Stephen Feinberg. File Photo: www.cerberus.com

President-elect Donald Trump said on Sunday (December 22, 2024) he would nominate billionaire investor Stephen Feinberg to serve as Deputy Secretary of Defense.

Mr. Feinberg is the co-chief executive of Cerberus Capital Management LP, a private equity firm that has invested in defense contractors. He served on an intelligence advisory board during Trump’s 2017-2021 White House term.

Mr. Feinberg would serve as the No. 2 official at the Pentagon under Trump’s choice for Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, a former Fox News host who faces questions about allegations of alcohol abuse and sexual misconduct. Hegseth has denied any wrongdoing.

Trump also nominated Elbridge Colby to serve as undersecretary of defense for policy, the No. 3 position at the Pentagon. Colby, known as a China hawk, served as a senior Pentagon official during Trump’s first term.

US President-elect Donald Trump’s controversial nomination of TV host Pete Hegseth to run the Defense Department was teetering Wednesday as Republican senators raised questions over his fitness for the powerful role.

Hegseth, a former Army National Guard officer and Fox News weekend presenter, is under intense pressure over a series of misconduct allegations, including accusations of alcohol abuse and a sexual assault claim from 2017, over which no charges were filed.

Hegseth denies all wrongdoing but the controversy has left Trump’s transition officials scrambling to avoid the embarrassment of a second Cabinet nomination collapsing amid dwindling support from Republicans in Congress.

Running the Pentagon is one of the biggest roles in public office. The Defense Department employs almost three million military and civilian staff, and defense spending — including veterans’ care — topped $1 trillion in the 2023 fiscal year.

Up to six Senate Republicans — including South Carolina’s Lindsey Graham, one of Trump’s staunchest allies on Capitol Hill — have voiced doubts over Hegseth’s ability to walk the tightrope to confirmation, according to NBC News.

The questions around Hegseth’s character deepened as an old email emerged in which Hegseth’s own mother called him an “abuser of women.”

“I think some of these articles are very disturbing,” Graham told CBS News of the media coverage around the nomination.

“He obviously has a chance to defend himself here, but some of this stuff is going to be difficult.”

Republicans will have 53 seats in the incoming Senate majority, meaning Trump’s nominees can afford to lose the support only three Republican votes at their January confirmation hearings, assuming all Democrats vote against them.

US media have floated various alternatives, with Trump said to by mulling one-time Republican primary rival and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

The move would raise eyebrows in Washington, as the pair had only the most perfunctory of reconciliations after a bitter presidential nomination battle that left both bruised, although the governor did endorse Trump after dropping out.

On what is being seen as a day of reckoning for Hegseth, the 44-year-old was due for further meetings with influential Republicans on Capitol Hill, and his first TV interview since being nominated, on Fox News.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Charles Kushner. File
| Photo Credit: AP

President-elect Donald Trump said Saturday (November 30, 2024) that he wants real estate developer Charles Kushner, father of Mr. Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, to serve as ambassador to France.

Mr. Trump made the announcement in a Truth Social post, calling Charles Kushner “a tremendous business leader, philanthropist, & dealmaker.”

Mr. Charles Kushner is the founder of Kushner Companies, a real estate firm. Jared Kushner is a former White House senior adviser to Mr. Trump who is married to Mr. Trump’s eldest daughter, Ivanka.

The elder Kushner was pardoned by Mr. Trump in December 2020 after pleading guilty years earlier to tax evasion and making illegal campaign donations.

Prosecutors alleged that after Charles Kushner discovered his brother-in-law was cooperating with federal authorities in an investigation, he hatched a scheme for revenge and intimidation.

Mr. Kushner hired a prostitute to lure his brother-in-law, then arranged to have the encounter in a New Jersey motel room recorded with a hidden camera and the recording sent to his own sister, the man’s wife, prosecutors said.

Mr. Kushner eventually pleaded guilty to 18 counts including tax evasion and witness tampering. He was sentenced in 2005 to two years in prison – the most he could receive under a plea deal, but less than what Chris Christie, the U.S. attorney for New Jersey at the time and later governor and Republican presidential candidate, had sought.

Mr. Christie has blamed Jared Kushner for his firing from Mr. Trump’s transition team in 2016 and has called Charles Kushner’s offences “one of the most loathsome, disgusting crimes that I prosecuted when I was U.S. attorney.”

Mr. Trump and the elder Mr. Kushner knew each other from real estate circles and their children were married in 2009.

President-elect Donald Trump said on Thursday (November 21, 2024) he will nominate former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi to lead the Justice Department, turning to a longtime ally after his first choice, Matt Gaetz, withdrew his name from consideration amid scrutiny over sex trafficking allegations.

Ms. Bondi has been an outspoken defender of Trump. She was one of his lawyers during his first impeachment trial, when he was accused — but not convicted — of abusing his power as he tried to condition U.S. military assistance to Ukraine on that country investigating then-former Vice President Joe Biden. And she was among a group of Republicans who showed up to support Trump at his New York hush money criminal trial that ended in May with a conviction on 34 felony counts.

“For too long, the partisan Department of Justice has been weaponized against me and other Republicans – Not anymore,” Trump said in a social media post. “Pam will refocus the DOJ to its intended purpose of fighting Crime, and Making America Safe Again.”

