Editor-DN
Washington:
US President-elect Donald Trump is ceding top roles in his future administration to allies, provocateurs and a few relatively traditional figures.
Most positions require Senate approval, which creates additional scrutiny.
Here’s who Trump has chosen so far:
Health Secretary: RFK Jr
Prominent vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is a scion of a famous Democratic political dynasty and a conspiracy theorist.
The 70-year-old has promoted the misconception that childhood vaccines cause autism. He supported Trump after he first won the Democratic nomination.
Meanwhile, TV personality Mehmet Oz, a former surgeon, will lead the United States’ massive public health insurance programs in his first public office role.
Attorney General: Pam Bondi
Pam Bondi, the former Florida state attorney general from 2011-2019 and a staunch Trump ally, is the president-elect’s second choice to lead the US Justice Department.
Bondi, who defended Trump during his first impeachment trial, was nominated after former congressman Matt Gaetz withdrew his name amid renewed attention on sexual misconduct allegations.
‘Government efficiency’: Elon Musk
Tech tycoon Musk, the world’s richest man, was tapped to lead the new Department of Government Efficiency along with wealthy Trump ally Vivek Ramaswamy. Both will reportedly remain private citizens.
Musk says he is targeting $2 trillion in cuts from the federal government’s $7 trillion budget, promising to test legal limits to achieve that.
Secretary of State: Marco Rubio
Amid a US power struggle with China, Trump tapped Senator Rubio of Florida, a relatively traditional conservative hawk, as top diplomat.
Born to Cuban immigrants, Rubio is an ardent supporter of Israel and a longtime critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Defense Minister: Pete Hegseth
Fox News host and veteran Hegseth was named to head the Pentagon, which employs about 2.9 million people despite a slim CV.
He was investigated for sexual assault in 2017 but no charges were brought.
Director of National Intelligence: Tulsi Gabbard
Gabbard, a former Hawaii congresswoman, also switched sides from Democrats to support Trump’s re-election.
She has stood up for the Kremlin’s justification of its invasion of Ukraine, and held a controversial meeting with Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad in 2017.
Homeland Security Secretary: Christy Nome
Governor Nome of South Dakota famously admitted that she shot an “untrained” pet dog, saying it showed her ability to make tough choices.
She will play a key role in Trump’s pledge to limit immigration and deport undocumented immigrants, along with hardliners Tom Homan and Stephen Miller, the “border czar” and White House deputy chief of staff, respectively. will
Secretary of Education: Linda McMahon
Former wrestling executive Linda McMahon will head the department, which Trump has vowed to dismantle while vowing to “send education back to the states.”
McMahon is a major Trump donor and led the Small Business Administration during his first term.
Secretary of the Interior: Doug Burgum
Burgum, the governor of North Dakota, will lead a department that oversees federal lands and natural resources, with additional influence as head of a new National Energy Council aimed at oil and gas production. to increase.
The climate group Evergreen Action warned that the billionaire could turn the Interior Department into a “tool of fossil fuel corporations.”
Others
Energy Secretary: Fracking magnate Chris Wright
Commerce Secretary: Wall Street investor Howard Lutnick
Transportation Secretary: Fox News host and former congressman Sean Duffy
Secretary of Veterans Affairs: Iraq War veteran and former Congressman Doug Collins
CIA Director: Former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe
National security adviser: China hawk Mike Waltz, an Army colonel and Florida congressman
Environmental Protection Agency: Former New York Congressman Lee Zelden
Federal Communications Commission Chair: Big Tech Critic Brandon Carr
UN Ambassador: New York Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, pro-Israel figure
NATO Ambassador: Former Acting Attorney General Matthew Whittaker
Ambassador to Israel: Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee
White House Chief of Staff: Trump campaign manager Susie Wiles
White House Press Secretary: Former Trump campaign spokeswoman Carolyn Levitt
(Other than the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
