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Trump’s Cabinet picks and major White House appointments
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By: Laila Ahmed
Research assistant in International Affairs Unit
Introduction:
With an array of executive orders and directives that make it clear that a significant transition is under way, President-elect Donald Trump plans to kick off his second term in the White House with a bang.In his second term in office, Donald Trump has pledged to take broad action.
The president-elect has laid out a broad program that combines more populist views on trade and a change in America’s place in the world with conventional conservative views on taxes, regulations, and cultural matters.
In addition, Trump’s plan would increase presidential authority and reduce federal civil rights initiatives. In order to fulfil Trump’s campaign pledges to secure the southern border, increase domestic energy production, and target transgender Americans, the orders will circumvent Congress and reverse President Joe Biden’s policies on everything from diversity and inclusion in the federal workforce to climate change. [1]
Democrats and other left-leaning people will protest several of the controversial measures. Lawsuits are anticipated in response to some orders, especially those pertaining to immigration.[2]
After taking the oath of office as the 47th president on Monday, Trump plans to surpass the 100th executive action in his first few days in office, a time he has dubbed a “liberation day for America.” Trump is certain that he has an election “mandate” from American voters.
Stephen Miller, Trump’s new deputy chief of staff for policy, told Fox News last week that there would be more than 100 executive actions, or orders for the bureaucracy to alter their practices.[3]
With a number of controversial appointments in his prospective cabinet, the new team tasked with carrying out Donald Trump’s agenda is beginning to take shape. We will start with the cabinet positions, which need US Senate approval. Any nomination will fail if all Democrats and four Republican senators oppose the same candidate. In the event of a tie, vice president-elect JD Vance will be able to step in and confirm a nominee.
In January, President-elect Donald Trump will return to the White House with a Republican majority in the Senate. This implies that his Cabinet nominees, including some potentially contentious ones, will probably have an easier time getting confirmed.
These include Fox News star Pete Hegseth, Trump’s choice for secretary of defence, who is struggling due to accusations of financial mismanagement, alcohol abuse, and sexual misconduct. In order to bolster support for his confirmation, Hegseth has visited the Capitol on multiple occasions to speak with Republican senators. Trump reaffirmed his backing for Hegseth in early December, claiming that the senators’ support for him is “strong and deep.”
Trump’s choice for director of national intelligence, former Representative Tulsi Gabbard, is also being scrutinized. Following the overthrow of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government, Gabbard is coming under further scrutiny for a 2017 trip to Syria during which she met with Assad. She justified the encounter at the time by claiming it was a “fact-finding mission,” but in 2019, she called him a “brutal dictator.”[4]
1- Secretary of state – Marco Rubio
The US secretary of state, who serves as the president’s principal foreign policy advisor and the nation’s top diplomat abroad, is Senator Marco Rubio of Florida.
Rubio, 53, has a pessimistic outlook on China. In the 2016 Republican primary, he ran against Trump, but he has since made amends.
If accepted, he will become the first Latino secretary of state in US history, and he has long been courting the position of the country’s top diplomat.
2– Defence secretary – Pete Hegseth
The next defence secretary nominee is Pete Hegseth, a Fox News commentator and veteran of the armed forces who has never held public office.
With the ongoing hostilities in Gaza and Ukraine, his selection is one of the most eagerly awaited in Trump’s cabinet. Trump remarked, “Nobody fights harder for the troops,”
Following his appointment, it was revealed that Hegseth had been the subject of a 2017 investigation over a sexual assault. He disputes the accusation and was never taken into custody or charged.
In the same year, he bribed a woman to keep quiet about an assault allegation that he worried would result in his termination from Fox, according to his attorney. He denied any misconduct once more.
3-Attorney General – Pam Bondi
Following a week of turmoil over a congressional inquiry into claims of sexual misbehaviour and drug use against him, former Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz, rump’s first choice for attorney general, withdrew from contention for the position earlier in November.
Although Gaetz refuted every allegation, he stated that he wants to prevent a “needlessly protracted Washington scuffle.”
Trump appointed former Florida attorney general Pam Bondi as his successor just six hours after Gaetz’s withdrawal.
“Pam was a prosecutor for nearly 20 years, where she was very tough on Violent Criminals, and made the streets safe for Florida Families,” the president wrote.
Bondi was a member of the Opioid and Drug Abuse Commission during the first administration of President Trump. She also served on his defence team when he was originally impeached.
4- Treasury secretary – Scott Bessent
Scott Bessent has been nominated to head the US Treasury Department, which will have broad authority over international finance, public debt, tax policy, and sanctions.
As the president-elect puts together his team for a second term, the selection marks the conclusion of what has turned out to be one of the more drawn-out choices.
An early supporter of Trump’s 2024 campaign, Bessent is a Wall Street financier with a more traditional background who had worked for liberal billionaire George Soros.