Sex trafficking investigation against Gaetz

Mr. Gaetz stepped aside amid continued fallout over a federal sex trafficking investigation that cast doubt on his ability to be confirmed as the nation’s chief federal law enforcement officer. Gaetz’s vehemently denied the allegations, but his nomination stunned many career lawyers inside the Justice Department. Gaetz, who passed the bar but barely worked as a lawyer, had very little relevant experience for the job. Bondi comes with years of legal work under her belt and that other trait Trump prizes above all: loyalty.

The hasty withdrawal by Mr. Gaetz and quick pivot to Bondi were the latest examples of Trump’s tumultuous decision-making as he rushes out nominations — some of questionable character and credentials — at a breakneck pace without the government vetting that is typical of presidential transitions. It’s an omen that despite running his most organized campaign for the White House this year, his return to the Oval Office might feature the same sort of drama that permeated his first term.

Trump’s son Donald Trump Jr. told Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” that the transition team had backups in mind for his controversial nominees should they fail to get confirmed.

Still, even in Trump’s world, things moved fast. Trump had been seeking to capitalize on his decisive election win to force Senate Republicans to accept provocative selections like Mr. Gaetz. The decision could heighten scrutiny on other controversial Trump nominees, including Pentagon pick Pete Hegseth, who faces sexual assault allegations that he denies.

“While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition,” Mr. Gaetz said in a statement one day after meeting with senators in an effort to win their support.

“There is no time to waste on a needlessly protracted Washington scuffle, thus I’ll be withdrawing my name from consideration to serve as Attorney General. Trump’s DOJ must be in place and ready on Day 1,” he added.

Mr. Trump, in a social media post, said: “I greatly appreciate the recent efforts of Matt Gaetz in seeking approval to be Attorney General. He was doing very well but, at the same time, did not want to be a distraction for the Administration, for which he has much respect. Matt has a wonderful future, and I look forward to watching all of the great things he will do!”

Ms. Bondi is a well-known figure in Trump’s circle, and has been a chair at the America First Policy Institute, a think tank set up by former Trump administration staffers. She’s been a vocal critic of the criminal cases against Mr. Trump. In one recent radio appearance, she called Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith and other prosecutors who have charged Trump “horrible” people she said were trying to make names for themselves by “going after Donald Trump and weaponizing our legal system.”

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham predicted in a social media post that Bondi “will be confirmed quickly,” calling her selection a “grand slam, touchdown, hole in one, ace, hat trick, slam dunk, Olympic gold medal pick.”

Justice Department

If confirmed by the Republican-led Senate, Bondi would instantly become one of the most closely watched members of Trump’s Cabinet given the Republican’s threat to pursue retribution against perceived adversaries and concern among Democrats that he will look to bend the Justice Department to his will. A recent Supreme Court opinion not only conferred broad immunity on former presidents but also affirmed a president’s exclusive authority over the Justice Department’s investigative functions.

As president, he demanded investigations into political opponents like Hillary Clinton and sought to use the law enforcement powers of the Justice Department to advance his own interests, including in trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

Ms.Bondi would inherit a Justice Department expected to pivot sharply on civil rights, corporate enforcement and the prosecutions of hundreds of Trump supporters charged in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol — defendants whom Trump has pledged to pardon.

It’s unlikely that Ms. Bondi would be confirmed in time to overlap with Smith, who brought two federal indictments against Trump that are both expected to wind down before the incoming president takes office. Special counsels are expected to produce reports on their work that historically are made public, but it remains unclear when such a document might be released.

Bribery accusation on Bondi

Ms. Bondi was accused by a Massachusetts attorney of bribery over a $25,000 campaign contribution she received from Trump in 2013. Ms. Bondi asked for the donation near the same time that her office was being asked about a New York investigation of alleged fraud at Trump University. In 2017, that complaint was found to have lacked enough evidence to move forward.

In 2013, while serving as Florida attorney general, she publicly apologized for asking that the execution of a man convicted of murder be delayed because it conflicted with a campaign fundraiser. She said she was wrong and sorry for requesting that then-Gov. Rick Scott push back the execution of Marshall Lee Gore by three weeks.

While Mr. Gaetz sought to lock down Senate support this week, concern over the sex trafficking allegations showed no signs of abating.

In recent days, an attorney for two women said his clients told House Ethics Committee investigators that Gaetz paid them for sex on multiple occasions beginning in 2017, when Gaetz was a Florida congressman. One of the women testified she saw Gaetz having sex with a 17-year-old at a party in Florida in 2017, according to the attorney, Joel Leppard.

Mr. Gaetz’s political future is uncertain. In a social media post, pointed at the incoming vice president, Mr. Gaetz wrote: “I look forward to continuing the fight to save our country. Just maybe from a different post.”

President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday (November 19, 2024) tapped billionaire professional wrestling mogul Linda McMahon to be secretary of the Education Department, tasked with overseeing an agency Mr. Trump has promised to dismantle. He also selected Dr. Mehmet Oz, a former television talk show host and heart surgeon, to head the agency that oversees health insurance programs for millions of older, poor and disabled Americans, and named Wall Street executive Howard Lutnick to lead the Commerce Department.

Ms. McMahon led the Small Business Administration during Mr. Trump’s initial term from 2017 to 2019 and twice ran unsuccessfully as a Republican for the U.S. Senate in Connecticut.

Ms. McMahon 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’s seen as a relative unknown in education circles, though she has expressed support for charter schools and school choice.

“Linda will use her decades of Leadership experience, and deep understanding of both Education and Business, to empower the next Generation of American Students and Workers, and make America Number One in Education in the World,” Mr. Trump said in a statement.

