Washington:

More of President Donald Trump’s picks for his cabinet are expected to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate in the coming days after the Republican-controlled chamber began approving them last week.

Hearings for other nominees are scheduled for this week as well, including Trump’s nominees for FBI director, director of national intelligence and secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.

Here are Trump’s choices for some of the key posts, including defense, intelligence, health, diplomacy, trade, justice, immigration and economic policymaking.

PETE HEGSETH, DEFENSE SECRETARY

Hegseth, 44, is a military veteran who has expressed disdain for the “woke” policies of Pentagon leaders, including its top military officer.

He was narrowly confirmed on Friday when Vice President JD Vance cast the deciding vote.

As secretary of defense, Hegseth could make good on Trump’s campaign promise to rid the U.S. military of generals whom he accuses of pursuing progressive policies on diversity in the ranks that conservatives have railed against.

His confirmation could also set up a collision course between Hegseth and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force General C.Q. Brown, whom Hegseth accused of “pursuing the radical positions of left-wing politicians.”

Hegseth, a former Fox News commentator, denied in his confirmation hearing allegations made in a police report that he sexually assaulted a woman in 2017 at a conference in California. No charges were filed, and he entered into a private settlement with the alleged victim.

He has also in the past opposed women in combat roles but walked back that stance during his confirmation hearing.

PAM BONDI, ATTORNEY GENERAL

Trump picked former Florida Attorney General Bondi on the day his previous choice, Matt Gaetz, withdrew from consideration in the face of opposition from Senate Republicans over allegations of sexual misconduct and illicit drug abuse.

Bondi, 59, was the top law enforcement officer of the country’s third most populous state from 2011 to 2019. She served on Trump’s Opioid and Drug Abuse Commission during his first administration.

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, 2021 rioters, and seek retribution against those who prosecuted him over the past four years.

Bondi has been a defender of Trump’s false claims that he lost the 2020 election due to widespread voter fraud.

During her confirmation hearing, Bondi vowed not to use the Justice Department to target people based on their politics, but dodged direct questions about investigating people scorned by Trump.

“There will never be an enemies list within the Department of Justice,” Bondi told the Senate Judiciary Committee.

MARCO RUBIO, SECRETARY OF STATE

After being confirmed unanimously on Jan. 20, Rubio, a U.S. senator, became the first Latino to serve as the nation’s top diplomat.

Rubio, 53, was arguably the most hawkish option on Trump’s short list for the post. The Florida-born senator has advocated in the past 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. Trump has accused past presidents of leading the U.S. into costly and futile wars and has pushed for a less interventionist foreign policy.

Rubio warned during his confirmation hearing that the U.S. must change course to avoid becoming more reliant on China.

JOHN RATCLIFFE, CIA DIRECTOR

Ratcliffe, a staunch Trump ally who was director of national intelligence at the end of Trump’s first term, will helm the Central Intelligence Agency in his second administration.

A former congressman and prosecutor, Ratcliffe, 59, was easily confirmed by the Senate on Jan. 23 in a 74-25 vote.

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 to curry favor with Trump.

During his confirmation hearing, Ratcliffe vowed not to fire or force out employees for their political views or their opinions about Trump, who frequently has attacked the agency and its assessments.

SEAN DUFFY, TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY

Duffy, a former U.S. congressman from Wisconsin and Fox News host, would oversee aviation, automotive, rail, transit and other transportation policies at the department with about a $110-billion budget, as well as significant funding that remains under the Biden administration’s 2021 $1-trillion infrastructure law.

Trump has vowed to reverse the Biden administration’s vehicle emissions rules, which have spurred automakers to build more electric vehicles.

Duffy, 53, first became known as a cast member on MTV’s “The Real World” reality show in the late 1990s. In his confirmation hearing, Duffy said he would allow a government probe into Tesla’s advanced driver assistance system to continue.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk is a close adviser to Trump.

CHRIS WRIGHT, ENERGY SECRETARY

Wright, a top Trump donor, is the founder and CEO of Liberty Energy, an oilfield services firm based in Denver.

The 59-year-old is a promoter of fossil fuels and has been skeptical that extreme weather events are tied to climate change.

As Trump’s energy secretary, he would, among other things, oversee the nation’s nuclear stockpile. Wright also would serve on the new National Energy Council.

In his confirmation hearing, Wright said his first priority is expanding domestic energy production, including liquefied natural gas and nuclear power.

