Who’s who in Donald Trump’s cabinet
The president-elect has begun announcing the names of the people who will occupy the top White House positions when he assumes office for a second term on January 20
After being elected president for a second term, Donald Trump has begun announcing the names of his team for the key positions within his administration. Most of them are conservative figures and loyal to Trump’s Republican vision for the United States. He has also rewarded those who helped him during his successful campaign to return to the White House.
One of his choices was controversial Congressman Matt Gaetz, whom he nominated as attorney general. However, his troubled past, which includes an accusation of child sex trafficking and rape for transporting across state lines and paying a 17-year-old girl to have sex with him, caused the Republican to withdraw his name from running for the post. Gaetz was also investigated for illegal drug use, sharing inappropriate videos and images in the House of Representatives, using campaign funds for personal use and accepting impermissible gifts. The new nominee for attorney general is legal expert Pam Bondi.
Trump has promised to “close the border” on his first day in the Oval Office and initiate the largest deportation operation against illegal immigrants in the country’s history. He has said he will sign “dozens” of executive orders that day. For his second term, he has promised to impose tariffs on imported goods, reverse climate policies that seek to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, stop the war in Ukraine, end his legal cases, and pardon those who took part in the assault on the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
The former president will be sworn into office for a second term on January 20, the day the Constitution provides for the presidential inauguration. After taking his oath of office, Trump will move back into the White House.
J. D. Vance - Vice President
At the age of 40, J.D. Vance will be the vice president of the United States as of January 20, 2025. The senator from Ohio is a lawyer by profession. He began his career as a paralegal in Kentucky and later changed his line of business to become a director of the company Mithril Capital, owned by Peter Thiel, co-founder of Paypal and one of the first investors in Facebook, who donated $10 million in 2022 to Vance's campaign.
Vance's book 'Hillbilly Elegy' brought him into the public eye. In it, the former Marine recounts his political rise from the bottom up and emphasizes his story of poverty and self-improvement.
Vance's book 'Hillbilly Elegy' brought him into the public eye. In it, the former Marine recounts his political rise from the bottom up and emphasizes his story of poverty and self-improvement.
Marco Rubio - Secretary of State
The son of Cuban immigrants, Rubio defends the iron fist approach and has been a supporter of U.S. interventionism abroad, although an increasingly moderate one. The senator from Florida has served as a member of the Foreign Relations Committee and the Intelligence Committee in the House of Representatives. In his legislative activity, he has promoted the containment of China, the denunciation of alleged human rights abuses committed by Beijing, and the blockade of Chinese products.
Pete Hegseth - Secretary of Defense
Fox News host Pete Hegseth (44) is Trump's nominee to take over as Secretary of Defense. He is a veteran of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars and, if confirmed by Congress, will be in charge of issues such as military assistance to Israel and support for Ukraine in the face of the Russian invasion. During the first Trump administration he headed the Department of Veterans Affairs. In 2017, a staffer accused Hegseth of sexually assaulting her in a hotel room. No charge were filed and Hegseth paid the accuser as part of a non-disclosure arrangement in 2020.
Doug Burgum - Interior Secretary
The current governor of North Dakota, Douglas Burgum (68) is Trump's choice to lead the Department of the Interior. He is one of the wealthiest politicians in the United States with a net worth of over $1 billion. He is founder of the Kilbourne Group, a real estate development firm, and is co-founder of Arthur Ventures, a software venture capital group.
Howard Lutnick - Secretary of Commerce
Billionaire businessman Howard Lutnick (63) is Trump's choice for Secretary of Commerce. He is currently CEO and chairman of financial services firms Cantor Fitzerald and BGC Group. He is known for his philanthropic work, which he began doing since losing 658 employees and his brother in the September 11, 2001 attacks. Lutnick also survived the collapse of the twin towers. He helped raise funds for Trump's 2020 and 2024 campaigns and supports his idea of placing tariffs on foreign goods.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. - Secretary of Health and Human Services
Trump has officially selected Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (70) to take over the Department of Health and Human Services. Kennedy spent much of his life as part of non-profit organizations focused on environmental protection. Since 2005 he has gained prominence for promoting anti-vaccine disinformation, especially during the Covid pandemic, about which he promoted conspiracy theories. He was a presidential candidate in 2024, but resigned and came out in favor of Trump.
Sean Duffy - Secretary of Transportation
Trump has nominated Sean Duffy (53) to serve as his Secretary of Transportation. He first gained prominence as a cast member on the reality show 'The Real World: Boston' before serving as district attorney in Ashland County, Wisconsin. He then served as a representative for Wisconsin's 7th Congressional District from 2011 to 2019. He is also a commentator and contributor on Fox News.
Linda McMahon - Secretary of Education
Business executive Linda McMahon (76) is the nominee for secretary of Education for the second Trump administration. McMahon was a founder of the company now known as the World Wrestling Inc. along with her husband, wrestling promoter Vince McMahon. The executive also became known as a performer in the WWE. She served as head of the Small Business Administration (SBA) from 2017 to 2019, and was considered one of Trump's most valuable allies during his 2024 presidential campaign.
Doug Collins - Secretary of Veterans Affairs
Trump has chosen politician Doug Collins (58) to take over the Department of Veterans Affairs. Collins served as a representative of Georgia's 9th congressional district from 2013 to 2021. Since 2022 he retired from politics to serve as legal counsel to the now president-elect.
Kristi Noem - Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security
The president-elect has nominated Kristi Noem (52) as the next secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. Noem has served since 2019 as governor of South Dakota, the first woman to do so. She previously served as representative for South Dakota's only congressional district (2011-2019) and was a member of the state House of Representatives (2007-2011). In the new administration, she will have a key role in Trump's immigration plans, as well as a focus on counterterrorism.