In nominating Ms. McMahon, Mr. Trump is rewarding a loyal backer of his movement who, along with Mr. Lutnick, has also helped lead his transition team. She was with him Tuesday as he attended a launch of SpaceX’s Starship craft in Texas.

After her time in the Trump administration, Ms. McMahon became the chair of the board of the America First Policy Institute, a think tank created by Trump supporters and former officials who have been preparing for his return to government. Ms. McMahon has also been chair of the pro-Trump America First Action SuperPAC.

She is married to Vince McMahon, who stepped down as World Wrestling Entertainment’s CEO in 2022 amid a company investigation into allegations that he engaged in sexual battery and trafficking. He also resigned as executive chairman of the board of TKO Group Holdings this January, though he has denied the allegations.

If confirmed by the Republican-led Senate, Linda McMahon will be asked to bring the nation’s schools and universities in line with Mr. Trump’s vision of education. Mr. Trump has made sweeping promises centred on removing what he sees as “left-wing indoctrination” in America’s schools.

Mr. Trump has vowed to cut federal money for “any school pushing Critical Race Theory, transgender insanity, and other inappropriate racial, sexual, or political content on our children.” He has promised to fight university diversity initiatives, saying he will open civil rights investigations and fine colleges “up to the entire amount of their endowment.”

Mr. Oz, who ran a failed 2022 bid to represent Pennsylvania in the U.S. Senate, has been an outspoken supporter of Mr. Trump and in recent days expressed support for Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination for the nation’s top health agency, the Department of Health and Human Services.

“Dr. Oz will be a leader in incentivizing Disease Prevention, so we get the best results in the World for every dollar we spend on Healthcare in our Great Country,” Mr. Trump said in a statement. “He will also cut waste and fraud within our Country’s most expensive Government Agency, which is a third of our Nation’s Healthcare spend, and a quarter of our entire National Budget.”

As the administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Mr. Oz would report to Mr. Kennedy.

“Americans need better research on healthy lifestyle choices from unbiased scientists, and @robertfkennedyjr can help as HHS secretary,” Mr. Oz said in an Instagram post last week.

If confirmed by the Senate, Oz would be responsible for the programs — Medicaid, Medicare and the Affordable Care Act — that more than half the country relies on for health insurance.

Medicaid provides nearly-free health care coverage to millions of the poorest children and adults in the U.S., while Medicare gives older Americans and the disabled access to health insurance. The Affordable Care Act is the Obama-era program that offers health insurance plans to millions of Americans who do not qualify for government-assisted health insurance, but do not get insurance through their employer.

Mr. Trump has said he wants to overhaul the Affordable Care Act but has said he only has “concepts of a plan” for how that redesign would operate. During his first term in office, he tried unsuccessfully to scrap the program altogether. Last month, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson promised that health care reform would be a big part of Mr. Trump’s second term agenda.

During his campaign for senate, Mr. Oz promised to expand Medicare Advantage, the privately run version of Medicare that has become increasingly popular but also a source of widespread fraud.

TV personality Oprah Winfrey helped launch Mr. Oz into fandom and fortune. After years of appearing on her show as a health expert, Mr. Oz landed a talk show of his own that aired for 13 seasons. Mr. Oz has been accused of hawking dubious medical treatments and products on his defunct TV show. And during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, he pressured government officials to make hydroxychloroquine widely available, despite unresolved questions about its safety and effectiveness.

He estimated his net worth to be between $100 million and $315 million, according to a federal financial disclosure he filed in 2022.

Democratic Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, the chamber’s president pro tempore, said Tuesday in a statement that Mr. Oz, who has described himself as “strongly pro-life,” was unqualified for the position.

“Dr. Oz has zero qualifications, pushes alarming pseudoscience, & holds extreme anti-abortion views,” she said in a post on X. “CMS is a critical agency & we need serious leaders to protect Americans’ health care and bring down costs — not TV hosts whose main qualification is their loyalty to Mr. Trump.”

Mr. Lutnick, meanwhile, will have a key role in carrying out Mr. Trump’s plan to raise and enforce tariffs as commerce secretary, Mr. Trump said. Mr. Lutnick is a cryptocurrency enthusiast and head of brokerage and investment bank Cantor Fitzgerald.

Mr. Trump made the announcement on his social media platform, Truth Social. He said Mr. Lutnick “will lead our Tariff and Trade agenda, with additional direct responsibility for the Office of the United States Trade Representative.”

The nomination would put Mr. Lutnick in charge of a sprawling Cabinet agency that is involved in funding new computer chip factories, imposing trade restrictions, releasing economic data and monitoring the weather. It is also a position in which connections to CEOs and the wider business community are crucial.

An advocate for imposing wide-ranging tariffs, Mr. Lutnick told CNBC in September that “tariffs are an amazing tool for the President to use — we need to protect the American worker.” Mr. Trump on the campaign trail proposed a 60% tariff on goods from China — and a tariff of up to 20% on everything else the United States imports.

Mainstream economists are generally skeptical of tariffs, considering them a mostly inefficient way for governments to raise money and promote prosperity.

Mr. Lutnick had been considered for treasury secretary, a role that has been at the centre of high-profile jockeying within the Trump world. At the same time, the treasury position is closely watched in financial circles, where a disruptive nominee could have immediate negative consequences on the stock market, which Mr. Trump watches closely.

Mr. Lutnick joined Cantor Fitzgerald in 1983 and rose through the ranks to be appointed president and CEO in 1991. He also chairs financial technology company BGC Group Inc. and the commercial real estate services firm Newmark Group Inc.