RUSS VOUGHT, OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET DIRECTOR

Vought, a key architect of Project 2025, a conservative plan to overhaul the government, will return as director of an agency that helps determine the president’s policy priorities and how to pay for them.

Vought, 48, who was OMB chief during Trump’s 2017-2021 term, will play a major role in setting budget priorities and implementing Trump’s campaign promise to roll back government regulations.

In his confirmation hearing, Vought defended Trump’s goal of cutting spending by refusing to spend money that Congress has already authorized.

DOUG BURGUM, INTERIOR SECRETARY AND ‘ENERGY CZAR’

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 supporter.

The Interior Department manages public lands and minerals, national parks and wildlife refuges. The department also carries out the U.S. government’s trust responsibility to Native Americans.

As chair of a new National Energy Council, Burgum is expected to coordinate with several agencies to boost oil and gas output, particularly with regard to drilling on government-owned land.

Burgum told senators he will vigorously pursue Trump’s goal of maximizing energy production from U.S. public lands and waters, calling it key to national security.

LEE ZELDIN, EPA ADMINISTRATOR

Zeldin, a former congressman from New York state and a staunch Trump ally, would take over as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency with a mandate to slash environmental regulations.

Zeldin, 44, 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.

Zeldin said during his confirmation hearing he believes climate change is real and a threat.

SCOTT TURNER, HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT SECRETARY

Turner, 52, a former Texas state legislator and National Football League player, would take over the Department of Housing and Urban Development if confirmed.

He was the first executive director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council during Trump’s first term, a role in which he helped the country’s distressed communities, Trump said in a statement.

Turner told senators the U.S. has a homelessness crisis.

SCOTT BESSENT, TREASURY SECRETARY

As Trump’s Treasury secretary, Bessent would hold vast influence over economic, regulatory and international affairs.

A longtime hedge fund investor who taught at Yale University for several years, Bessent, 62, has a warm relationship with the president.

While Bessent has long favored free-market policies 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’s economic philosophy, which rests on a skepticism of both regulation and international trade.

At his confirmation hearing, Bessent said the dollar should remain the world’s reserve currency, the Federal Reserve should stay independent and that he is ready to impose tougher sanctions on Russia’s oil sector.

KRISTI NOEM, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY

As homeland security secretary, Noem will oversee a sprawling federal agency of 260,000 employees that handles everything from border protection to cybersecurity to transportation safety and disaster response.

She was confirmed by the Senate on Saturday by a 59-34 tally.

The current governor of South Dakota, Noem, 53, rose to national prominence after refusing to impose a statewide mask mandate during the pandemic.

Noem portrayed illegal immigration as an “invasion” and the U.S.-Mexico border a “war zone” during her confirmation hearing, and she pledged to back Trump’s hard line on immigration.

ELISE STEFANIK, AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS

Stefanik, a U.S. representative from New York state and staunch Trump supporter, would serve as his ambassador to the United Nations and function as the United States’ voice on that body.

Stefanik, 40, the former House of Representatives’ Republican conference chair, took a leadership position in the House 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 U.N. after bold promises by Trump to end the Russia-Ukraine war and as Israel and Hamas enter a fragile ceasefire deal in Gaza.

BROOKE ROLLINS, AGRICULTURE SECRETARY

As agriculture secretary, Rollins, the 52-year-old president of the America First Policy Institute, would be in charge of a 100,000-person agency whose remit includes farm and nutrition programs, forestry, and agricultural trade.

The institute is a right-leaning think tank whose personnel have worked closely with Trump’s campaign to help shape policy for his incoming administration. She was the acting director of the Domestic Policy Council during Trump’s first term.

KASH PATEL, FBI DIRECTOR

Patel, who during Trump’s first term advised both the director of national intelligence and the defense secretary, has been a fierce critic of the FBI. He has previously called for it to be stripped of its intelligence-gathering role and for the firing of any employee who refuses to support Trump’s agenda.

A former Republican House staffer, Patel, 44, frequently appeared on the campaign trail to rally support for Trump during his presidential bid.

The FBI’s current director, Christopher Wray, a Republican first appointed by Trump, announced in December that he will resign his post this month.

Patel’s confirmation hearing is set for this week.

TULSI GABBARD, DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE

Gabbard, a former Democratic member of Congress and an officer in the U.S. Army Reserve, was appointed by Trump to serve as director of national intelligence, where she would oversee 18 agencies tasked with intelligence gathering.

