Trump Cabinet Picks So Far             11/20 06:04

   

   (AP) -- President-elect Donald Trump is filling key posts in his second 
administration, and it's shaping up much differently than his first. He's 
prioritizing loyalists for top jobs.

   Trump was bruised and hampered by internal squabbles during his initial term 
in office. Now he appears focused on remaking the federal government in his own 
image. Some of his choices could face difficult confirmation battles even with 
Republicans in control of the U.S. Senate.

   Here's a look at whom he has selected so far.

   Cabinet nominees: SECRETARY OF STATE: Marco Rubio

   Trump named Florida Sen. Marco Rubio to be secretary of state, making the 
critic-turned-ally his choice for top diplomat.

   Rubio, 53, is a noted hawk on China, Cuba and Iran, and was a finalist to be 
Trump's running mate on the Republican ticket last summer. Rubio is the vice 
chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and a member of the Senate 
Foreign Relations Committee.

   The announcement punctuates the hard pivot Rubio has made with Trump, whom 
the senator once called a "con man" during his unsuccessful campaign for the 
2016 Republican presidential nomination.

   Their relationship improved dramatically while Trump was in the White House. 
And as Trump campaigned for the presidency a third time, Rubio cheered his 
proposals. For instance, Rubio, who more than a decade ago helped craft 
immigration legislation that included a path to citizenship for people in the 
U.S. illegally, now supports Trump's plan to use the U.S. military for mass 
deportations.

   ATTORNEY GENERAL: Matt Gaetz

   Trump said Wednesday he will nominate Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz to serve as 
his attorney general, naming a loyalist in the role of the nation's top 
prosecutor.

   In selecting Gaetz, 42, Trump passed over more established lawyers whose 
names had been mentioned as being contenders for the job.

   "Matt will end Weaponized Government, protect our Borders, dismantle 
Criminal Organizations and Restore Americans' badly-shattered Faith and 
Confidence in the Justice Department," Trump said in a statement.

   Gaetz resigned from Congress after Trump announced him. The House Ethics 
Committee has been investigating an allegation that Gaetz paid for sex with a 
17-year-old, though that probe effectively ended when he resigned. Gaetz has 
denied any wrongdoing.

   DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE: Tulsi Gabbard

   Former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard has been tapped by Trump to be director of 
national intelligence, another example of Trump prizing loyalty over experience.

   Gabbard, 43, was a Democratic House member who unsuccessfully sought the 
party's 2020 presidential nomination before leaving the party in 2022. She 
endorsed Trump in August and campaigned often with him this fall, and she's 
been accused of echoing Russian propaganda.

   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 an outsider 
compared to her predecessor. The current director, Avril Haines, was confirmed 
by the Senate in 2021 following several years in a number of top national 
security and intelligence positions.

   DEFENSE SECRETARY: Pete Hegseth

   Hegseth, 44, was a co-host of Fox News Channel's "Fox and Friends Weekend" 
and has been a contributor with the network since 2014. He developed a 
friendship with Trump, who made regular appearances on the show.

   Hegseth served in the Army National Guard from 2002 to 2021, deploying to 
Iraq in 2005 and Afghanistan in 2011. He has two Bronze Stars. However, Hegseth 
lacks senior military and national security experience. If confirmed by the 
Senate, he would inherit the top job during a series of global crises -- 
ranging from Russia's war in Ukraine and the ongoing attacks in the Middle East 
by Iranian proxies to the push for a cease-fire between Israel, Hamas and 
Hezbollah and escalating worries about the growing alliance between Russia and 
North Korea.

   Hegseth is also the author of "The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of 
the Men Who Keep Us Free," published earlier this year.

   COMMERCE SECRETARY: Howard Lutnick

   Lutnick heads up the brokerage and investment bank Cantor Fitzgerald and is 
a cryptocurrency enthusiast. He is co-chair of Trump's transition operation, 
charged along with Linda McMahon, a former wrestling executive who previously 
led Trump's Small Business Administration, with helping the president-elect 
build a Cabinet for his second administration.

   As commerce secretary, Lutnick would play a key role in carrying out Trump's 
plans to raise and enforce tariffs. He would oversee a sprawling Cabinet 
department whose oversight ranges from funding new computer chip factories and 
imposing trade restrictions to releasing economic data and monitoring the 
weather.

   HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: Kristi Noem

   Noem is a well-known conservative who used her two terms as South Dakota's 
governor to vault to a prominent position in Republican politics.

   During the COVID-19 pandemic, Noem did not order restrictions that other 
states had issued and instead declared her state "open for business." Trump 
held a fireworks rally at Mount Rushmore in July 2020 in one of the first large 
gatherings of the pandemic.

