When the votes were counted and Donald Trump was declared a presidential candidate winner early Wednesday morning, immediately began another race: the 11-week sprint to form a new administration that must be ready to take over management of the country on January 20.
A president’s administration includes thousands of appointees, but in the first weeks after the election, the focus will be on identifying the people who will make up the government’s Cabinet.
The Cabinet traditionally includes the vice president and the leaders of the 15 departments of the Executive Branch, including State, Treasury and Defense. It also includes about 10 officials who serve in high-level positions, such as the U.S. trade representative, the director of national intelligence and the White House chief of staff. Except for the vice president and chief of staff, all Cabinet-level appointees require Senate confirmation.
On Thursday night, Trump said Susie Wiles, a veteran Republican operative who was one of the two top managers of his successful campaign, would be his White House chief of staff. She will be the first woman to hold that position.
A mix of trajectories
Beyond naming Wiles, Trump has offered few details about who he wants to fill key positions in his second administration.
Many who held cabinet and subcabinet positions in his first administration have since broken with the president-elect. Some even went so far as to support his opponent, Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris. However, a considerable number of former members of Trump’s team have maintained good relations with him, and could reappear in important positions in the next administration.
Beyond that, those he could choose for key positions include current and former members of Congress, as well as major figures in the business world who supported his campaign, such as SpaceX founder Elon Musk.
Transition team
Presidential candidates often establish transition teams long before the end of the election to get a head start on the process.
Jo-Anne Sears, a non-resident fellow at the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress, served on the transition teams of former President George W. Bush and 2012 Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney. He told the Voice of America who has been in contact with members of Trump’s transition team and hopes they will expand their network as they consider potential candidates.
“I’m told that the people who are on the transition team want to bring the best and the brightest to Washington,” Sears said. “And that means they will come from all over the country, not just New York or the capital.”
“I think he’s going to try to bring in people who are true experts in their fields, whether it’s national security, homeland security or technological solutions to streamline government, which I think will be one of his goals,” Sears added.
Former members of Trump’s cabinet
Some of the most obvious choices for high-level positions in the second Trump administration are people who held those same positions and were confirmed by the Senate in the first term.
Robert Lighthizer served as US trade representative for most of Trump’s first term. He may reappear in the new administration in a higher position, such as Treasury secretary.
Mike Pompeo, who served as CIA director and secretary of state at separate times in the first Trump administration, could return to one of those roles or take on the mantle of defense secretary.
John Ratcliffe served as Trump’s director of national intelligence during the final year of his first term, he could fill several positions: from a top intelligence position to the attorney general’s office.
Linda McMahon, former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment, a professional wrestling promotion, served as head of the Small Business Administration during Trump’s first term. She is currently one of the leaders of Trump’s transition team and is said to be under consideration for Commerce Secretary.
Business leaders
Although Musk played a major role in financing Trump’s campaign and has shown a willingness to serve on some type of commission aimed at making the federal government more efficient, it seems unlikely that he will hold an official Cabinet position. Musk already serves as CEO of several companies that have billion-dollar contracts with the federal government, including rocket company SpaceX. This creates a web of potential conflicts of interest that would make Senate confirmation difficult.
There are also said to be several figures from the world of investments and finance on the list. John Paulson, a billionaire hedge fund manager who has supported Trump since the president-elect’s first campaign in 2016, is being considered for the job of Treasury secretary.
Scott Bessent, a hedge fund manager and advisor to the Trump campaign, is also said to be considered for the same position.
One of the leaders of Trump’s transition team, Howard Lutnick, the CEO of the financial services firm Cantor Fitzgerald, is a possible candidate for an economic policy position.
Jamie Dimon, chairman and CEO of JPMorgan Chase, has long been rumored to be a potential Treasury secretary. However, recent press reports have suggested that he is not interested in the position.
The RFK Jr. factor.
During the campaign, former independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., nephew of former President John F. Kennedy and son of former Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, threw his support behind Trump.
In exchange, Trump has offered Kennedy a role in formulating public health policy. In a Zoom call with supporters late in the campaign, Kennedy said Trump had “promised” him control of the Department of Health and Human Services – which includes the Centers for Disease Control, the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health- and the Department of Agriculture.
However, there are doubts that Kennedy can survive a Senate confirmation vote for any Cabinet-level position. A former environmental lawyer, he has become a prominent vaccine skeptic and conspiracy theorist in recent decades, and lawmakers might be reluctant to put him in charge of the country’s public health infrastructure.
campaign figures
Finally, two figures who emerged during Trump’s last presidential campaign could reach the White House in January.
Doug Burgum, the former governor of North Dakota and now a Trump supporter, and Vivek Ramaswamy, a businessman who emerged as a contender in the Republican presidential primary, could also be on the list.
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