Gabbard, 43, has been an outspoken critic of the Biden administration’s foreign policy, particularly with regard to its support of Ukraine in the war with Russia.

Her confirmation hearing is set for this week.

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 U.S. weapon of choice against China’s tech sector.

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

Trump said Lutnick also would be given “additional direct responsibility” for the Office of U.S. Trade Representative.

ROBERT F. KENNEDY, JR., HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY

Kennedy, 70, an environmental activist who has spread misinformation about the dangers of vaccines, is now poised to lead the top U.S. health agency.

A former independent presidential candidate, 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 has decried the U.S. food industry for adding ingredients that he says have made Americans less healthy.

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

Trump said in an interview with Time in December that he will be talking to Kennedy about the future of childhood vaccination programs, citing high autism rates in children. Kennedy has asserted a debunked link between vaccines and autism.

A former family babysitter has alleged that Kennedy groped her 25 years ago. No charges were filed, and Kennedy has said he does not recall the incident.

Kennedy’s confirmation hearing is set for this week.

LORI CHAVEZ-DEREMER, LABOR SECRETARY

Trump’s pick of Chavez-DeRemer, a former U.S. congresswoman from Oregon, could be one of the rare selections who draws bipartisan support.

Chavez-DeRemer, 56, is considered one of the most union-friendly Republicans in Congress, and her selection was viewed as a way for Trump to reward union members who voted for him.

The pick was praised by Teamsters President Sean O’Brien, while some conservatives expressed dismay.

LINDA MCMAHON, EDUCATION SECRETARY

McMahon is a former executive CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment who served as the chief of the Small Business Administration during Trump’s first term.

As education secretary, she would oversee an agency that Trump has pledged to eliminate.

It may be more likely, however, that McMahon, 76, works to further conservative education policy goals, including doing away with diversity programs in public schools and allowing tax dollars to be used for private school tuition.

MARTIN MAKARY, HEAD OF THE FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION

Trump nominated Makary to lead the FDA, the world’s most influential drug regulator with a more than $7-billion budget.

Makary, a surgeon and public policy researcher at Johns Hopkins University, raised concerns about a number of public health issues during the pandemic, touting protection from natural immunity while opposing vaccine mandates for the general public.

DAVE WELDON, DIRECTOR OF THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION

Weldon, a 71-year-old former congressman and medical doctor, is Trump’s choice for director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a sweeping agency with a $17.3-billion budget charged with protecting the nation’s health.

JANETTE NESHEIWAT, U.S. SURGEON GENERAL

Nesheiwat, a director of a New York chain of urgent care clinics and Fox News contributor, would serve as U.S. surgeon general.

Nesheiwat treated patients during the pandemic, tended to victims of Hurricane Katrina and the Joplin tornado, and has worked for the Samaritan’s Purse disaster relief organization providing care in Morocco, Haiti and Poland, Trump said.

TODD BLANCHE, DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL

Blanche, 50, a former New York federal prosecutor who represented Trump in several of his recent legal cases, would serve as deputy attorney general if confirmed, the No. 2 job at the Justice Department which carries out many of the day-to-day managerial duties at the agency.

JAMIESON GREER, U.S. TRADE REPRESENTATIVE

As U.S. trade representative, Greer would have a key role in executing Trump’s sweeping tariff agenda that promises to upend global trade.

Greer, a 44-year-old trade lawyer, served as chief of staff to Trump’s former U.S. trade representative, Robert Lighthizer, the architect of Trump’s original tariffs on some $370 billion worth of Chinese imports during Trump’s first White House term.

MIKE WALTZ, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER

Waltz, a Republican U.S. representative and a retired Army Green Beret, has been a leading critic of China.

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

The national security adviser is an influential role that does not require Senate confirmation. Waltz will be responsible for briefing Trump on key national security issues and coordinating with different agencies.

ELON MUSK, THE DEPARTMENT OF GOVERNMENT EFFICIENCY

Outspoken tech billionaire Musk has been charged with leading a newly created Department of Government Efficiency, a reward for his staunch support during the campaign.

Trump said Musk, 53, will offer proposals to reduce government bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut waste and restructure federal agencies, although the panel will hold no actual authority under federal law. Instead, the panel will work with the White House and the Office of Management and Budget, Trump has said.

