Donald Trump made the primary official rent of his incoming administration, saying 2024 marketing campaign co-chair Susan Summerall Wiles as his chief of employees.
The president-elect’s transition group is already vetting a sequence of candidates forward of his return to the White Home on 20 January 2025.
Many who served beneath Trump in his first time period don’t plan to return, although a handful of loyalists are rumoured by US media to be making a comeback.
The 78-year-old Republican can also be surrounded by new allies who may fill his cupboard, employees his White Home and take up different key roles throughout authorities.
Here’s a nearer take a look at names within the combine for the highest jobs.
Chief of employees – Susie Wiles
Susie Wiles and marketing campaign co-chair Chris LaCivita had been the masterminds behind Trump’s landslide victory over Kamala Harris.
In his victory speech on Wednesday, he referred to as her “the ice maiden” – a reference to her composure – and claimed she “likes to remain within the background”.
Wiles was confirmed the following day as the primary appointee of his second time period – as his White Home chief of employees. She would be the first lady ever to carry that job.
Chief of employees is usually a president’s high aide, overseeing each day operations within the West Wing and managing the boss’s employees.
Wiles, 67, has labored in Republican politics for many years, from Ronald Reagan’s profitable 1980 presidential marketing campaign to turning businessman Rick Scott into Florida’s governor in simply seven months again in 2010.
Republicans have stated she instructions respect and has a capability to corral the large egos of these in Trump’s orbit, which may allow her to impose a way of order that none of his 4 earlier chiefs of employees may.
Legal professional basic
No personnel choice could also be extra vital to the trajectory of Trump’s second time period than his appointee to steer the Division of Justice.
After uneven relationships with each Jeff Classes and William Barr, the lawyer generals throughout his first time period, Trump is extensively anticipated to choose a loyalist who will wield the company’s prosecutorial energy to punish critics and opponents.
Among the many names being floated for the cupboard submit are Texas Legal professional Basic Ken Paxton, who has been each indicted and impeached like Trump; Matthew Whitaker, the person who took over for 3 months as performing lawyer basic after Classes stepped down at Trump’s request; Mike Davis, a right-wing activist who as soon as clerked for Supreme Court docket Justice Neil Gorsuch and has issued bombastic threats in opposition to Trump critics and journalists; and Mark Paoletta, who served in Trump’s funds workplace and argues there isn’t any authorized requirement for a president to remain out of justice division selections.
Homeland secretary
The secretary of homeland safety will take the lead in imposing Trump’s guarantees of deporting undocumented migrants en masse and “sealing” the US-Mexico border, in addition to main the federal government response to pure disasters.
Tom Homan, Trump’s former performing director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice), stands out because the most definitely decide.
Homan, 62, supported separating migrant youngsters from their dad and mom as a method to discourage unlawful crossings and has stated politicians who help migrant sanctuary insurance policies ought to be charged with crimes. Although he resigned in 2018, mid-way by means of the Trump presidency, he stays a proponent of the Trump strategy on immigration.
Chad Wolf, who served as performing homeland secretary from 2019 to 2020 till his appointment was dominated illegal, and Chad Mizelle, the homeland division’s former performing basic counsel, are additionally potential contenders.
Stephen Miller, extensively thought-about to be the architect of Trump’s immigration agenda, is predicted to as soon as once more play a senior advisory position with the White Home.
Secretary of state
The US secretary of state is the president’s primary adviser on overseas affairs, and acts as America’s high diplomat when representing the nation abroad.
Florida Senator Marco Rubio – who was most just lately into consideration to be Trump’s vice-president – is a significant identify being floated for the important thing cupboard submit.
Rubio, 53, is a China hawk who opposed Trump within the 2016 Republican main however has since mended fences. He’s a senior member of the Senate overseas relations committee and vice-chairman of the chamber’s choose intelligence panel.
Different contenders for the job embrace Trump’s former nationwide safety adviser Robert O’Brien; Tennessee Senator Invoice Hagerty, who was beforehand Trump’s ambassador to Japan; and Brian Hook, the hawkish particular envoy to Iran in Trump’s first time period and the person who’s main the transition effort on the State Division.
A darkish horse for the nomination, nonetheless, is Richard Grenell, a loyalist who served as ambassador to Germany, particular envoy to the Balkans and performing nationwide intelligence chief. Grenell, 58, was closely concerned in Trump’s efforts to overturn his 2020 election defeat and even sat in on his personal assembly with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in September.
Intelligence/ nationwide safety posts
Grenell’s combative type might make him a greater match for nationwide safety adviser – a place that doesn’t require Senate affirmation – than secretary of state.
Additionally in line for main posts in a second Trump time period are former Director of Nationwide Intelligence John Ratcliffe; Keith Kellogg, a nationwide safety adviser to Trump’s first Vice-President Mike Pence; former defence division official Eldridge Colby; and Kash Patel, a loyalist who staffed the nationwide safety council and have become chief of employees to the performing secretary of defence in Trump’s closing months in workplace.
