(AFP) – US President-elect Donald Trump is handing top roles in his future administration to a mix of loyalists, provocateurs, and a few relatively conventional figures. Most positions require confirmation by the US Senate, which brings added scrutiny. Here is who Trump has chosen so far:
– **Health Secretary: RFK Jr.** – Leading vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is the scion of the famous Democratic political dynasty and a conspiracy theorist. The 70-year-old has promoted the disproven idea that childhood vaccines cause autism. He endorsed Trump after first seeking the Democratic presidential nomination. Meanwhile, TV celebrity Mehmet Oz, a former surgeon, will lead the country’s massive public health insurance programs.
– **Attorney General: Pam Bondi** – The staunch Trump ally and former Florida attorney general from 2011 to 2019 is the president-elect’s second pick to lead the Department of Justice. Bondi, who defended Trump during his first impeachment trial, was nominated after ex-congressman Matt Gaetz withdrew amid renewed scrutiny of sexual misconduct allegations.
– **’Government Efficiency’: Elon Musk** – Tech tycoon Musk, the world’s richest person, was tapped to lead a new Department of Government Efficiency, along with wealthy Trump ally Vivek Ramaswamy. Both will supposedly remain private citizens. Musk says he is targeting $2 trillion in cuts from the federal government’s $7 trillion budget, pledging to test legal boundaries to achieve it.
– **Secretary of State: Marco Rubio** – Amid the intensifying 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 a fervent Israel supporter and longtime critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
– **Defense Secretary: Pete Hegseth** – Fox News host and former soldier Hegseth was nominated to head the Pentagon, which employs some 2.9 million people, despite a slim CV. He was investigated for an alleged 2017 sexual assault but no charges were filed.
– **Treasury Secretary: Scott Bessent** – Hedge fund manager Bessent would oversee policymaking for the world’s biggest economy. He has called for an extension of tax cuts from Trump’s first term and a review of the nation’s budget deficit.
– **Director of National Intelligence: Tulsi Gabbard** – Former Hawaii congresswoman and onetime presidential candidate Gabbard, like Kennedy, a former Democrat, has stood out for endorsing Kremlin justifications about its invasion of Ukraine, and controversially met in 2017 with Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad.
– **Homeland Security Secretary: Kristi Noem** – South Dakota’s governor became famous for admitting she shot an “untrainable” pet dog, saying it showed her ability to make tough choices. Noem would play a key role in Trump’s promise to restrict immigration and deport undocumented migrants, along with hard-liners Tom Homan and Stephen Miller, who will be “border czar” and White House deputy chief of staff, respectively.
– **Education Secretary: Linda McMahon** – The former executive of the staged and scripted WWE wrestling brand will head a department Trump has pledged to abolish, vowing to “send education back to the states.” McMahon is a major Trump donor and led the Small Business Administration during his first term.
– **Interior Secretary: Doug Burgum** – Burgum, North Dakota’s governor, would lead a sprawling department that oversees federal lands and natural resources, with additional clout as head of a new National Energy Council aimed at expanding oil and gas production.
– **Others**:
– **Energy Secretary:** Fracking magnate Chris Wright
– **Commerce Secretary:** Wall Street investor Howard Lutnick
– **Transportation Secretary:** Fox News host and ex-congressman Sean Duffy
– **Labor Secretary:** pro-business congresswoman Lori Chavez-DeRemer
– **Veterans Affairs Secretary:** Iraq war veteran and ex-congressman Doug Collins
– **Housing Secretary:** Retired NFL player and businessman Scott Turner
– **CIA Director:** Former national intelligence director John Ratcliffe
– **National Security Advisor:** China hawk and Florida congressman Mike Waltz
– **Office of Management and Budget Director:** Russell Vought, who held the role during Trump’s first term
– **Environmental Protection Agency Administrator:** Former New York congressman Lee Zeldin
– **Federal Communications Commission Chair:** Big-tech critic Brendan Carr
– **UN Ambassador:** New York congresswoman Elise Stefanik, a pro-Israel stalwart
– **NATO Ambassador:** Former acting attorney general Matthew Whitaker
– **White House Chief of Staff:** Trump campaign manager Susie Wiles
– **White House Press Secretary:** Former Trump campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt
© 2024 AFP