Mr. Lutnick has donated to both Democrats and Republicans in the past, and once appeared on Mr. Trump’s NBC reality show, “The Apprentice.” He has become a part of the President-elect’s inner circle, and has shared the stage with Mr. Trump at events in the closing days of his campaign, including a rally at Madison Square Garden.

Wisconsin, United States:

Donald Trump has nominated Fox Business host Sean Duffy to be the next Transportation Secretary. The former congressman will replace Pete Buttigieg in January to oversee a huge federal portfolio of infrastructure spending and transit regulations.

President-elect Donald Trump has made a flurry of picks for his cabinet and other high-ranking administration positions following his election victory.

Here are the early picks and top contenders for some of the key posts overseeing defense, intelligence, health, diplomacy, trade, immigration and economic policymaking.

MARCO RUBIO, secretary of state

Trump tapped US Senator Marco Rubio to be his secretary of state, putting the Florida-born politician on track to be the first Latino to serve as the United States’ top diplomat.

Rubio, 53, was arguably the most hawkish option on Trump’s shortlist for secretary of state. The senator has in past years advocated for a muscular foreign policy with respect to US geopolitical foes, including China, Iran and Cuba.

Over the last several years he has softened some of his stances to align more closely with Trump’s views. The president-elect accuses past US presidents of leading the US into costly and futile wars and has pushed for a less interventionist foreign policy.

MATT GAETZ, attorney general

Trump said that he had selected Gaetz, a US representative, to be his nominee for attorney general.

“Few issues in America are more important than ending the partisan Weaponization of our Justice System,” Trump said in a statement announcing the selection of the Florida lawmaker.

Trump’s inner circle has described the attorney general as the most important member of the administration after Trump himself, key to his plans to carry out mass deportations, pardon Jan. 6 rioters and seek retribution against those who prosecuted him over the past four years.

TULSI GABBARD, director of national intelligence

Trump named Gabbard, a former Democratic representative and critic of the Biden administration, as his director of national intelligence.

Gabbard left the Democratic Party in 2022 to become an independent and has little direct experience with intelligence work. If confirmed, she would become the top official in the US intelligence community after Trump starts his second term in January.

ROBERT F. KENNEDY, JR., health and human services secretary

Kennedy is an environmental activist who has spread misinformation about the dangers of vaccines. He has suggested he would gut the 18,000-employee Food and Drug Administration, which ensures the safety of food, drugs and medical devices, and replace hundreds of employees at the National Institutes of Health.

Kennedy ran for president in this year’s election, first as a Democrat and then as an independent, before dropping out in August in exchange for a role in Trump’s administration.

The Department of Health and Human Services oversees the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health and the massive Medicare and Medicaid Services programs, which provide health coverage for the poor, those aged 65 and older, and the disabled.

PETE HEGSETH, defense secretary

Trump said he had picked Hegseth as his secretary of defense. Hegseth is a Fox News commentator and veteran who has expressed disdain for the so-called “woke” policies of Pentagon leaders, including its top military officer.

Hegseth, if confirmed by the Senate, could make good on Trump’s campaign promises to rid the US military of generals who he accuses of pursuing progressive policies on diversity in the ranks that conservatives have rallied against.

It could also set up a collision course between Hegseth and the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force General CQ Brown, who Hegseth accused of “pursuing the radical positions of left-wing politicians.”

LEE ZELDIN, EPA administrator

Trump announced he had appointed Zeldin, a former congressman from New York state, as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.

Zeldin, 44, a staunch Trump ally, served in Congress from 2015 to 2023. In 2022, he lost the New York governor’s race to Democratic incumbent Kathy Hochul. Trump has promised to overhaul US energy policy, with the aim of maximizing the country’s already record-high oil and gas production by rolling back regulations and speeding up permitting.

MIKE WALTZ, national security adviser

Trump said he had picked Waltz, a Republican US representative, to be national security adviser. Waltz is a retired Army Green Beret who has been a leading critic of China.

Waltz, a 50-year-old Trump loyalist who also served in the National Guard as a colonel, has criticized Chinese activity in the Asia-Pacific and has voiced the need for the US to be ready for a potential conflict in the region.

The national security adviser is a powerful role, which does not require Senate confirmation. Waltz will be responsible for briefing Trump on key national security issues and coordinating with different agencies.

While slamming the Biden administration for a disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, Waltz has publicly praised Trump’s foreign policy views.

SUSIE WILES, chief of staff

Trump announced that Wiles, one of his two campaign managers, will be his White House chief of staff.

While the specifics of her political views are somewhat unclear, Wiles, 67, is credited with running a successful and efficient campaign. Supporters hope she will instill a sense of order and discipline that was often lacking during Trump’s first four-year term, when he cycled through a number of chiefs of staff.

TOM HOMAN, ‘border czar’

Trump said that Homan, the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement during Trump’s first administration, will be in charge of the country’s borders.

Trump made cracking down on people in the country illegally a central element of his campaign, promising mass deportations.

Homan, 62, said on Monday he would prioritize deporting immigrants illegally in the US who posed safety and security threats as well as those working at job sites.

ELISE STEFANIK, UN ambassador

Trump announced that Stefanik, a Republican congresswoman and staunch Trump supporter, would be his ambassador to the United Nations.

Stefanik, 40, a US representative from New York state and House Republican conference chair, took a leadership position in the House of Representatives in 2021 when she was elected to replace then-Representative Liz Cheney, who was ousted for criticizing Trump’s false claims of election fraud.