Patel, 44, who helped block the transition to the incoming Joe Biden administration within the latter position, is tipped to grow to be the Central Intelligence Company (CIA) chief.
Trump has additionally stated he would hearth Federal Bureau of Intelligence (FBI) Director Chris Wray, who he nominated in 2017 however has since fallen out with. Jeffrey Jensen, a former Trump-appointed US lawyer, is into consideration to switch Wray.
Defence secretary
Ex-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is among the many few former cupboard members who may return for Trump’s second time period – this time as secretary of defence, the place he would oversee the US navy.
Pompeo, 60, is a former Kansas congressman and was Trump’s first CIA director earlier than main the administration’s diplomatic blitz within the Center East.
A loyal defender of his boss, he typically tangled with the press and – amid Trump’s false claims of election fraud in late 2020 – joked about “a easy transition to a second Trump administration”.
One other identify being mentioned is Michael Waltz, a Florida lawmaker who sits on the armed companies committee within the US Home of Representatives, and Robert O’Brien.
UN ambassador
Throughout Trump’s first time period, New York Congresswoman Elise Stefanik reworked from a reasonable to a vocal backer. The fourth-ranking Home Republican chief has remained one among Trump’s most fiercely loyal defenders on Capitol Hill – which makes her a number one contender to symbolize him in unfriendly territory on the United Nations.
However she might discover herself competing for the place with the likes of former State Division spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus; David Friedman, Trump’s ambassador to Israel; and Kelly Craft, who served as UN ambassador on the finish of Trump’s time period.
Treasury secretary
Trump is reportedly contemplating Robert Lighthizer, a free commerce sceptic who led the tariff battle with China because the US commerce consultant, as his chief monetary officer.
However no less than 4 others could also be into consideration for the position, together with Scott Bessent, a billionaire hedge fund supervisor who has grow to be a significant fundraiser and financial adviser to the president-elect; John Paulson, one other megadonor from the hedge fund world; former Securities and Trade Fee (SEC) chair Jay Clayton; and Fox Enterprise Community monetary commentator Larry Kudlow, who ran Trump’s nationwide financial council throughout his first time period.
Commerce secretary
The lady co-chairing Trump’s transition group, Linda McMahon, is tipped as a key contender to symbolize US companies and job creation in his cupboard – after beforehand serving as small enterprise administrator throughout his first time period.
Others who may fill this emptiness embrace Brooke Rollins; Robert Lighthizer; and Kelly Loeffler, a rich businesswoman who briefly served within the US Senate.
Inside secretary
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem – who was handed over to be Trump’s working mate over a weird admission that she killed her pet canine – may see her loyalty to him repay with the management of the inside division, which manages public land and pure sources.
She might compete with North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum for the position.
Vitality secretary
Doug Burgum can also be a contender to steer the power division, the place he would implement Trump’s pledges to “drill, child, drill” and overhaul US power coverage.
A software program entrepreneur who offered his small firm to Microsoft in 2001, Burgum briefly ran within the 2024 Republican main earlier than dropping out, endorsing Trump and shortly impressing him along with his low-drama persona and sizeable wealth.
Former power secretary Dan Brouillette can also be reportedly within the working.
Press secretary
Karoline Leavitt, 27, who impressed Trump as his marketing campaign’s nationwide press secretary, has already served as an assistant White Home press secretary and could also be a shoo-in to be the administration’s spokesperson.
Robert F Kennedy Jr
RFK Jr, as he’s recognized, is an environmental lawyer by commerce, a vaccine sceptic by fame and the nephew of former President John F Kennedy.
His troubling previous makes it unlikely he may safe the safety clearance wanted for a cupboard submit, however after main a Trump marketing campaign initiative referred to as “Make America Wholesome Once more”, he’s anticipated to grow to be a sort of “public well being tsar”.
Regardless of having no medical {qualifications} to his identify, Kennedy, 70, may probably affect the well being and human companies division, the agriculture division, the Environmental Safety Company, the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention (CDC), and the Meals and Drug Security Administration (FDA).
Elon Musk
The world’s richest man poured thousands and thousands of {dollars} into re-electing Trump and critics worry he’ll now have the ability to weaken or solely form the rules that impression his firms Tesla, SpaceX and X.
Each he and Trump have centered on the concept of him main a brand new “Division of Authorities Effectivity”, the place he would minimize prices and streamline what he calls a “huge, suffocating federal paperwork”.
The would-be company’s acronym – DOGE – is a playful reference to a “meme-coin” cryptocurrency Musk has beforehand promoted.
However Musk, 53, may additionally play a task in international diplomacy. He participated in Trump’s first name with Ukraine’s Zelensky on Wednesday.