate with a number of companies to spice up oil and fuel output.
JOHN RATCLIFFE, CIA director
Trump mentioned he had picked Ratcliffe, the previous director of nationwide intelligence, to function director of the Central Intelligence Company in his second administration.
A former congressman and prosecutor who served as director of nationwide intelligence throughout Trump’s final 12 months in workplace, Ratcliffe, 59, is seen as a hardcore Trump loyalist who might seemingly win Senate affirmation. Nonetheless, throughout his time as director of nationwide intelligence, Ratcliffe usually contradicted the assessments of profession civil servants, drawing criticism from Democrats who mentioned he politicized the position.
KEVIN WARSH, potential treasury secretary
Trump is contemplating Warsh, 54, a former funding banker who served on the Federal Reserve Board, for treasury secretary in accordance with information experiences. He’s seen as a fiscal hawk and proponent of upper financial savings charges.
MARC ROWAN, potential treasury secretary
Trump is contemplating Rowan, 62, who co-founded Apollo World Administration (NYSE:) and have become the agency’s CEO in 2021, for treasury secretary, in accordance with information experiences.
BILL HAGERTY, potential treasury secretary
Republican U.S. Senator Invoice Hagerty of Tennessee, can also be within the operating for treasury secretary, in accordance with the Wall Avenue Journal. Trump met the 65-year-old at Mar-a-Lago final week.
SCOTT BESSENT, potential treasury secretary
Bessent, a key financial adviser to Trump, is seen as a candidate for treasury secretary. A longtime hedge fund investor who taught at Yale College for a number of years, Bessent has a heat relationship with the president-elect.
Whereas Bessent has lengthy favored the laissez-faire insurance policies that had been well-liked within the pre-Trump Republican Occasion, he has additionally spoken extremely of Trump’s use of tariffs as a negotiating software. He has praised the president-elect’s financial philosophy, which rests on a skepticism of each rules and worldwide commerce.
ROBERT LIGHTHIZER, potential commerce czar or treasury secretary
A loyalist who served as Trump’s U.S. commerce consultant for primarily the then-president’s total time period, Lighthizer will virtually definitely be invited again.
Although Bessent seemingly has a greater shot at turning into treasury secretary, Lighthizer has an out of doors likelihood, and he may have the ability to reprise his previous position if he is .
The Wall Avenue Journal has reported Trump needed Lighthizer as his commerce czar.
Like Trump, Lighthizer, 77, is a commerce skeptic and a agency believer in tariffs. He was one of many main figures in Trump’s commerce battle with China and the renegotiation of the North American Free Commerce Settlement, or NAFTA, with Mexico and Canada throughout Trump’s first time period.
HOWARD LUTNICK, potential treasury secretary
The co-chair of Trump’s transition effort and the longtime chief government of monetary companies agency Cantor Fitzgerald, Lutnick is within the operating for treasury secretary.
A bombastic New Yorker like Trump, Lutnick, 63, has uniformly praised the president-elect’s financial insurance policies, together with his use of tariffs.
He has at instances given elaborate, unvarnished opinions about what insurance policies can be enacted in Trump’s second time period. Some Trump allies complained privately that he too usually offered himself as talking on behalf of the marketing campaign.
LINDA McMAHON, potential commerce secretary
McMahon, an expert wrestling magnate and former Small Enterprise Administration director, is seen because the frontrunner to steer Trump’s Division of Commerce, three sources briefed on the plans mentioned.
McMahon, 76, is a significant donor and was an early supporter of the Republican president-elect when he first ran for the White Home virtually a decade in the past. This time, Trump tapped her to co-lead a transition crew shaped to assist vet personnel and draft coverage forward of the Nov. 5 election.
McMahon is the co-founder and former CEO of the skilled wrestling franchise WWE. She later served as director of the Small Enterprise Administration, resigning in 2019, and went on to steer a pro-Trump political motion committee that supported his 2020 reelection bid.
KASH PATEL, potential candidate for nationwide safety posts
A former Republican Home staffer who served in varied high-ranking workers roles within the protection and intelligence communities throughout Trump’s first time period, Patel ceaselessly appeared on the marketing campaign path to rally help for the candidate.
Any place requiring Senate affirmation could also be a problem, nevertheless.
Patel, 44, has leaned into controversy all through his profession. In an interview with Trump ally Steve Bannon final 12 months, he promised to “come after” politicians and journalists perceived to be enemies of Trump.
Throughout Trump’s first time period, Patel, seen as the final word Trump loyalist, drew animosity from some extra skilled nationwide safety officers, who noticed him as risky and too desirous to please the then-president.