Bessent claimed that Trump will bring about a “new golden age with de-regulation, low-cost energy, and low taxes” when campaigning.
He has long been a strong advocate of the America First Agenda,” Trump said, adding that Bessent would “support my Policies that will drive US Competitiveness, and stop unfair Trade imbalances.”
5- Agriculture Agriculture secretary – Brooke Rollins
Although she was raised on a farm, Brooke Rollins most recently served as the head and
co-founder of the Maga-supported think tank America First Policy Institute.
She was acting director of the Domestic Policy Council and director of the Office of American Innovation during the first administration of the president-elect.
Rollins earned a Bachelor of Science degree in agribusiness development from Texas A&M University and a law degree from the same institution, according to Trump’s press release.
She will be in charge of meat inspections, federal nutrition programs, farm subsidies, and other aspects of the nation’s agriculture sector in her capacity as agriculture secretary.
6- Housing secretary – Scott Turner
The US Department of Housing and Urban Development has selected motivational speaker and NFL veteran Scott Turner as its new head.
In addition to providing low-income housing and assisting Americans in avoiding foreclosure, the department also enforces the law, prevents discrimination, and monitors America’s housing requirements.
During Trump’s first term, Turner was the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council’s executive director. He was a member of the Texas legislature before.
7- Secretary of the Interior: Doug Burgum
Before his withdrawal in December and supporting Trump the following month, Burgum challenged Trump for the Republican nomination. At one point, he was also considered to be Trump’s running mate.
In a statement released on November 15, Trump formally announced the move and stated that Burgum would serve as the head of “the newly formed, and very important, National Energy Council.”
8- Secretary of Commerce: Howard Lutnick
On November 19, Trump declared his intention to choose Howard Lutnick, a billionaire, as the secretary of commerce. Lutnick “will lead our tariff and trade agenda” and be in charge of the U.S. Trade Representative’s office, according to the president-elect.
The CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, Lutnick, has been a significant contributor to Trump’s campaign and co-chaired the transition.
9-Labor Secretary: Lori Chavez-DeRemer
Lori has worked tirelessly with both Business and Labor to build America’s workforce, and support the hardworking men and women of America,” Trump said in a statement announcing his choice.
10-Secretary of Health and Human Services: Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Trump appointed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to head the Department of Health and Human Services, promising to “Make America Great and Healthy Again!” and to take on the “industrial food complex and drug companies who have engaged in deception, misinformation, and disinformation.”
Kennedy has a lengthy history of opposing vaccines and disseminating false information regarding their safety.
Kennedy has pledged to fight a “epidemic” of chronic illnesses and holds big food and pharmaceutical firms accountable for a wide range of illnesses. According to him, federal inaction has made a number of health problems worse, such as autism, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, sleep disorders, infertility rates, diabetes, and obesity. He has also advocated for drinking water to be free of fluoride.
11-Transportation Secretary: Sean Duffy
Sean Duffy, a former congressman, will be Trump’s nominee for secretary of transportation. Prior to his tenure as the district attorney for Ashland County, Wisconsin, Duffy served on the House Financial Services committee and represented Wisconsin’s 7th congressional district from 2011 to 2019. He started contributing to Fox News after leaving Congress, and he currently co-hosts a show on Fox Business.
12-Secretary of Energy: Chris Wright
Chris Wright, the CEO of Liberty Energy, has been appointed by Trump to head the U.S. Department of Energy.
In a statement, Trump also announced that Wright would be a member of the newly established National Energy Council, which will be presided over by Trump’s choice for
secretary of the interior, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum.
The group, according to Trump’s announcement, “will oversee the path to U.S. energy dominance.”
Wright has stated that “there is no climate crisis and we are not in the midst of an energy transition either.” Wright has been an outspoken supporter of oil and gas development, particularly fracking.
13- Education Secretary: Linda McMahon
Trump declared that Linda McMahon would be leading the Department of Education. Former wrestling executive McMahon is co-chairing Trump’s transition committee for 2024 and served as the head of the Small Business Administration during his first term.
“As Secretary of Education, Linda will fight tirelessly to expand” Choice “to every State in America, and empower parents to make the best Education decisions for their families,” Trump stated in a statement. “We will send Education BACK TO THE STATES, and Linda will spearhead that effort.”
Trump tapped former Republican Rep. Doug Collins of Georgia to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs, filling another Cabinet position with a military veteran. As the leading Republican on the House Judiciary Committee, Collins represented Trump in his first impeachment hearing when he was a member of Congress from 2013 to 2021.
In a statement, Trump affirmed that Kristi Noem, the governor of South Dakota, is his choice to lead DHS and praised her for being “very strong on Border Security.”After eight years in the House, Noem was elected governor in 2018. He supported Trump’s 2023 reelection campaign and attended several of his rallies. Earlier in the campaign, she had been a possible choice for vice president. 