Stefanik will arrive at the UN after bold promises by Trump to end the Russia-Ukraine war and Israel’s war in Gaza.

ELON MUSK AND VIVEK RAMASWAMY, heads of Department of Government Efficiency

Trump named tech billionaire Musk and Ramaswamy, a former Republican presidential candidate, to lead a newly created Department of Government Efficiency, rewarding two of his well-known supporters from the private sector.

Trump said that Musk and Ramaswamy will reduce government bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut waste and restructure federal agencies. Trump said the new department would bring in external expertise and work with the White House and Office of Management and Budget.

KRISTI NOEM, homeland security secretary

Noem, the governor of South Dakota, has been picked to serve as the next homeland security secretary, Trump said.

Noem, 52, once seen as a possible running mate for Trump, is currently serving her second four-year term as South Dakota’s governor. She rose to national prominence after refusing to impose a statewide mask mandate during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Department of Homeland Security is responsible for everything from border protection and immigration to disaster response and the US Secret Service.

DOUG BURGUM, interior secretary and ‘energy czar’

Trump has chosen Burgum, the governor of North Dakota, to be interior secretary.

Burgum, 68, a wealthy former software company executive, has portrayed himself as a traditional, business-minded conservative. He ran against Trump for the Republican presidential nomination before quitting and becoming a loyal Trump supporter.

The Interior Department manages public lands and minerals, national parks and wildlife refuges. The department also carries out the US government’s trust responsibility to Native Americans. In the energy czar role, he is expected to coordinate with several agencies to boost oil and gas output.

JOHN RATCLIFFE, CIA director

Trump said he had picked Ratcliffe, the former director of national intelligence, to serve as director of the Central Intelligence Agency in his second administration.

A former congressman and prosecutor who served as director of national intelligence during Trump’s last year in office, Ratcliffe, 59, is seen as a hardcore Trump loyalist who could likely win Senate confirmation. Still, during his time as director of national intelligence, Ratcliffe often contradicted the assessments of career civil servants, drawing criticism from Democrats who said he politicized the role.

HOWARD LUTNICK, commerce secretary

The co-chair of Trump’s transition effort and the longtime chief executive of financial services firm Cantor Fitzgerald, Lutnick has been picked to head the Commerce Department, the agency that has become the US weapon of choice against China’s tech sector.

A bombastic New Yorker like Trump, Lutnick, 63, has uniformly praised the president-elect’s economic policies, including his use of tariffs.

He has at times given elaborate, unvarnished opinions about what policies will be enacted in Trump’s second term. Some Trump allies complained privately that he too often presented himself as speaking on behalf of the campaign.

KEVIN WARSH, potential treasury secretary

Trump is considering Warsh, 54, a former investment banker who served on the Federal Reserve Board, for treasury secretary according to news reports. He is seen as a fiscal hawk and proponent of higher savings rates.

MARC ROWAN, potential treasury secretary

Trump is considering Rowan, 62, who co-founded Apollo Global Management and became the firm’s CEO in 2021, for treasury secretary, according to news reports.

BILL HAGERTY, potential treasury secretary

Republican US Senator Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, is also in the running for treasury secretary, according to the Wall Street Journal. Trump met the 65-year-old at Mar-a-Lago last week.

SCOTT BESSENT, potential treasury secretary

Bessent, a key economic adviser to Trump, is seen as a candidate for treasury secretary. A longtime hedge fund investor who taught at Yale University for several years, Bessent has a warm relationship with the president-elect.

While Bessent has long favored the laissez-faire policies that were popular in the pre-Trump Republican Party, he has also spoken highly of Trump’s use of tariffs as a negotiating tool. He has praised the president-elect’s economic philosophy, which rests on a skepticism of both regulations and international trade.

ROBERT LIGHTHIZER, potential trade czar or treasury secretary

A loyalist who served as Trump’s US trade representative for essentially the then-president’s entire term, Lighthizer will almost certainly be invited back.

Though Bessent likely has a better shot at becoming treasury secretary, Lighthizer has an outside chance, and he might be able to reprise his old role if he’s interested.

The Wall Street Journal has reported Trump wanted Lighthizer as his trade czar.

Like Trump, Lighthizer, 77, is a trade skeptic and a firm believer in tariffs. He was one of the leading figures in Trump’s trade war with China and the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, with Mexico and Canada during Trump’s first term.

LINDA McMAHON, potential candidate for various posts

McMahon, a professional wrestling magnate and former Small Business Administration director, is seen as in the running for a top post in the Trump administration.

McMahon, 76, is a major donor and was an early supporter of the Republican president-elect when he first ran for the White House almost a decade ago. This time, Trump tapped her to co-lead a transition team formed to help vet personnel and draft policy ahead of the Nov. 5 election.

McMahon is the co-founder and former CEO of the professional wrestling franchise WWE. She later served as director of the Small Business Administration, resigning in 2019, and went on to lead a pro-Trump political action committee that supported his 2020 reelection bid.

KASH PATEL, potential candidate for national security posts

A former Republican House staffer who served in various high-ranking staff roles in the defense and intelligence communities during Trump’s first term, Patel frequently appeared on the campaign trail to rally support for the candidate.

Any position requiring Senate confirmation may be a challenge, however.

Patel, 44, has leaned into controversy throughout his career. In an interview with Trump ally Steve Bannon last year, he promised to “come after” politicians and journalists perceived to be enemies of Trump.

During Trump’s first term, Patel, seen as the ultimate Trump loyalist, drew animosity from some more experienced national security officials, who saw him as volatile and too eager to please the then-president.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

File picture of Karoline Leavitt speaking to the media
| Photo Credit: AP

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Friday (November 15, 2024) named Karoline Leavitt as White House Press Secretary.

Ms. Leavitt, 27, would replace Karine Jean-Pierre as the White House Press Secretary on January 20, 2025 when Mr. Trump takes oath as the 47th President of the United States. She was the Trump Campaign’s National Press Secretary and has previously served in the Trump White House as Assistant Press Secretary.

ALSO READ: Donald Trump Cabinet: From vaccine sceptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr to Elon Musk

Announcing her nomination, Mr. Trump said, “Leavitt did a phenomenal job as the National Press Secretary on my Historic Campaign, and I am pleased to announce she will serve as White House Press Secretary.”

“Karoline is smart, tough, and has proven to be a highly effective communicator,” the president-elect said.

“I have the utmost confidence she will excel at the podium, and help deliver our message to the American People as we, Make America Great Again,” he added.

Among other nominations announced by Mr. Trump, Steven Cheung will return to the White House as Assistant to the President and Director of Communications.

Sergio Gor will serve as Assistant to the President and Director of the Presidential Personnel Office.

“Steven Cheung and Sergio Gor have been trusted Advisors since my first Presidential Campaign in 2016, and have continued to champion America First principles throughout my First Term, all the way to our Historic Victory in 2024,” Mr. Trump said.

“I am thrilled to have them join my White House as we, Make America Great Again!” he added.

Mr. Cheung was Director of Communications on the Trump-Vance 2024 Presidential Campaign and previously served in the Trump White House as Director of Strategic Response, while Mr. Gor was the CEO of Winning Team Publishing, while also running the pro-Trump Super PAC, Right For America.

After being elected as the 47th President of the United States Donald Trump is filling key posts in his second administration, putting an emphasis so far on aides and allies who were his strongest backers during the 2024 campaign

President-elect Mr. Trump has turned to a head-spinning mix of candidates, many of whom are his personal friends. Others are familiar faces on Fox News Channel or other conservative outlets. Some have extensive experience in the areas they’ve been chosen to lead, while others have seemingly none. Some seem chosen to shock and awe, some to reassure, and others to unleash chaos.

Here are some of the names who got important positions in Trump’s cabinet:

Department of Health and Human Services: Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will lead the Department of Health and Human Services, putting him in charge of a massive agency that oversees everything from drug, vaccine, and food safety to medical research and the social safety net programs Medicare and Medicaid.

A longtime vaccine sceptic, Mr. Kennedy is an attorney who has built a loyal following over several decades of people who admire his lawsuits against major pesticide and pharmaceutical companies. He has pushed for tighter regulations around the ingredients in foods.

Attorney General: Matt Gaetz

Mr. Trump on Wednesday (November 13, 2024) nominated his loyalist Congressman Matt Gaetz as the Attorney General of the United States.

On the House Judiciary Committee, which performs oversight of DOJ, Mr. Gaetz played a key role in defeating the Russia Hoax, and exposing alarming and systemic government corruption and weaponisation, said the president-elect.

Homeland Security Secretary: Kristi Noem

Mr. Trump has chosen South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem to serve as the next Homeland Security Secretary, two sources familiar with the decision said on Tuesday (November 12, 2024).

She rose to national prominence after refusing to impose a statewide mask mandate during the COVID-19 pandemic .Ms. Noem faced widespread backlash in April when she wrote in a memoir that she shot to death an “untrainable” dog that she “hated” on her family farm. Some Trump advisers said they believed Ms. Noem’s stock fell in the former President’s eyes after that, at a time when she was still a vice presidential contender.

Editorial | No time lost: On Donald Trump and the incoming U.S. administration

Secretary of State: Marco Rubio

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

Mr. 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.

Their relationship improved dramatically while Mr. Trump was in the White House. And as Mr. Trump campaigned for the presidency a third time, Mr. Rubio cheered his proposals. For instance, Mr. 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 Mr. Trump’s plan to use the U.S. military for mass deportations.

Department of Government Efficiency: Elon Musk

On Tuesday (November 12, 2024) Elon Musk and former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy were made to lead the newly created Department of Government Efficiency.

Mr. Musk and Mr. Ramaswamy “will pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies,” Mr. Trump said in a statement.

Mr. Musk gave millions of dollars to support Mr. Trump’s presidential campaign and publicly appeared with him. Mr. Trump had said he would offer Mr. Musk, the world’s richest person, a role in his administration promoting government efficiency.

Director of National Intelligence: Tulsi Gabbard

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

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

Ms. 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.

Vice-President: J.D. Vance

The 39-year-old Republican candidate for U.S. Vice President, hailing from a working class family in America’s Rust Belt, has emerged as an ideologue and champion of Donald Trump’s right-wing nationalist movement.

Mr. Vance argues that illegal immigrants are threatening the lives and livelihoods of the poorest Americans. He argues that new entrants into the community should be admitted on the terms of the current members — like the parents of Usha who immigrated from India. Mr. Vance is an opponent of abortion, and he will be questioned on this issue by the Democrats who hope to make it a key campaign issue. The VP candidate is a critic of U.S. aid to Ukraine, and aid in general though he strongly supports aid to Israel. He thinks the U.S. strategy should focus on Asia and China, and bother less about Europe and Russia.

Defense Secretary: Pete Hegseth

Mr. Hegseth, 44, a co-host of Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends Weekend”, has been picked up as Defense Secretary. He developed a friendship with Trump, who made regular appearances on the show. Mr. 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.