Pam Bondi - Attorney General
Legal expert Pam Bondi (59) will be the nominee for attorney general after Matt Gaetz withdrew his name from the nomination. Bondi served as Florida's attorney general from 2011 to 2019, the first woman to take the position. She has been a close ally of Trump, and was part of his defense team during his impeachment trial. In 2024 she headed the legal department of the America First Policy Institute.
Lee Zeldin - Environmental Protection Agency
Trump has nominated former New York congressman Lee Zeldin to run the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). A native New Yorker, he was an officer in the U.S. Army Reserve before entering politics. He was a candidate for governor of New York, but lost to Democrat Kathy Hochul. He has become one of Trump's closest allies and defended him in his impeachment hearings when he was accused of motivating Ukraine to investigate his 2020 election challenger, Joe Biden.
Tulsi Gabbard - Director of National Intelligence
Tulsi Gabbard has shuttled between Democrats and Republicans over the past few years, and has also been an independent candidate and an enthusiastic representative of the Trump campaign. From 2013 until 2021 she was a Democratic congresswoman. In 2020 she ran in the Democratic presidential primaries and did not abandon her candidacy until very late in the race, despite the fact that the results did not favor her. In 2022 she declared herself an independent and this year she threw her support behind the Republican candidate.
Elise Stefanik - Ambassador to the United Nations
Trump announced that he would nominate conservative Elise Stefanik (40) for the post of U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. She has been the chairwoman of the House Republican Conference since 2021 and gained notoriety after questioning college students at a congressional hearing on anti-Semitism.
John Ratcliffe - CIA Director
The pick to head the Central Intelligence Agency is politician John Ratcliffe. He served as a representative of Texas' fourth district from 2015 to 2020 and was director of National Intelligence from 2020 to 2021, after Trump nominated him. During his tenure, he made public statements that contradicted the intelligence community's assessments. Very conservative in his views, he is a staunch ally of the current president-elect.
Susie Wiles - Chief of Staff
Trump has named political advisor Susie Wiles (67) as his chief of staff. Wiles, a New Jersey native, worked on Ronald Reagan's 1980 campaign and on Trump's presidential campaigns in 2016 and 2024.
Michael Waltz - National Security Advisor
Michael Waltz (50) will succeed Jake Sullivan as national security advisor. Waltz served for more than 27 years in the military and was deployed as a Special Forces officer in Afghanistan, the Middle East, and Africa. He began his career in 2018 when he ran for Representative of Florida's 6th Congressional District.
Steven Witkoff - Special Envoy to the Middle East
In one of his most controversial choices, Trump has appointed real estate investor Steven Witkoff (67) as his special envoy for the Middle East. The founder of Witkoff Group has never worked in politics but remained close to Trump during the final months of campaigning. He was also selected to co-lead the inaugural committee for Trump's second presidency along with former senator and businesswoman Kelly Loeffler.
Mike Huckabee - U.S. Ambassador to Israel
Trump selected former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee to be the U.S. ambassador to Israel. Huckabee gained fame as a preacher and television host before becoming lieutenant governor of Arkansas (1993-1996) and later governor of the state (1996-2007). In 2016, he sought the Republican Party nomination for president.
Tom Homan - "Border Czar"
Trump has announced the appointment of Tom Homan (62) as his “border czar,” an unofficial position within the U.S. government and which therefore does not require Senate confirmation. Homan is a native New Yorker with a long career in immigration. He served as acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from 2017 to 2018 and worked within the first Trump administration, being the main promoter of the idea of separating illegal immigrant families and deporting them. He has also been highly critical of so-called “sanctuary cities.”
Vivek Ramaswamy - Department of Government Efficiency
Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy (39) will lead the new Department of Government Efficiency. Originally from Ohio, he graduated from Harvard and Yale before founding the biotech firm Roviant Sciences. He ran in the presidential primaries in 2024, but withdrew after the Iowa caucuses and endorsed Trump. He will work with fellow tech magnate Elon Musk.
Elon Musk - Departament of Government Efficiency
South African-born entrepreneur Elon Musk (53) will co-head the new department within the U.S. government after helping Trump during his campaign. He is CEO of the SpaceX space agency (which he founded), and also of the automotive company Tesla, Inc and owner and president of X Corp — the company that operates the social network X — as well as founding Neuralink and OpenAI.
William McGinley - White House counsel
Former White House Cabinet Secretary William McGinley has been named White House counsel. McGinley has served as deputy general counsel of the Republican National Committee (RNC) and legal advisor to the RNC Standing Committee on Rules. He has also served as general counsel to the National Republican Senatorial National Committee.
He has been a Trump ally since his first campaign in 2016, where he worked to attract delegates to the Republican National Convention.
He has been a Trump ally since his first campaign in 2016, where he worked to attract delegates to the Republican National Convention.
Todd Blanche - Deputy Attorney General
Trump's personal defense attorney Todd Blanche (50) is his choice for deputy attorney general. Blanche represented the Republican in his New York criminal trial in which a jury found him guilty of 34 felonies linked to falsifying financial records. Although the attorney was registered as a Democrat, he switched to the Republican Party in 2024.
Brendan Carr - Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission
Brendan Carr (45) has been selected to lead the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). He is currently a member of the commission where he has served as an advisor. He has gained prominence for showing support for banning TikTok on the grounds that the app is dangerous to national security, and is a strong critic of large technology companies.
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