   More recently, Noem faced sharp criticism for telling a story in her memoir 
about shooting and killing her dog.

   She is set to lead a department crucial to the president-elect's hardline 
immigration agenda as well as other missions. Homeland Security oversees 
natural disaster response, the U.S. Secret Service and Transportation Security 
Administration agents who work at airports.

   CIA DIRECTOR: John Ratcliffe

   Ratcliffe, a former U.S. House member from Texas, was director of national 
intelligence during the final year and a half of Trump's first term, leading 
the U.S. government's spy agencies during the coronavirus pandemic.

   If confirmed, Ratcliffe will have held the highest intelligence positions in 
the U.S.

   HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY: Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

   Kennedy ran for president as a Democrat, then as an independent, and then 
endorsed Trump. He's the son of Democratic icon Robert Kennedy, who was 
assassinated during his own presidential campaign.

   The nomination alarmed people who are concerned about his record of 
spreading unfounded fears about vaccines. For example, he has long advanced the 
debunked idea that vaccines cause autism.

   TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: Sean Duffy

   Duffy is a former House member from Wisconsin who was one of Trump's most 
visible defenders on cable news. Duffy served in the House for nearly nine 
years, sitting on the Financial Services Committee and chairing the 
subcommittee on insurance and housing. He left Congress in 2019 for a TV career 
and has been the host of "The Bottom Line" on Fox Business.

   Before entering politics, Duffy was a reality TV star on MTV, where he met 
his wife, "Fox and Friends Weekend" co-host Rachel Campos-Duffy. They have nine 
children.

   VETERANS AFFAIRS SECRETARY: Doug Collins

   Collins is a former Republican congressman from Georgia who gained 
recognition for defending Trump during his first impeachment trial, which 
centered on U.S. assistance for Ukraine. Trump was impeached for urging Ukraine 
to investigate Joe Biden in 2019 during the Democratic presidential nomination, 
but he was acquitted by the Senate.

   Collins has also served in the armed forces himself and is currently a 
chaplain in the United States Air Force Reserve Command.

   INTERIOR SECRETARY: Doug Burgum

   The governor of North Dakota, once little-known outside his state, is a 
former Republican presidential primary contender who endorsed Trump and then 
spent months traveling to drum up support for Trump after dropping out of the 
race.

   Burgum was a serious contender to be Trump's vice presidential choice this 
summer. The two-term governor was seen as a possible pick because of his 
executive experience and business savvy. Burgum also has close ties to 
deep-pocketed energy industry CEOs.

   Trump initially announced his choice of Burgum while addressing a gala at 
his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida. His formal announcement the following day said 
he wanted Burgum to be Interior secretary and chairman of a new National Energy 
Council. Burgun will also have a seat on the National Security Council, which 
would be a first for the Interior secretary.

   ENERGY SECRETARY: Chris Wright

   A campaign donor and CEO of Denver-based Liberty Energy, Write is a vocal 
advocate of oil and gas development, including fracking -- a key pillar of 
Trump's quest to achieve U.S. "energy dominance" in the global market.

   Wright also has been one of the industry's loudest voices against efforts to 
fight climate change. He said the climate movement around the world is 
"collapsing under its own weight." The Energy Department is responsible for 
advancing energy, environmental and nuclear security of the United States.

   Wright also won support from influential conservatives, including oil and 
gas tycoon Harold Hamm. Hamm, executive chairman of Oklahoma-based Continental 
Resources, a major shale oil company, is a longtime Trump supporter and adviser 
who played a key role on energy issues in Trump's first term.

   EDUCATION SECRETARY: Linda McMahon

   McMahon, a billionaire professional wrestling mogul, would be making a 
return appearance in a second Trump administration. She led the Small Business 
Administration from 2017 to 2019 during Trump's initial term and twice ran 
unsuccessfully as a Republican for the U.S. Senate in Connecticut. She served 
on the Connecticut Board of Education for a year starting in 2009 and has spent 
years on the board of trustees for Sacred Heart University in Connecticut. She 
has expressed support for charter schools and school choice.

   ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY ADMINISTRATOR: Lee Zeldin

   Zeldin does not appear to have any experience in environmental issues, but 
is a longtime supporter of the former president. The 44-year-old former U.S. 
House member from New York wrote on X, "We will restore US energy dominance, 
revitalize our auto industry to bring back American jobs, and make the US the 
global leader of AI."

   "We will do so while protecting access to clean air and water," he added.

   During his campaign, Trump often attacked the Biden administration's 
promotion of electric vehicles, and incorrectly referred to a tax credit for EV 
purchases as a government mandate. Trump also often told his audiences during 
the campaign that his administration would "drill, baby, drill," referring to 
his support for expanded petroleum exploration.