Interior Secretary: Doug Burgum

North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, a wealthy former software company executive, is Mr. Trump’s pick for Interior Secretary.

Mr. Burgum, 68, has portrayed himself as a traditional, business-minded conservative. He ran against Mr. Trump for the Republican presidential nomination before quitting and becoming his loyal supporter, appearing at fundraisers and advocating for him on television.

White House chief of staff: Susie Wiles 

President-elect Donald Trump has named Susie Wiles, the manager of his victorious campaign, as his White House chief of staff, the first woman to ever hold the influential role.

Wiles is widely credited within and outside Trump’s inner circle for running what was, by far, his most disciplined and well-executed campaign, and was seen as the leading contender for the position. She largely avoided the spotlight, even refusing to take the mic to speak as Trump celebrated his victory early Wednesday morning.

Deputy Chief of Staff: Stephen Miller 

Stephen Miller has been selected as Deputy Chief of Staff. Mr. Miller, an immigration hardliner, was a vocal spokesperson during the presidential campaign for Mr. Trump’s priority of mass deportations. The 39-year-old was a senior adviser during Mr. Trump’s first administration.

Mr. Miller has been a central figure in some of Mr. 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.

Ambassador to Israel: Mike Huckabee

Mr. Huckabee is a staunch defender of Israel and his intended nomination comes as Mr. 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.

“He loves Israel, and likewise the people of Israel love him,” Mr. Trump said in a statement adding, “Mike will work tirelessly to bring about peace in the Middle East.”

Mr. Huckabee, who ran unsuccessfully for the Republican 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.

Tom Homan: U.S. ‘border czar’

Mr. Trump said on Sunday (November 10, 2024) that Tom Homan, the former acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), will be in charge of the country’s borders in his new administration.

Mr. Homan will be “in charge of our nation’s borders (“The Border Czar”), including, but not limited to, the Southern Border, the Northern Border, all Maritime, and Aviation Security,” Mr. Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform.

Mr. Homan, who served in the Trump administration for a year and a half during his first term, is also a contender for secretary of homeland security.

Mr. Trump made cracking down on illegal immigration the central element of his campaign, promising mass deportations

Director of the Central Intelligence Agency: John Ratcliffe

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said on Tuesday (November 12, 2024) that he had picked former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe to serve as director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

Mr. Ratcliffe, a close ally of Mr. Trump, served as director of national intelligence at the end of his first term.

Mr. Ratcliffe was confirmed as the nation’s top spy in May 2020, eight months before Mr. Trump left office. A former member of the House of Representatives and U.S. attorney for Texas, he received no support from Senate Democrats during his confirmation.

(With inputs from agencies)

Washington DC:

Donald Trump has begun the process of choosing a cabinet and selecting other high-ranking administration officials following his presidential election victory.

Here are the early picks and top contenders for some of the key posts overseeing defense, intelligence, diplomacy, trade, immigration and economic policymaking. Some are in contention for a range of posts.

SUSIE WILES, Chief Of Staff

Trump announced last week that Wiles, one of his two campaign managers, will be his White House chief of staff.

While the specifics of her political views are somewhat unclear, Wiles, 67, is credited with running a successful and efficient campaign. Supporters hope she will instill a sense of order and discipline that was often lacking during Trump’s first four-year term, when he cycled through a number of chiefs of staff.

TOM HOMAN, ‘Border Czar’

Trump announced on Sunday night that Homan, the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement during Trump’s first administration, will be in charge of the country’s borders.

Trump made cracking down on people in the country illegally a central element of his campaign, promising mass deportations.

Homan, 62, said on Monday he would prioritize deporting immigrants in the U.S. illegally who posed safety and security threats as well as those working at job sites.

Trump, in a post on his Truth Social platform, said Homan will be “in charge of our nation’s borders (‘The Border Czar’), including, but not limited to, the Southern Border, the Northern Border, all Maritime, and Aviation Security,” including the deportation of immigrants in the U.S. illegally.

ELISE STEFANIK, UN Ambassador

Trump announced on Monday that Stefanik, a Republican congresswoman and staunch Trump supporter, would be his ambassador to the United Nations.

Stefanik, 40, a U.S. representative from New York state and House Republican conference chair, took a leadership position in the House of Representatives in 2021 when she was elected to replace then-Representative Liz Cheney, who was ousted for criticizing Trump’s false claims of election fraud.

“I am honored to nominate Chairwoman Elise Stefanik to serve in my Cabinet as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations,” Trump said in a statement. “Elise is an incredibly strong, tough, and smart America First fighter.”

Stefanik will arrive at the U.N. after bold promises by Trump to end the Russia-Ukraine war and Israel’s war in Gaza.

LEE ZELDIN, EPA Administrator

Trump announced on Monday he had appointed former congressman Lee Zeldin of New York state as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, and Zeldin said he had accepted the role.

Zeldin, 44, a staunch Trump ally, served in Congress from 2015 to 2023. In 2022, he lost the New York governor’s race to Democratic incumbent Kathy Hochul.

Trump has promised to overhaul U.S. energy policy, with the aim of maximizing the country’s already record-high oil and gas production by rolling back regulations and speeding up permitting.

As head of the EPA, Zeldin will play a key role in implementing those policies.

MARCO RUBIO, Secretary Of State

Trump is expected to tap U.S. Senator Marco Rubio to be his secretary of state, sources said on Monday, putting the Florida-born politician on track to be the first Latino to serve as the United States’ top diplomat.