The panel is not a government department, and Musk will not face a Senate hearing.

Failed Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy was initially named a co-chair of the effort but left to run for elected office in Ohio.

TOM HOMAN, ‘BORDER CZAR’

Homan has been tasked with one of Trump’s biggest campaign priorities: securing the nation’s borders. Trump made cracking down on migrants in the country illegally a central element of his campaign, promising mass deportations.

As “border czar,” Homan, 62, has said he would prioritize deporting immigrants illegally in the U.S. who posed safety and security threats as well as those working at job sites.

Homan served as the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement during Trump’s first administration. He does not need Senate confirmation.

SUSIE WILES, CHIEF OF STAFF

Wiles, one of Trump’s two campaign managers, will be his White House chief of staff, likely making her one of the most powerful women in government.

The 67-year-old longtime Florida Republican political operative is credited with running an efficient campaign that helped Trump make inroads with new voters. 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. The chief of staff does not need Senate confirmation.

STACY DIXON, ACTING DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE

Dixon, 54, is set to become acting director at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

Dixon, who was appointed to her current post of principal deputy director of national intelligence by President Joe Biden and has served in that role since August 2021, will become the top-ranking official at a time when Trump has promised to make public classified documents related to the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, Senator Robert F. Kennedy and civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

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

Washington DC:

US President-elect Trump has set up the stage for a fiery “day one” in the Oval Office, with the promise of pardoning January 6 Capitol riot prisoners, sealing America’s southern border and rolling back protections for transgender students. To ensure the swift implementation of his radical changes, the incoming president has nominated individuals who are not only loyal to him, but bring their own ideas about how to enact the Republican’s agenda. 

We look at some of Donald Trump’s most notable pledges and his cabinet picks entrusted to deliver those promises. 

1- Mass Deportation Of Undocumented Migrants: One of the biggest pledges of Trump’s campaign was the largest mass deportations of undocumented migrants in US history. He also promised to complete the construction of the wall at the border with Mexico that was started during his first term as US president. 

To oversee his immigration promises, Trump has picked border hardliners Kristi Noem as the Homeland Security Secretary and Tom Homan as his Border tsar.

A four-term congresswoman who became governor of South Dakota in 2018, Noem is a vocal critic of President Joe Biden’s border policies. She was the first governor to send members of her state’s national guard to Texas to help with border enforcement. 

On the other hand, Homan is a former police officer who was acting director of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Trump’s first term. He was an early advocate of separating children from their parents or caregivers who crossed the border without documentation, which became one of Trump’s more controversial immigration policies during his first presidential term.

2- Moves On Economy, Tax And Tariffs: Trump’s campaign had promised to “end inflation” by imposing new tariffs of at least 10 per cent on most foreign goods. He also pledged sweeping tax cuts. 

To ensure the implementation of his economic agenda, Trump nominated Howard Lutnick as Commerce Secretary and Scott Bessent as Treasury Secretary.

Lutnick was the co-chair of Trump’s transition team and has backed the President-elect’s economic plans, including wide-ranging tariffs. He has also advocated for deregulation of cryptocurrencies and the elimination of income tax.

Meanwhile, Bessent is a Wall Street financier who once worked for liberal billionaire George Soros. He supports Trump’s calls for new tariffs on imports, and like Lutnick, has suggested that the US government sees tariffs primarily as a negotiating tool and not as a permanent source of US revenue.

3- Cost Cuts And Dismantle Bureaucracy: Donald Trump has pledged to restructure federal agencies and ‘dismantle’ bureaucracy by announcing a new entity called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). He picked billionaire executive Elon Musk and tech entrepreneur and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy to lead the entity.

Though not a federal department, Trump said DOGE will “provide advice and guidance” from outside the executive branch and work closely with the White House’s Office of Management and Budget to propose cuts. 

As part of his new role, Musk has suggested a possible $2tn in spending cuts and vowed to send “shockwaves” through the government. Ramaswamy has also backed the idea of dramatically shrinking the size of the federal government, streamlining agencies and cutting costs.

4- Abolish Climate Regulations: Trump has promised to cut regulations, especially in a way that helps the American car industry. He pledged to increase production of US fossil fuels on day one in favour of renewable energy sources such as wind power.

Much of this work will be overseen by North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, Trump’s new energy czar and pick for Interior Secretary, along with Chris Wright, a Colorado-based natural gas fracking CEO and Trump’s pick for Energy Secretary. 

