President-elect Donald Trump has been busy making his picks to fill out his Cabinet and key administration posts, with many of his prominent backers securing positions, as JC Navarrete explains.
President-elect Donald Trump has been busy making his picks to fill out his Cabinet and key administration posts, with many of his prominent backers securing positions.
While some picks still have not been announced by the president-elect, other key spots have already been filled, including Fox News host and Army veteran Pete Hegseth, who will be Trump’s choice to run the Department of Defense.
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio is expected to be nominated for the position of Secretary of State, while billionaire Elon Musk is expected to head a commission aiming to reduce government spending and waste.
Here is a rundown of the picks made:
Defense Department
Hegseth is the highest-ranking nomination made so far by Trump, with the Secretary of Defense ranking third in the presidential line of succession.
“With Pete at the helm, America’s enemies are on notice — Our Military will be Great Again, and America will Never Back Down,” Trump said in a statement. “Nobody fights harder for the Troops, and Pete will be a courageous and patriotic champion of our ‘Peace through Strength’ policy."
State Department
According to NBC News, Rubio, a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, was seen as a potential pick able to thread the needle of appealing enough to Trump’s political base, while not needlessly eroding relationships with foreign allies.
CIA Director
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President-elect Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he would appoint John Ratcliffe to serve as CIA director in his new administration.
Ratcliffe served as director of national intelligence for the final months of Trump’s first term, leading American spy agencies during the coronavirus pandemic and as the U.S. government contended with foreign efforts to interfere in the 2020 presidential election.
Homeland Security
According to NBC News sources, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem is expected to be nominated to serve as Trump’s Secretary of Homeland Security.
Noem has become well-known for her support of Trump’s immigration plans, even sending South Dakota National Guard members to the Texas border.
Ambassador to the U.N.
While not technically part of the Cabinet, the ambassador to the United Nations is considered a “Cabinet-rank position,” and Trump has tabbed New York Rep. Elise Stefanik to be his nominee for the role.
She currently serves as the House Republican chair, one of the top-ranking Republicans in the chamber.
Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy
According to Trump, Musk and Ramaswamy will serve as the heads of a commission known as the “Department of Government Efficiency,” which will be tasked with slashing regulations and trimming bureaucracy within government.
Both Musk and Ramaswamy have floated different ideas for departments to be cut, including the Department of Education, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, among others.
Other Selections
Trump also named former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to serve as his ambassador to Israel, while Florida Rep. Mike Waltz will serve as Trump’s national security adviser.
Former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe will be nominated to head the Central Intelligence Agency.
Trump also named Susie Wiles to Chief of Staff, Tom Homan as "Border Czar," Stephen Miller as Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy, and Lee Zeldon to lead to the Environmental Protection Agency.
Key Positions Still to Fill
Trump has not yet announced his choices to serve as Secretary of the Treasury and Attorney General. There are a total of 15 Cabinet positions for Trump to fill, with all requiring Congressional approval once Trump takes the oath of office in January.