   ___

   White House staff: CHIEF OF STAFF: Susie Wiles

   Wiles, 67, was a senior adviser to Trump's 2024 presidential campaign and 
its de facto manager.

   She has a background in Florida politics, helping Ron DeSantis win his first 
race for Florida governor. Six years later, she was key to Trump's defeat of 
him in the 2024 Republican primary.

   Wiles' hire was Trump's first major decision as president-elect and one that 
could be a defining test of his incoming administration considering her close 
relationship with him. Wiles is said to have earned Trump's trust in part by 
guiding what was the most disciplined of Trump's three presidential campaigns.

   Wiles was able to help keep Trump on track as few others have, not by 
criticizing his impulses, but by winning his respect by demonstrating his 
success after taking her advice.

   NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: Mike Waltz

   Waltz is a three-term Republican congressman from east-central Florida. A 
former Army Green Beret, he served multiple tours in Afghanistan and also 
worked in the Pentagon as a policy adviser when Donald Rumsfeld and Robert 
Gates were defense chiefs.

   He is considered hawkish on China, and called for a U.S. boycott of the 2022 
Winter Olympics in Beijing due to its involvement in the origin of COVID-19 and 
its mistreatment of the minority Muslim Uighur population.

   BORDER CZAR: Tom Homan

   Homan, 62, has been tasked with Trump's top priority of carrying out the 
largest deportation operation in the nation's history.

   He led the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Trump's first 
administration and said at a conference over the summer that he would be 
willing to "run the biggest deportation operation this country's ever seen."

   Democrats have criticized Homan for defending Trump's "zero tolerance" 
policy on border crossings during his first administration, which led to the 
separation of thousands of parents and children seeking asylum at the border.

   DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF FOR POLICY: Stephen Miller

   Miller, an immigration hardliner, was a vocal spokesperson during the 
presidential campaign for Trump's priority of mass deportations. The 
39-year-old was a senior adviser during Trump's first administration.

   Miller has been a central figure in some of Trump's policy decisions, 
notably his move to separate thousands of immigrant families. Trump argued 
throughout the campaign that the nation's economic, national security and 
social priorities could be met by deporting people who are in the United States 
illegally.

   DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF: Dan Scavino

   Scavino was an adviser in all three of the president-elect's campaigns, and 
the transition team referred to him as one of "Trump's longest serving and most 
trusted aides." He will be deputy chief of staff and assistant to the 
president. He previously ran Trump's social media profile in the White House 
during his first administration.

   DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF: James Blair

   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.

   DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF: Taylor Budowich

   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.

   WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Karoline Leavitt

   Leavitt, 27, was Trump's campaign press secretary and currently a 
spokesperson for his transition. She would be the youngest White House press 
secretary in history.

   Leavitt worked in the White House press office during Trump's first term.

   In 2022, she ran for Congress in New Hampshire, winning a 10-way Republican 
primary before losing to Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas.

   WHITE HOUSE COUNSEL: William McGinley

   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.

   ____

   Ambassadors and envoys and other key posts SPECIAL ENVOY TO THE MIDDLE EAST: 
Steven Witkoff

   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.

   Trump also named Witkoff co-chair, with former Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler, 
of his inaugural committee.

   AMBASSADOR TO ISRAEL: Mike Huckabee

   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.

   Huckabee, who ran unsuccessfully for the Republican presidential nomination 
in 2008 and 2016, has been a popular figure among evangelical Christian 
conservatives, many of whom support Israel due to Old Testament writings that 
Jews are God's chosen people and that Israel is their rightful homeland.

   Huckabee has rejected a Palestinian homeland in territory occupied by 
Israel, calling for a so-called "one-state solution."

   AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS: Elise Stefanik

   Stefanik is a U.S. representative from New York and one of Trump's 
staunchest defenders going back to his first impeachment.

   Elected to the House in 2014, Stefanik was selected by her GOP House 
colleagues as House Republican Conference chair in 2021, when former Wyoming 
Rep. Liz Cheney was removed from the post after publicly criticizing Trump for 
falsely claiming he won the 2020 election. Stefanik, 40, has served in that 
role ever since as the third-ranking member of House leadership.

   Stefanik's questioning of university presidents over antisemitism on their 
campuses helped lead to two of those presidents resigning, further raising her 
national profile.

   CENTERS FOR MEDICAID AND MEDICARE SERVICES: Dr. Mehmet Oz

   Oz, 64, is a former heart surgeon who hosted "The Dr. Oz Show," a 
long-running daytime television talk show. He ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. 
Senate as the Republican nominee in 2022 and is an outspoken supporter of 
Trump, who endorsed Oz's bid for elected office.