Both are staunch fossil fuel advocates, but each has also worked with clean energy.

5-Foreign Policy Change With Ending Russia-Ukraine War And China Tariffs: During his election campaign, Trump criticised the tens of billions of dollars spent by the US administration on supporting Ukraine in its war with Russia. He pledged to end the conflict “within 24 hours” through a negotiated deal. He also pledged to levy a 60 per cent tariff on all goods from China. 

To oversee his foreign policy and national security, Trump has picked Marco Rubio and Secretary of State, Michael Waltz as National security advisers and Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence.

Rubio, who represented Florida since 2011, is part of the Senate intelligence and foreign relations committees and is known for his hard-line positions on Iran and the Russia-Ukraine conflict, as well as China.

Waltz too, like Rubio, has talked tough on China. As chair of a House subcommittee, he argued that the US should prepare more for conflict in the Pacific.

A military veteran who served with a medical unit in Iraq, Gabbard has routinely opposed American foreign policy. A former Democrat, she blamed NATO for the Russia-Ukraine war and echoed a Kremlin claim that there were US-funded biolabs in Ukraine. As Trump’s intel tsar, her role will be critical for US-backed wars.

6-Affordable Care Act Repeal: Donald Trump aimed to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, and propose its replacement with a system that would lower premiums and expand health savings accounts. 

Trump picked a longtime lawyer and anti-vaccine advocate Robert F Kennedy Jr as Health and Human Services. Despite having no medical qualifications, he would have broad remit over US federal health agencies – including those that oversee approval of vaccines, whose use he wants to review.

the Federal Trade Commission building in Washington
| Photo Credit: AP

President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday named Andrew Ferguson as the next chair of the Federal Trade Commission.

He will replace Lina Khan, who became a lightning rod for Wall Street and Silicon Valley by blocking billions of dollars’ worth of corporate acquisitions and suing Amazon and Meta while alleging anticompetitive behavior.

Ferguson is already one of the FTC’s five commissioners, which is currently made up of three Democrats and two Republicans.

“Andrew has a proven record of standing up to Big Tech censorship, and protecting Freedom of Speech in our Great Country,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding, “Andrew will be the most America First, and pro-innovation FTC Chair in our Country’s History.”

The replacement of Khan likely means that the FTC will operate with a lighter touch when it comes to antitrust enforcement. The new chair is expected to appoint new directors of the FTC’s antitrust and consumer protection divisions.

“These changes likely will make the FTC more favorable to business than it has been in recent years, though the extent to which is to be determined,” wrote Anthony DiResta, a consumer protection attorney at Holland & Knight, in a recent analysis.

Deals that were blocked by the Biden administration could find new life with Trump in command.

For example, the new leadership could be more open to a proposed merger between the country’s two biggest supermarket chains, Kroger and Albertsons, which forged a $24.6 billion deal to combine in 2022. Two judges halted the merger Tuesday night.

The FTC had filed a lawsuit in federal court earlier this year to block the merger, claiming the deal would eliminate competition, leading to higher prices and lower wages for workers. The two companies say a merger would help them lower prices and compete against bigger rivals like Walmart.

One of the judges said the FTC had shown it was likely to prevail in the administrative hearing.

Yet given the widespread public concern over high grocery prices, the Trump administration may not fully abandon the FTC’s efforts to block the deal, some experts have said.

And the FTC may continue to scrutinize Big Tech firms for any anticompetitive behavior. Many Republican politicians have accused firms such as Meta of censoring conservative views, and some officials in Trump’s orbit, most notably Vice President-elect JD Vance, have previously expressed support for Khan’s scrutiny of Big Tech firms.

In addition to Fergson, Trump also announced Tuesday that he had selected Jacob Helberg as the next undersecretary of state for economic growth, energy and the environment.

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.)

Washington:

President-elect Donald Trump is reportedly considering replacing Pete Hegseth with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for the Pentagon’s head, reports the Wall Street Journal, amid reports and doubts about his current nominee’s personal life.

His views on certain issues may raise concerns. For instance, Hegseth opposes women serving in combat roles, arguing it lowers military standards and effectiveness. “Women shouldn’t be in combat at all. They’re life-givers, not life-takers. I know a lot of wonderful soldiers, female soldiers, who have served, who are great. But they shouldn’t be in my infantry battalion,” he told Ben Shapiro, a conservative political commentator in an interview.

