Political analyst Sue O’Connell looks at President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination of Fox News host Pete Hegseth as defense secretary and the announcement that Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy will head a new “Department of Government Efficiency.”
Since his election last week, President-elect Donald Trump has announced over a dozen appointments to key cabinet positions and other high-profile posts in his administration. Each day has brought new announcements.
Here's a quick recap of his appointments so far:
Matt Gaetz, Attorney General
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Trump on Wednesday said he will nominate Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida to serve as his attorney general, putting a loyalist in the role of the nation's top prosecutor. In selecting the congressman, Trump passed over some of the more established attorneys whose names had been mentioned as being contenders for the job.
Tulsi Gabbard, Director of National Intelligence
Also on Wednesday, Trump chose Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democratic member of Congress and presidential candidate, to serve as director of national intelligence, continuing to stock his Cabinet with loyal personalities complimentary to his own, rather than long-term professionals in their requisite fields. Gabbard, who has served in the Army National Guard for more than two decades, deploying to Iraq and Kuwait, would come to the role as somewhat of an outsider. hasn’t worked directly in the intelligence community, outside of House committees, including two years on the Homeland Security Committee.
Marco Rubio, Secretary of State
In another appointment announced Monday, Trump named Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida as his nominee for secretary of state on Wednesday, setting up a onetime critic who evolved into one of the president-elect’s fiercest defenders to become the nation’s top diplomat. The conservative lawmaker is a noted hawk on China, Cuba and Iran, and was a finalist to be Trump’s running mate this summer. On Capitol Hill, Rubio is the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, to head new Department of Government Efficiency
Trump named tech billionaire Elon Musk and conservative activist Vivek Ramaswamy on Tuesday to head up a new Department of Government Efficiency, fulfilling a campaign pledge to give Musk sweeping oversight of government spending. Trump said in a statement on to social media that the department will help "dismantle Government Bureaucracy" and slash excess regulations. The name of the agency, DOGE for short, is a reference to a meme and a cryptocurrency associated with Musk.
Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Defense
Trump said Tuesday that he has chosen Fox News host and Army veteran Pete Hegseth to serve as his defense secretary. Hegseth deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan and unsuccessfully ran for Senate in Minnesota in 2012 before joining Fox News.
John Ratcliffe, CIA Director
Earlier Tuesday, Trump announced that he is nominating former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe to lead the Central Intelligence Agency. A former Republican congressman from Texas, Ratcliffe served as director of national intelligence for the final year and a half of Trump’s first term, leading the U.S. government’s spy agencies during the coronavirus pandemic.
Mike Huckabee, US Ambassador to Israel
Trump said Tuesday he intends to nominate former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee as the U.S. ambassador to Israel, a high-profile diplomatic posting in a tumultuous region. Huckabee is a staunch defender of Israel and his intended nomination comes as Trump has promised to align U.S. foreign policy more closely with Israel's interests as it wages wars against the Iran-backed Hamas and Hezbollah. If confirmed, he will be the first non-Jewish person to hold this role since 2011, NBC News reported.
Kristi Noem, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security
Trump plans to nominate South Dakota Republican Gov. Kristi Noem to be the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, four sources familiar with the decision confirmed Tuesday morning. Noem has no significant experience with homeland security issues but has voiced support for Trump's hard-line immigration policies. She has defended her fellow Republican governors in their efforts to crack down on migrants in their states.
Mike Waltz, National Security Adviser
On Monday, four sources familiar with the decision said Trump has picked Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., to be his national security adviser. Waltz is a Green Beret veteran who served in Afghanistan, the Middle East and Africa. Since 2019, he has represented a congressional district in the House, where he's a member of the Armed Services, Foreign Affairs and Intelligence committees.
Lee Zeldin, EPA Administrator
Trump on Monday named former New York congressman Lee Zeldin to lead the Environmental Protection Agency as he continues to build out his future administration with loyal supporters. Zeldin, a Republican who mounted a failed bid for governor of New York in 2022, will “ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions that will be enacted in a way to unleash the power of American businesses,'' Trump said in a statement. Zeldin also will maintain "the highest environmental standards, including the cleanest air and water on the planet,'' Trump said.
Stephen Miller, Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy
A source with knowledge of the transition team's plans told NBC News on Monday that Trump is expected to name Stephen Miller as his deputy chief of staff for policy at the White House. Miller, a staunch hard-liner on immigration policy, worked in the White House during Trump's first term in office, serving both as director of speechwriting and as a senior adviser to the president.
Elise Stefanik, US Ambassador to the United Nations
Trump has tapped House Republican Conference chair and longtime ally Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., to serve as ambassador to the United Nations, a Trump transition official confirmed to NBC News on Monday. Stefanik has been a staunch defender of Israel in its response to Hamas' Oct. 7 attacks and has been outspoken over the last year about antisemitism on college campuses. A day before the election, Stefanik reiterated her call for the defunding of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East because she alleges it has been infiltrated by Hamas.
Tom Homan, 'border czar'
On Monday, Trump said that Tom Homan, his former acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement director, will serve as “border czar” in his incoming administration. Homan was widely expected to be offered a position related to the border and Trump’s pledge to launch the largest deportation operation in the country's history.
Susie Wiles, White House Chief of Staff
Trump's first appointment came on Nov. 7, when he announced that Susan Wiles, a 67-year-old Florida native, will serve as his White House chief of staff. Wiles is one of the most respected operatives in Republican politics. Along with helping helm Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, she worked as his state director in Florida during the previous two contests.
Dan Scavino, deputy chief of staff
Scavino, whom Trump's transition referred to in a statement as one of “Trump's longest serving and most trusted aides,” was a senior adviser to Trump's 2024 campaign, as well as his 2016 and 2020 campaigns. He will be deputy chief of staff and assistant to the president.
Scavino had run Trump's social media profile in the White House during his first administration. He was also held in contempt of Congress in 2022 after a month-long refusal to comply with a subpoena from the House committee’s investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
James Blair, deputy chief of staff
Blair was political director for Trump's 2024 campaign and for the Republican National Committee. He will be deputy chief of staff for legislative, political and public affairs and assistant to the president.
Blair was key to Trump's economic messaging during his winning White House comeback campaign this year, a driving force behind the candidate's “Trump can fix it” slogan and his query to audiences this fall if they were better off than four years ago.
Taylor Budowich, deputy chief of staff
Budowich is a veteran Trump campaign aide who launched and directed Make America Great Again, Inc., a super PAC that supported Trump's 2024 campaign. He will be deputy chief of staff for communications and personnel and assistant to the president.
Budowich also had served as a spokesman for Trump after his presidency.
William McGinley, White House counsel
McGinley was White House Cabinet secretary during Trump's first administration, and was outside legal counsel for the Republican National Committee's election integrity effort during the 2024 campaign.
In a statement, Trump called McGinley “a smart and tenacious lawyer who will help me advance our America First agenda, while fighting for election integrity and against the weaponization of law enforcement.”
Steven Witkoff, special envoy to the Middle East
The 67-year-old Witkoff is the president-elect's golf partner and was golfing with him at Trump's club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sept. 15, when the former president was the target of a second attempted assassination.
Witkoff “is a Highly Respected Leader in Business and Philanthropy,” Trump said of Witkoff in a statement. “Steve will be an unrelenting Voice for PEACE, and make us all proud."
Trump also named Witkoff co-chair, with former Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler, of his inaugural committee.
