After winning the presidential election, Donald Trump has started the process of choosing the cabinet and other high-ranking administrative officials.
Here are the early picks and top contenders for some of the key positions overseeing defense, intelligence, diplomacy, trade, immigration and economic policy making. Some are in contention for various posts.
Susie Wills, Chief of Staff
Trump announced last week that Wills, one of his two campaign managers, would be his White House chief of staff.
Although the specifics of his political views remain somewhat unclear, the 67-year-old Wills is credited with running a successful and efficient campaign. Supporters hope she will bring a sense of order and discipline that was often lacking during Trump’s first four years in office, when she took bicycle tours with several heads of state.
Tom Homan, ‘Border Czar’
Trump announced Sunday night that Homan, the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement during Trump’s first administration, will be in charge of the nation’s borders.
Trump made a crackdown on people in the country illegally a central element of his campaign, promising mass deportations.
Homan, 62, said Monday he would prioritize deporting immigrants living in the U.S. illegally who pose a threat to safety and security, as well as people working at job sites.
Trump said in a post on his Truth social platform that Homan “will be in charge of our nation’s borders (‘the Border Czar'”), including but not limited to the southern border, the northern border, all maritime and aviation. ” Security,” which includes the deportation of immigrants in the US illegally.
Elise Stefanik, United Nations Ambassador
Trump announced on Monday that Stefanik, a Republican congressman and staunch Trump supporter, will be his ambassador to the United Nations.
Stefanik, 40, a U.S. 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 fired for criticizing Trump’s election false claims. Was thrown out for. Danger.
“I am honored to nominate President Elise Stefanik to serve in my Cabinet as United States Ambassador to the United Nations,” Trump said in a statement. “Ellis is an incredibly strong, tough and smart America First fighter.”
Stefanik arrives at the United Nations after Trump made bold promises to end the Russia-Ukraine war and Israel’s war in Gaza.
Lee Zeldin, EPA Administrator
Trump announced Monday that he has appointed former New York state congressman Lee Zeldin to be administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, and Zeldin said he has accepted the role.
Zeldin, 44, a staunch Trump ally, served in Congress from 2015 to 2023. In 2022, he lost the race for Governor of New York to Democratic incumbent Kathy Hochul.
Trump has promised to overhaul US energy policy by rolling back regulations and speeding up permitting, aimed at maximizing the country’s already record-high oil and gas production.
As head of the EPA, Zeldin will play a key role in implementing those policies.
Marco Rubio, Secretary of State
Trump is expected to name US Senator Marco Rubio as his secretary of state, sources said on Monday, putting the Florida-born politician on track to become the first Latino to serve as the United States’ top diplomat.
Rubio, 53, was arguably the strongest choice on Trump’s shortlist for secretary of state. The senator has over the years advocated for a strong foreign policy with respect to U.S. geopolitical enemies, including China, Iran, and Cuba.
Over the years he has softened some of his stances to align more closely with Trump’s views. The newly elected president accused previous US presidents of leading the US into costly and pointless wars and insisted on a more restrained foreign policy.
Mike Waltz, National Security Advisor
Trump said Tuesday that he had chosen Republican U.S. Representative Mike Waltz, a retired Army Green Beret who has been a prominent critic of China, as national security adviser.
Waltz, a 50-year-old Trump loyalist who also served as a colonel in the National Guard, has criticized Chinese activity in the Asia-Pacific and stressed the need for the US to be prepared for potential conflict in the region.
The National Security Advisor is a powerful role that does not require Senate confirmation. Waltz will be responsible for briefing Trump on key national security issues and coordinating with various agencies.
While criticizing the Biden administration for its disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, Waltz has publicly praised Trump’s foreign policy ideas.
Kristi Noem, Secretary of Homeland Security
Trump has chosen South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem to serve as the next Homeland Security secretary, two sources familiar with the decision said Tuesday.
Noem, 52, who was once seen as a potential running mate for Trump, is currently serving her second four-year term as governor of South Dakota. She rose to national prominence after refusing to implement a statewide mask mandate during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Department of Homeland Security is responsible for everything from border security and immigration to disaster response and the US Secret Service.
Trump’s campaign and Noem’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Scott Besant, potential Treasury Secretary
Besant, Trump’s chief economic adviser, is widely seen as a top candidate for Treasury secretary. A longtime hedge fund investor who taught at Yale University for many years, Besant enjoys a cordial relationship with the President-elect.
While Besant has long supported the laissez-faire policies that were popular in the pre-Trump Republican Party, she has also spoken highly of Trump’s use of tariffs as a negotiating tool. He has praised the president-elect’s economic philosophy, which is based on skepticism of both regulations and international trade.
Robert Lighthizer, potential Treasury Secretary
A loyalist who served as Trump’s U.S. trade representative for the then-president’s entire term, Lighthizer will almost certainly be invited back. Although Besant has a better chance of becoming Treasury Secretary, Lighthizer has an outside chance, and may be able to reprise his old role if he is interested.
Like Trump, Lighthizer, 77, is also 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
Lutnick, co-chairman of Trump’s transition effort and the longtime chief executive of financial services firm Cantor Fitzgerald, is in the race for Treasury secretary.
An aggressive New Yorker like Trump, Lutnick, 63, has uniformly praised the president-elect’s economic policies, including the use of tariffs.
He has repeatedly given detailed, candid opinions about what policies would be implemented in Trump’s second term. Some Trump allies had privately complained that he often presented himself as speaking on behalf of the campaign.
Linda McMahon, potential Commerce Secretary
Professional wrestling legend and former Small Business Administration director Linda McMahon is seen as the front-runner to lead Trump’s Commerce Department, 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 nearly a decade ago. This time, Trump chose him to co-lead a transition team formed to help vet personnel and draft policy before the November 5 election.
McMahon is the co-founder and former CEO of the professional wrestling franchise WWE. He later served as director of the Small Business Administration, resigning in 2019, and led a pro-Trump political action committee that supported his 2020 re-election bid.
John Ratcliffe, potential CIA director
A former congressman and prosecutor who served as director of national intelligence during Trump’s last year in office, Ratcliffe, 59, is considered a leading contender to become director of the CIA, according to two people familiar with the transition process. Is seen. Ratcliffe is also a possible choice for attorney general.
Aides to the president-elect see Ratcliffe as a staunch Trump loyalist who could potentially win Senate confirmation. Nevertheless, 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.
Mike Lee, potential attorney general
Lee, the US senator from Utah, is widely seen as another top candidate for attorney general. Although the former prosecutor refused to vote for Trump during the 2016 election, he later became an unwavering ally, and he has become an intellectual hero among some factions of Trumpworld.
Lee, 53, was a key figure in efforts by Trump and his allies to overturn his 2020 election loss to Democrat Joe Biden, and he has spread baseless conspiracy theories about the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Kash Patel, possible candidate for national security posts
A former Republican House staffer who worked in various high-ranking staff roles in the defense and intelligence communities during Trump’s first term, Patel was frequently seen on the campaign trail to drum up support for the candidate.
Some of Trump’s allies would like to see Patel, considered a Trump loyalist, appointed CIA director. However, any position requiring Senate confirmation can be a challenge.
44-year-old Patel has been in controversies throughout his career. In an interview with Trump ally Steve Bannon last year, he promised to “go after” politicians and journalists considered Trump’s enemies.
During Trump’s first term, Patel drew hostility from some of the more experienced national security officials, who viewed him as unstable and too eager to please the then-President.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