He supports troops accused or convicted of war crimes and has advocated for their pardon. He also wants to fire senior officers who support “woke policies”.

There has been increasing disquiet and scrutiny surrounding Hegseth’s sexual assault allegations and drunken public behavior among senators.

Regardless, Hegseth posted this on X.

I’m doing this for the warfighters, not the warmongers.

The Left is afraid of disrupters and change agents. They are afraid of @realDonaldTrump—and me. So they smear w/ fake, anonymous sources & BS stories. They don’t want truth.

Our warriors never back down, & neither will I. pic.twitter.com/nDQ5aUlv7i

— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) December 4, 2024

Not only this but a general sense of misconduct allegations have also been floating for the former Fox News anchor.

According to The New Yorker, Hegseth in an inebriated condition, chanted “Kill All Muslims! Kill All Muslims!” at a Veterans group event in 2015.

However, his attorney Tim Parlatore said, “We’re not going to comment on outlandish claims laundered through The New Yorker by a petty and jealous disgruntled former associate of Mr. Hegseth’s. Get back to us when you try your first attempt at actual journalism”, in response to the allegations by The New Yorker.

In addition to his alleged Islamophobic comments, he has also been shadowed by a secret financial settlement to a woman who accused him of rape in 2017, although he dismissed the claims citing the incident as consensual.

Two veteran non-profit groups – Veterans for Freedom and Concerned Veterans for America have further accused him of multiple allegations including financial mismanagement, sexual impropriety and personal misconduct. He was forced to step down from the organisation because of these concerns.

Hegseth’s former colleague at Fox News said, “He had a kind of what-happens-in-Vegas-stays-in-Vegas kind of attitude, while his wife and kids were in Minnesota. He was a huge drinker. I can’t say if he had a problem, but he was very handsy with women, too. I’ve certainly seen him drunk.”

With the allegations surfacing with the whistleblower report, Senate Republicans are not comfortable supporting his bid as the leader of the Pentagon.
 

As incoming White House chief of staff, one of Susie Wiles’ vexing challenges will be policing the buffet line of powerful interests who want something from Donald Trump.

It’s a world she knows well. During Trump’s first presidency, she lobbied for many of them.

Mr. Trump was first elected on a pledge to “drain the swamp” in Washington. But his transactional approach to the presidency instead ushered in a lobbying boom that showered allies, including Wiles, with lucrative contracts, empowered wealthy business associates and stymied his agenda after his administration was ensnared in a series of influence-peddling scandals.

Now, as Mr. Trump prepares to return to power, his victory is likely to embolden those who think they can get his ear, raising the prospect that his second administration could face many of the same perils as his first. That will test the ability of Wiles to manage a growing number of high-powered figures — including Trump’s children, his son-in-law Jared Kushner and billionaires like Elon Musk — who will not be dependent on her for access to the president.

The appointment of a former lobbyist to such an important job “bodes very poorly for what we are about to see from the next Trump administration,” said Craig Holman, himself a registered lobbyist for the government watchdog group Public Citizen. “This time around, Trump didn’t even mention ‘draining the swamp.’ … He’s not even pretending.”

In a statement, Brian Hughes, a spokesman from the Trump transition effort, rejected any suggestion that Wiles’ history as a lobbyist would make her susceptible to pressure.

“Susie Wiles has an undeniable reputation of the highest integrity and steadfast commitment to service both inside and outside government,” Hughes said. “She will bring this same integrity and commitment as she serves President Trump in the White House, and that is exactly why she was selected.”

Wiles’ selection as chief of staff was Trump’s first announced hire after his win. Wiles co-led the former president’s campaign and was widely credited with having run an operation that was far more disciplined than his two previous efforts. Even so, she will have her work cut out for her. Though the job has traditionally entailed policing who has access to the president, Trump chaffed at such efforts during his first presidency as he churned through four chiefs of staff.

During his recent victory speech, Trump called Wiles an “Ice Maiden” while praising her as a consummate behind-the-scenes player. She will be the first woman to ever hold the position.

What is also clear is that Wiles, 67, has successfully managed headstrong men across a lengthy career in politics, government and lobbying. The daughter of NFL player and sportscaster Pat Summerall, Wiles worked for U.S. Rep. Jack Kemp, a conservative icon, in the 1970s, followed by stints on Ronald Reagan’s campaign and as a scheduler in his White House.