Rubio, 53, was arguably the most hawkish option on Trump’s shortlist for secretary of state. The senator has in past years advocated for a muscular foreign policy with respect to U.S. geopolitical foes, including China, Iran and Cuba.

Over the last several years he has softened some of his stances to align more closely with Trump’s views. The president-elect accuses past U.S. presidents of leading the U.S. into costly and futile wars and has pushed for a more restrained foreign policy.

MIKE WALTZ, National Security Adviser

Trump on Tuesday said he had picked for national security adviser Republican U.S. Representative Mike Waltz, a retired Army Green Beret who has been a leading critic of China.

Waltz, a 50-year-old Trump loyalist who also served in the National Guard as a colonel, has criticized Chinese activity in the Asia-Pacific and has voiced the need for the U.S. to be ready for a potential conflict in the region.

The national security adviser is a powerful role, which does not require Senate confirmation. Waltz will be responsible for briefing Trump on key national security issues and coordinating with different agencies.

While slamming the Biden administration for a disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, Waltz has publicly praised Trump’s foreign policy views.

KRISTI NOEM, Homeland Security Secretary

Trump has chosen South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem to serve as the next homeland security secretary, two sources familiar with the decision said on Tuesday.

Noem, 52, once seen as a possible running mate for Trump, is currently serving her second four-year term as South Dakota’s governor. She rose to national prominence after refusing to impose a statewide mask mandate during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Department of Homeland Security is responsible for everything from border protection and immigration to disaster response and the U.S. Secret Service.

Trump’s campaign and Noem’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comments.

SCOTT BESSENT, Potential Treasury Secretary

Bessent, a key economic adviser to Trump, is widely seen as a top candidate for treasury secretary. A longtime hedge fund investor who taught at Yale University for several years, Bessent has a warm relationship with the president-elect.

While Bessent has long favored the laissez-faire policies that were popular in the pre-Trump Republican Party, he has also spoken highly of Trump’s use of tariffs as a negotiating tool. He has praised the president-elect’s economic philosophy, which rests on a skepticism of both regulations and international trade.

ROBERT LIGHTHIZER, Potential Treasury Secretary

A loyalist who served as Trump’s U.S. trade representative for essentially the then-president’s entire term, Lighthizer will almost certainly be invited back. Though Bessent likely has a better shot at becoming treasury secretary, Lighthizer has an outside chance, and he might be able to reprise his old role if he’s interested.

Like Trump, Lighthizer, 77,  is a trade skeptic and a firm believer in tariffs. He was one of the leading figures in Trump’s trade war with China and the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, with Mexico and Canada during Trump’s first term.

HOWARD LUTNICK, Potential Treasury Secretary

The co-chair of Trump’s transition effort and the longtime chief executive of financial services firm Cantor Fitzgerald, Lutnick is in the running for treasury secretary.

A bombastic New Yorker like Trump, Lutnick, 63, has uniformly praised the president-elect’s economic policies, including his use of tariffs.

He has at times given elaborate, unvarnished opinions about what policies will be enacted in Trump’s second term. Some Trump allies had privately complained that he too often presented himself as speaking on behalf of the campaign.

LINDA McMAHON, Potential Commerce Secretary

Professional wrestling magnate and former Small Business Administration director Linda McMahon is seen as the frontrunner to lead Trump’s Department of Commerce, three sources briefed on the plans said.

McMahon, 76, is a major donor and was an early supporter of the Republican president-elect when he first ran for the White House almost a decade ago. This time, Trump tapped her to co-lead a transition team formed to help vet personnel and draft policy ahead of the Nov. 5 election.

McMahon is the co-founder and former CEO of the professional wrestling franchise WWE. She later served as director of the Small Business Administration, resigning in 2019, and went on to lead a pro-Trump political action committee that supported his 2020 reelection bid.

JOHN RATCLIFFE, Potential CIA Director

A former congressman and prosecutor who served as director of national intelligence during Trump’s last year in office, Ratcliffe, 59, is seen as a leading contender to be director of the CIA, according to two people familiar with the transition process. Ratcliffe is also a potential attorney general pick.

The president-elect’s allies view Ratcliffe as a hardcore Trump loyalist who could likely win Senate confirmation. Still, during his time as director of national intelligence, Ratcliffe often contradicted the assessments of career civil servants, drawing criticism from Democrats who said he politicized the role.

MIKE LEE, Potential Attorney General

A U.S. senator from Utah, Lee is widely seen as another top candidate for attorney general. Though the former prosecutor declined to vote for Trump during the 2016 election, he later became an unwavering ally, and he has become something of an intellectual hero among some factions of Trumpworld.

Lee, 53, was a key figure in attempts by Trump and his allies to overturn his 2020 election loss to Democrat Joe Biden, and has spread unfounded conspiracy theories about the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.

KASH PATEL, Potential Candidate For National Security Posts

A former Republican House staffer who served in various high-ranking staff roles in the defense and intelligence communities during Trump’s first term, Patel frequently appeared on the campaign trail to rally support for the candidate.

Some Trump allies would like to see Patel, considered the ultimate Trump loyalist, appointed CIA director. Any position requiring Senate confirmation may be a challenge, however.

Patel, 44, has leaned into controversy throughout his career. In an interview with Trump ally Steve Bannon last year, he promised to “come after” politicians and journalists perceived to be enemies of Trump.

During Trump’s first term, Patel drew animosity from some more experienced national security officials, who saw him as volatile and too eager to please the then-president.
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)