She later headed to Florida, where she advised two Jacksonville mayors and is credited with helping businessman Rick Scott, now a U.S. senator, win the governor’s office. After briefly managing Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman’s 2012 presidential campaign, she oversaw Trump’s 2016 effort in Florida, when his win in the state helped him clinch the White House.

Wiles was a partner at Ballard Partners, a regional firm that lobbied for Trump’s companies in Florida. Shortly after Trump’s election, Ballard set up shop in Washington and quickly became a dominant player, pulling in more than $70 million in lobbying fees during Trump’s presidency, representing a who’s who of corporate America, lobbying disclosures show.

Many of Wiles’ clients were plain vanilla entities with obvious aims — General Motors, a trade group for children’s hospitals, homebuilders, and the City of Jacksonville, Florida.

One in particular stood out that speaks to the ways, subtle or otherwise, that foreign interests seek to influence U.S. policy. In 2017, Wiles registered as a lobbyist for Globovisión, a Venezuelan TV network owned by Raúl Gorrín, a businessman charged in Miami with money laundering.

Gorrín bought the broadcast company in 2013 and immediately softened its anti-government coverage. He hired Ballard to advise on “general government policies and regulations,” lobbying disclosures show. But rather than working with the agencies that oversee telecommunications, Ballard’s lobbying was trained on the White House, which would have little say in regulating a foreign broadcaster in the U.S. Globovisión paid Ballard $800,000 for a year of work.

Brian Ballard, president of the firm, said that it’s clear to him that Gorrín’s aims weren’t limited to the media business. Gorrín, who owns several luxury properties in Miami, had long positioned himself as a bridge between Venezuela’s socialist government and U.S. officials.

By the time Wiles and a team of Ballard lobbyists represented Globovisión, Gorrín was leading a quiet charm offensive for Nicolás Maduro’s government that sought closer ties with Trump at a time when the country was facing food shortages, violent crime and hyperinflation. It started before Trump took office when Citgo, a subsidiary of Venezuela’s state-owned oil company, kicked in a $500,000 donation for Trump’s inauguration.

“He was a fraud and as soon as we learned he was a fraud, we fired him,” said Ballard. “He would ask us to set up a lot of things, in LA and D.C., and then nothing would happen. It was all a fantasy. He just wanted to use our firm.”

A few days after Ballard dropped Gorrín in 2018, federal prosecutors unsealed charges against the businessman for allegedly using the U.S. finance system to supply Venezuelan officials with private jets, a yacht and champion show-jumping horses as part of a fake loan scheme perpetrated by insiders to pilfer the state’s coffers. Last month, he was charged a second time, also out of Miami, in another scheme to siphon $1 billion from the state oil company, PDVSA.

Ballard said Wiles had almost no role in managing the relationship with Gorrín or several other clients for which she is listed as a lobbyist. But he praised her as someone who is a highly organized “straight shooter” and “tough as nails” despite her soft demeanor.

“She’s the type of person who you want in a foxhole,” he said. “She will serve the president well.”

During Trump’s first term, Maduro engaged in a peacemaking offensive that included attempts to hire at least two other lobbyists. It fizzled out, however. In 2019, the White House slapped crushing oil sanctions on the OPEC nation, closed the U.S. Embassy in Caracas and recognized the head of the opposition-controlled National Assembly as the country’s legitimate ruler. Maduro was then indicted in 2020 by the U.S. Justice Department on federal drug trafficking charges out of New York.

Gorrín has long denied any wrongdoing and remains a fugitive. In a brief interview with The Associated Press, he called Wiles a “lady” and said she always acted professionally and humanely.

Ballard called the firm’s work for Gorrín a “big mistake.” Going forward, Ballard expects access to the White House to be more tightly controlled just as his firm, after a steep learning curve during the first Trump administration, will do a better job vetting potential clients to make sure their interests align with the president’s agenda.

“We learned a lot,” he says, “and so did the president.”

Globovisión wasn’t Wiles’ only client with foreign ties.

In early 2019, she registered with the Justice Department as a foreign agent working for one of Nigeria’s main political parties for two months. Another client was an auto dealership owned by Shafik Gabr, a wealthy businessman who was in a financial dispute related to selling cars in Egypt with the subsidiary of the German automaker Volkswagen.

Wiles was also a registered lobbyist for the subsidiaries of a multi-national gaming company and a Canadian company looking to build a massive copper and gold mine near Alaska’s salmon-rich Bristol Bay.

Wiles was hardly an outlier in Trump’s Washington, where his eponymously named hotel served as a hub for lobbyists, business leaders and foreign governments looking to rub shoulders with Trump World figures as they sought the president’s favor.

Though much of it was part of the normal course of business in Washington, a number of Trump allies and advisers were investigated and charged with crimes linked to their work on behalf of foreign countries and entities.

After becoming Trump’s de facto campaign manager in 2022, Wiles kept on lobbying, this time for Mercury, a multinational public affairs and lobbying firm. Most recently she was representing the maker of Swisher Sweets cigars.

New Delhi:

Elon Musk has been a near-constant presence on the side of US President-elect Donald Trump. It was proven again when Google CEO Sundar Pichai dialed Trump and Musk joined the call, reported The Information. Mr Pichai called Trump to congratulate him on his victory over Kamala Harris in the recently concluded US Presidential Election.

In the past, Musk has alleged biases in Google’s search results, suggesting that upon searching for Trump, news related to Harris surfaced.

Wow https://t.co/9utMxHQCog

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 29, 2024

The Tesla and SpaceX CEO Musk has previously joined telephone calls with world leaders and dispensed advice on personnel choices.

It is because of his close ties with the President-elect, Musk is called the “First Buddy”.

Both have been spotted together at various events including the launch of the SpaceX Starship rocket and the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweight bout on November 16.

Under Trump’s cabinet, Musk will lead the ‘Department of Government Efficiency’ – a position Trump hinted at during his campaign trail. Musk will head the department alongside Indian-American entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. “Together, these two wonderful Americans will pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies – Essential to the ‘Save America’ Movement,” Trump said in a statement.

Musk even found a mention in Trump’s victory speech and was described as “an amazing guy”.

“We have a new star, a star is born: Elon,” Trump told his supporters. “He’s an amazing guy. We were sitting together tonight. You know, he spent two weeks in Philadelphia, in different parts of Pennsylvania, campaigning.”

The duo spent the election night at Trump’s Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago, keeping a close watch on the results and Trump’s return to the Oval Office after a four-year gap.

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.

Watch: Trump’s Cabinet choices | What are Trump 2.0 priorities? | Worldview

Within a week of being elected the next U.S. President, Donald Trump has wasted no time in choosing his team. What do his top ten cabinet picks say about the next four years in the U.S., and what will they mean for India?

The big messages

Trump is breaking from the past in every way. He is not in Washington for now but at his Florida estate Mar-a-Lago—with his son Don Jr. believed to be vetting the candidates for the next administration.

He will only take over on January 20, 2025, but wants to begin the process early given the long delays in appointments he faced in Trump 1.0- Republicans now control both Houses of Congress. The choices make it clear that loyalty to Mr. Trump comes first, over any concerns of record, past positions, controversy, or diversity.

Trump’s top ten cabinet picks:

Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy – Department of Government Efficiency: This is a new department, and it is unclear how far-reaching its powers are. As the world’s richest man, worth more than $260 billion, Musk is no stranger to Indians, he is the owner of X, Tesla, and Starlink, and has been negotiating his entry to manufacturing in India, although his overseas operations are largely China-based. Vivek Ramaswamy, born to Indian immigrant parents, set up a biotech company before joining politics and is unabashedly proud of his Indian origins.

Pete Hegseth – Defense Secretary: A former war veteran, Peter Hegseth is a Fox News anchor—virulently anti-China, he is likely to be a big proponent of arming the Indo-Pacific. He has no government experience and is believed to have been brought from outside the system to make tough decisions on firing generals within the U.S. government.

Marco Rubio – Secretary of State: Rubio, from Florida, is from a Cuban immigrant family and has long bet on ties with India and the U.S. In 2012, he met then Indian Ambassador Nirupama Rao, asserting his belief that India was an “important ally and friend,” and was tough on Pakistan’s support for terror. In July this year, Rubio introduced a bill to give India NATO ally status for technology transfers, exempt it from CAATSA sanctions, and support it militarily against China.

Mike Waltz – NSA: He was the co-chair of the U.S.-India caucus and has advocated for better ties with India, is tough on China, and calls for “maximum pressure on Iran.”

John Ratcliffe – CIA Director: He was formerly Director of National Intelligence in Trump 1.0 and will have tough views on Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea.