The latest on President-elect Donald Trump's transition
The White House is seen in Washington on Tuesday, Nov. 5. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana) Credit: AP
Who's in, who's out, and what to expect in Donald Trump's second administration. Track all the news about the transfer of power here.
Trump considers DeSantis for the Pentagon with Hegseth under pressure over a series of allegations
Republican presidential candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during a campaign event on May 31, 2023, in Salix, Iowa. Credit: AP/Charlie Neibergall
WASHINGTON — The nomination of Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's choice to lead the Pentagon, is under pressure as senators who would need to confirm him weigh a series of allegations that have surfaced against him.
Hegseth's mother appeared on Fox News on Wednesday to defend her son, who faces multiple allegations that have emerged in the media about alcohol intoxication at work events, sexual misconduct and potential financial mismanagement.
The Trump transition team was growing concerned about Hegseth's path to confirmation and was actively looking at potential replacements, a person familiar with the matter said.
Trump and Republican senators plan agenda for first 30 days
Senate Minority Whip John Thune, R-S.D., meets with reporters after he was elected to succeed longtime GOP leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky at the Capitol in Washington on Nov. 13. Credit: AP/J. Scott Applewhite
WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump dialed in to what was described as a “love fest” Tuesday with Senate Republicans as they begin laying the groundwork for control of government in the new year, and a potential first-30-days agenda.
Trump's brief call was more celebratory than a prescriptive policy agenda, according to those attending the private GOP retreat, encouraging the senators to confirm his Cabinet nominees as they launch an agenda of tax cuts, deportations and other priorities.
"It was a love fest," said Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo. “There was a real sense of unity in the room.”
Chad Chronister, Donald Trump's pick to run the DEA, withdraws name from consideration
Chad Chronister, Donald Trump's pick to run the Drug Enforcement Administration, said Tuesday he was withdrawing his name from consideration, becoming the second person selected by the president-elect to bow out quickly after being nominated for a position.
Chronister, the top law enforcement officer in Hillsborough County, Florida, said in a post on X that he was backing away from the opportunity, which he called “the honor of a lifetime.”
“Over the past several days, as the gravity of this very important responsibility set in, I’ve concluded that I must respectfully withdraw from consideration,” Chronister wrote. He did not elaborate, and Trump's transition team did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.
Trump signs agreement to allow Justice Department to conduct background checks on nominees, staff
WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump's transition team on Tuesday signed an agreement to allow the Justice Department to conduct background checks on his nominees and appointees after a weeks-long delay.
The step lets Trump transition aides and future administration staffers obtain security clearances before Inauguration Day to access classified information about ongoing government programs. It also allows those nominees who are up for Senate confirmation to get the background checks lawmakers want before voting on them.
“This agreement with the Department of Justice will ensure President Trump and his team are ready on Day 1 to begin enacting the America First Agenda that an overwhelming majority of our nation supported on Election Day," said Susie Wiles, Trump's designate to be White House chief of staff.
Trump to visit Long Island University for Fox Nation Patriot Awards
President-elect Donald Trump listens during an America First Policy Institute gala at his Mar-a-Lago estate on Nov. 14. Credit: AP/Alex Brandon
President-elect Donald Trump is coming to a North Shore college campus on Thursday for an awards show weeks after becoming the first Republican presidential candidate to flip Nassau County in more than three decades.
Trump plans to attend the 2024 Fox Nation Patriot Awards at the Tilles Center for the Performing Arts on LIU Post’s Brookville campus, according to three people familiar with the matter.
Fox News Network host Sean Hannity will host the sixth annual event, replacing former “Fox & Friends” host Pete Hegseth, Trump’s pick for defense secretary. Thursday marks the first time the event will be hosted at LIU. The Patriot Awards will “honor and recognize America’s finest patriots, including military veterans, first responders and other inspirational everyday heroes,” according to Fox.
Trump says he'll attend Notre Dame Cathedral reopening celebration in Paris this weekend
Paintings are seen inside Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral while French President Emmanuel Macron visits the restored interiors of the monument on Friday. Credit: AP/Stephane de Sakutin
President-elect Donald Trump will attend the reopening celebration for Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris this weekend, his first foreign trip since the election.
The cathedral will reopen after more than five years of reconstruction following a devastating 2019 fire. The invite-only ceremonies Saturday and Sunday are expected to be high-security affairs, with about 50 heads of state and government expected to attend.
Trump announced his trip in a post on his Truth Social site Monday evening.
“It is an honor to announce that I will be traveling to Paris, France, on Saturday to attend the re-opening of the Magnificent and Historic Notre Dame Cathedral, which has been fully restored after a devastating fire five years ago,” he wrote. “President Emmanuel Macron has done a wonderful job ensuring that Notre Dame has been restored to its full level of glory, and even more so. It will be a very special day for all!”
Trump names billionaire investment banker Warren Stephens as his envoy to Britain
President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with the House GOP conference on Nov. 13 in Washington. Credit: AP/Allison Robbert
WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump has named billionaire investment banker Warren Stephens as his envoy to Britain, a prestigious posting for the Republican donor whose contributions this year included $2 million to a Trump-backing super PAC.
Trump, in a post on his Truth Social site Monday evening, announced he was selecting Stephens to be the U.S. ambassador to the Court of Saint James. The Senate is required to confirm the choice.
“Warren has always dreamed of serving the United States full time. I am thrilled that he will now have that opportunity as the top Diplomat, representing the U.S.A. to one of America’s most cherished and beloved Allies,” Trump said in in his post.
LIers Trump could pardon
President-elect Donald Trump. During his first presidency, Trump exercised his pardon power at a historically low level, according to findings published in 2021 by the Pew Research Center. Credit: Getty Images/Pool
A former Long Island congressman, a number of Jan. 6 rioters and a former Nassau County executive.
They are among notable Long Islanders convicted of federal crimes who could see good legal fortune come January.
President-elect Donald Trump could potentially pardon them when he takes over the Oval Office for a second term next year.
Canada's ambassador to the US says Trudeau's dinner with Trump key to getting tariffs removed
Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau walks through the lobby of the Delta Hotel by Marriott on Saturday in West Palm Beach, Fla. Credit: AP/Carolyn Kaster
TORONTO — Canada's ambassador to the United States said Sunday that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was successful in getting President-elect Donald Trump and key Cabinet nominees to understand that lumping Canada in with Mexico over the flow of drugs and migrants into the U.S. is unfair.
Kirsten Hillman, Canada's ambassador in Washington, told The Associated Press in an interview that Trudeau's dinner with Trump on Friday was a very important step in trying to get Trump to back away from threatened tariffs on all products from the major American trading partner.
Hillman was at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Florida and sat at an adjacent table to Trudeau and Trump.
Trump names Massad Boulos, campaign liaison and family relative, as a senior adviser on Middle East
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump signs autographs as Massad Boulos listens during a visit to The Great Commoner on Nov. 1 in Dearborn, Mich. Credit: AP/Julia Demaree Nikhinson
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — President-elect Donald Trump on Sunday named Massad Boulos, a Lebanese American businessman who is the father-in-law of Trump's daughter Tiffany, as a senior adviser on Arab and Middle Eastern affairs.
Boulos arranged Trump campaign efforts to engage the Arab American community in Michigan, organizing dozens of meetings in areas with large Arab American populations angered by Democratic President Joe Biden's backing of Israel's offensives in Gaza and Lebanon. Trump won the majority Arab American city of Dearborn Heights on his way to sweeping Michigan and other swing states.
“He has been a longtime proponent of Republican and Conservative values, an asset to my Campaign, and was instrumental in building tremendous new coalitions with the Arab American Community,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
Trump and Boulos said the Republican president-elect would bring peace to the Middle East, but neither has publicly offered concrete details on Trump's plans for the region.
Trump taps LI native Kash Patel for FBI director, a loyalist who would aid effort to upend law enforcement
Kash Patel, former chief of staff to Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller, speaks at a rally in Minden, Nev., Oct. 8, 2022. Credit: AP/José Luis Villegas
President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Garden City native Kash Patel for FBI director turning to a fierce ally to upend America’s premier law enforcement agency and rid the government of perceived “conspirators.” It’s the latest bombshell Trump has thrown at the Washington establishment and a test for how far Senate Republicans will go in confirming his nominees.
“I am proud to announce that Kashyap ‘Kash’ Patel will serve as the next Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation,” Trump posted Saturday night on Truth Social. “Kash is a brilliant lawyer, investigator, and ‘America First’ fighter who has spent his career exposing corruption, defending Justice, and protecting the American People.”
Patel was born and raised in Garden City and received his law degree from Pace University.
The selection is in keeping with Trump's view that the government's law enforcement and intelligence agencies require a radical transformation and his stated desire for retribution against supposed adversaries. It shows how Trump, still fuming over years of federal investigations that shadowed his first administration and later led to his indictment, is moving to place atop the FBI and Justice Department close allies he believes will protect rather than scrutinize him.
Wisconsin certifies Trump victory in back-to-the-routine teleconference
MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin’s election commission leader quietly certified Donald Trump ’s victory on Friday, moving past the chaos that surrounded the 2020 election results in the battleground state.
Commission Chair Ann Jacobs certified results that show Trump won the state with 1,697,626 votes compared to Democrat Kamala Harris' 1,668,229 votes during a morning Zoom teleconference that lasted six minutes.
The certification felt almost anticlimactic compared with the aftermath of the 2020 election, when Trump refused to accept that Joe Biden had won the state by about 21,000 votes.
Canada is already examining tariffs on certain US items following Trump's tariff threat
U.S. President Donald Trump, left, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau talk prior to a NATO round table meeting at The Grove hotel and resort in Watford, Hertfordshire, England, Dec. 4, 2019. Credit: AP/Frank Augstein
TORONTO — Canada is already examining possible retaliatory tariffs on certain items from the United States should President-elect Donald Trump follow through on his threat to impose sweeping tariffs on Canadian products, a senior official said Wednesday.
Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on products from Canada and Mexico if the countries don't stop what he called the flow of drugs and migrants across southern and northern borders. He said he would impose a 25% tax on all products entering the U.S. from Canada and Mexico as one of his first executive orders.
A Canadian government official said Canada is preparing for every eventuality and has started thinking about what items to target with tariffs in retaliation. The official stressed no decision has been made. The person spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak publicly.
Trump turns to outsider to shake up Navy, but his lack of military experience raises concerns
The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln is docked during a media tour in Port Klang, on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Tuesday, Nov. 26. Credit: AP/Fazry Ismail
WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to be secretary of the Navy, John Phelan, has not served in the military or had a civilian leadership role in the service. While officials and defense experts said the Navy is in sore need of a disruptor, they cautioned that Phelan's lack of experience could make it more difficult for him to realize Trump's goals.
Trump late Tuesday nominated Phelan, a major donor to his campaign who founded the private investment firm Rugger Management LLC. The Trump transition team did not respond to a request for comment on his qualifications. According to his biography, Phelan's primary exposure to the military comes from an advisory position he holds on the Spirit of America, a non-profit that supports the defense of Ukraine and the defense of Taiwan.
Not all service secretaries come into the office with prior military experience, but he'd be the first in the Navy since 2006. Current Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth similarly does not have prior military service. She, however, has spent her career in a host of defense civilian positions.
Trump nominates longtime adviser Keith Kellogg as special envoy for Ukraine and Russia
Ret. Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg speaks to reporters at Trump Tower, Nov. 15, 2016, in New York. Credit: AP/Carolyn Kaster
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — President-elect Donald Trump said Wednesday that he will nominate Gen. Keith Kellogg to serve as assistant to the president and special envoy for Ukraine and Russia.
Kellogg, a retired Army lieutenant general who has long been Trump’s top adviser on defense issues, served as National Security Advisor to Trump's former Vice President Mike Pence.
Trump made the announcement on his Truth Social account, and said “He was with me right from the beginning! Together, we will secure PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH, and Make America, and the World, SAFE AGAIN!"
Bomb threat at Lee Zeldin's home probed by Suffolk police, officials say
Left, police respond to the scene near the Shirley home of former Rep. Lee Zeldin, right. Credit: Tom Lambui; Newsday / J. Conrad Williams Jr.
Suffolk County police are investigating a bomb threat in Shirley tied to an address belonging to former Rep. Lee Zeldin, who is President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to lead the Environmental Protection Agency.
Police said they were called to the home on St. George Drive at 8:52 a.m. for a report of a bomb threat. The address is listed as Zeldin's home in Shirley.
Trump picks Jay Bhattacharya, who backed COVID herd immunity, to lead National Institutes of Health
President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with the House GOP conference, Nov. 13, 2024, in Washington. Credit: AP/Allison Robbert
President-elect Donald Trump has chosen health economist Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, a critic of pandemic lockdowns and vaccine mandates, to lead the National Institutes of Health, the nation's leading medical research agency.
Trump, in a statement Tuesday evening, said Bhattacharya, a 56-year-old physician and professor at Stanford University School of Medicine, will work in cooperation with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., his pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, "to direct the Nation’s Medical Research, and to make important discoveries that will improve Health, and save lives.”
“Together, Jay and RFK Jr. will restore the NIH to a Gold Standard of Medical Research as they examine the underlying causes of, and solutions to, America’s biggest Health challenges, including our Crisis of Chronic Illness and Disease," he wrote.
Trump's CDC pick Dr. Dave Weldon, a Long Island native, stirs concern
Dr. Dave Weldon, seen here in 2012 speaking to a Florida audience, was born in Amityville and graduated from Farmingdale High in 1971. Credit: AP/Brendan Farrington
A Farmingdale High School and Stony Brook University graduate is President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to oversee the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and if confirmed, he’d replace another Long Island native.
The nomination of Dr. Dave Weldon, a former Republican congressman from Florida, has provoked concern from public health experts.
He sponsored a bill to limit the use of vaccines containing mercury because of concerns the mercury-based preservative thimerosal could cause autism despite the CDC’s and leading health experts’ insistence that it does not, and sponsored a 2007 bill to strip the CDC of vaccine-safety responsibilities and move it to another agency within the Department of Health and Human Services.
Trump won about 2.5M more votes than in 2020, some in unexpected places
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump pumps his fist as he arrives to speak at a campaign event at Nassau Coliseum on Sept.18. Credit: AP/Alex Brandon
It’s a daunting reality for Democrats: Republican Donald Trump's support has grown broadly since he last sought the presidency.
In his defeat of Democrat Kamala Harris, Trump won a bigger percentage of the vote in each one of the 50 states, and Washington, D.C., than he did four years ago. He won more actual votes than in 2020 in 40 states, according to an Associated Press analysis.
Certainly, Harris’ more than 7 million vote decline from President Joe Biden’s 2020 total was a factor in her loss, especially in swing-state metropolitan areas that have been the party’s winning electoral strongholds.
After delay, Trump signs agreement with Biden White House to begin formal transition handoff
President Joe Biden meets with President-elect Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House on Wednesday, Nov. 13. Credit: AP/Evan Vucci
WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday reached a required agreement with President Joe Biden’s White House to allow his transition staff to coordinate with the existing federal workforce before taking office on Jan. 20.
The congressionally mandated agreement allows transition aides to work with federal agencies and access non-public information and gives a green light to government workers to talk to the transition team.
But Trump has declined to sign a separate agreement with the General Services Administration that would have given his team access to secure government offices and email accounts, in part because it would require that the president-elect limit contributions to $5,000 and reveal who is donating to his transition effort.
Trump's threat to impose tariffs could raise prices for consumers, colliding with promise for relief
People buy groceries at a Walmart Superstore in Secaucus, New Jersey, on July 11. Credit: AP/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez
DETROIT — If Donald Trump makes good on his threat to slap 25% tariffs on everything imported from Mexico and Canada, the price increases that could follow will collide with his campaign promise to give American families a break from inflation.
Economists say companies would have little choice but to pass along the added costs, dramatically raising prices for food, clothing, automobiles, booze and other goods.
The president-elect floated the tariff idea, including additional 10% taxes on goods from China, as a way to force the countries to halt the flow of illegal immigrants and drugs into the U.S. But his posts Monday on Truth Social threatening the tariffs on his first day in office could just be a negotiating ploy to get the countries to change behavior.
Mexico suggests it would impose its own tariffs to retaliate against any Trump tariffs
Newly-sworn in President Claudia Sheinbaum addresses supporters in the Zócalo, Mexico City's main square, on Oct. 1. Credit: AP/Fernando Llano
MEXICO CITY — President Claudia Sheinbaum suggested Tuesday that Mexico could retaliate with tariffs of its own, after U.S. President-elect Donald Trump threatened to impose 25% import duties on Mexican goods if the country doesn’t stop the flow of drugs and migrants across the border.
Sheinbaum said she was willing to engage in talks on the issues, but said drugs were a U.S. problem.
“One tariff would be followed by another in response, and so on until we put at risk common businesses,” Sheinbaum said, referring to U.S. automakers that have plants on both sides of the border.
Trump threatens to impose sweeping new tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China on first day in office
President-elect Donald Trump speaks at meeting of the House GOP conference on Nov. 13 in Washington. Credit: AP/Alex Brandon
President-elect Donald Trump is threatening to impose sweeping new tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China as soon as he takes office as part of his efforts to crack down on illegal immigration and drugs.
The tariffs, if implemented, could dramatically raise prices on everything from gas to automobiles. The U.S. is the largest importer of goods in the world, with Mexico, China and Canada its top three suppliers, according to the most recent Census data.
Trump made the threats in a pair of posts on his Truth Social site Monday evening in which he railed against an influx of illegal migrants, even though southern border crossings have been hovering at a four-year low.
Trump 2.0 has a Cabinet and executive branch of different ideas and eclectic personalities
President-elect Donald Trump walks with Elon Musk before the launch of the sixth test flight of the SpaceX Starship rocket Tuesday, Nov. 19 in Brownsville, Texas. Credit: AP/Brandon Bell
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump’s personnel choices for his new Cabinet and White House reflect his signature positions on immigration and trade but also a range of viewpoints and backgrounds that raise questions about what ideological anchors might guide his Oval Office encore.
With a rapid assembly of his second administration — faster than his effort eight years ago — the former and incoming president has combined television personalities, former Democrats, a wrestling executive and traditional elected Republicans into a mix that makes clear his intentions to impose tariffs on imported goods and crack down on illegal immigration but leaves open a range of possibilities on other policy pursuits.
“The president has his two big priorities and doesn’t feel as strongly about anything else — so it’s going to be a real jump ball and zigzag,” predicted Marc Short, chief of staff to Vice President Mike Pence during Trump’s 2017-21 term. “In the first administration, he surrounded himself with more conservative thinkers, and the results showed we were mostly rowing in the same direction. This is more eclectic.”
Special counsel moves to dismiss election interference, classified documents cases
Special counsel Jack Smith speaks to the media about an indictment of former President Donald Trump, Aug. 1, 2023, at an office of the Department of Justice in Washington. Credit: AP/J. Scott Applewhite
Federal prosecutors moved to abandon the classified documents case against President-elect Donald Trump in light of longstanding Justice Department policy that says sitting presidents cannot face criminal prosecution. The court filing on Monday came shortly after a similar filing was made by prosecutors in Washington, D.C., where they asked to dismiss the case accusing Trump of plotting to overturn the 2020 election. The move amounts to a predictable but nonetheless stunning conclusion to a criminal case that just one year ago had been seen as the most perilous legal threat that he faced.
Big question after Trump's win: What's next for health care?
President-elect Donald Trump said during the campaign that he has "concepts of a plan" to replace the 2010 law commonly known as Obamacare.. Credit: Getty Images for DNC/Tasos Katopodis
WASHINGTON — New York health care providers are weighing the future of health care under a second Trump Administration amid vows by congressional Republican leaders to overhaul the Affordable Care Act.
President-elect Donald Trump pushed unsuccessfully during his first term to repeal the Obama-era health care law when Republicans were in control of Congress. But during this year’s presidential campaign he pledged to revisit the issue, saying he had "concepts of a plan" to replace the sweeping 2010 law.
Without any detailed proposals from Trump, health care providers are looking to his past attempts to undo the Affordable Care Act and the words of his allies and advisers to prepare for possible changes to the 14-year-old law, widely known as Obamacare.
Republicans lash out at Democrats' claims that Trump intelligence pick Gabbard is 'compromised'
Tulsi Gabbard speaks at a campaign rally at Madison Square Garden on Oct. 27. Credit: AP/Alex Brandon
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Republican senators pushed back on Sunday against criticism from Democrats that Tulsi Gabbard, Donald Trump's pick to lead U.S. intelligence services, is “compromised” by her comments supportive of Russia and secret meetings, as a congresswoman, with Syria’s president, a close ally of the Kremlin and Iran.
Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Illinois, a veteran of combat missions in Iraq, said she had concerns about Tulsi Gabbard, Trump's choice to be director of national intelligence.
“I think she’s compromised," Duckworth said on CNN’s “State of the Union," citing Gabbard's 2017 trip to Syria, where she held talks with Syrian President Bashar Assad. Gabbard was a Democratic House member from Hawaii at the time.
Trump taps Rollins as agriculture chief, completing proposed slate of Cabinet secretaries
FILE - Brooke Rollins speaks at a campaign rally at Madison Square Garden, Oct. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File) Credit: AP
President-elect Donald Trump said Saturday that he will nominate former White House aide Brooke Rollins to be his agriculture secretary. Rollins, who heads the Trump-allies America First Policy Institute, was the director of his office of American innovation in his first term.
The nomination must be confirmed by the Republican-led Senate. Rollins would succeed Tom Vilsack, President Joe Biden’s agriculture secretary who oversees the sprawling agency that controls policies, regulations and aid programs related to farming, forestry, ranching, food quality and nutrition.
Trump chooses Bessent to be Treasury secretary and Vought as top budget official
FILE - Investor Scott Bessent speaks on the economy in Asheville, N.C., Aug. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley, File) Credit: AP
President-elect Donald Trump announced Friday that he'll nominate former George Soros money manager Scott Bessent, an advocate for deficit reduction, to serve as his next treasury secretary.
Trump also said he would nominate Russel Vought to lead the Office of Management and Budget, a position Vought held during Trump's first presidency.
Bessent, 62, is the founder of hedge fund Key Square Capital Management, after having worked on-and-off for Soros Fund Management since 1991. If confirmed by the Senate, he would be the nation’s first openly gay treasury secretary.
Trump chooses Republican U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer as his nominee to lead the Labor Department
FILE - Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, R-Ore., accompanied by Majority Whip Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Minn., left, and House Majority Leader Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., right, speaks at a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Jan. 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File) Credit: AP
President-elect Donald Trump has chosen Republican U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer as his nominee to lead the Labor Department.
The Oregon House member who narrowly lost her reelection bid earlier this month received strong backing from union members in her district.
As a potential labor secretary, Chavez-DeRemer would oversee the Labor Department’s workforce and its budget and put forth priorities that impact workers’ wages, health, safety and ability to unionize, and employers' rights to fire employees, among other responsibilities.
Trump chooses former NFL player Scott Turner to be his housing secretary
Scott Turner, the executive director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council, attends a meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House, May 18, 2020, in Washington. Credit: AP/Evan Vucci
President-elect Donald Trump said Friday he will nominate former NFL player and White House aide Scott Turner to be his secretary of housing and urban development.
Turner ran the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council during Trump’s first term in office.
Trump, in a statement, credited Turner, the highest-ranking Black person he’s yet selected for his administration, with “helping to lead an Unprecedented Effort that Transformed our Country’s most distressed communities.”
Vance takes on a more visible transition role
Former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., left, who had been President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to be attorney general, walks alongside Vice President-elect JD Vance on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. Credit: TNS/Kevin Dietsch
After several weeks working mostly behind closed doors, Vice President-elect JD Vance returned to Capitol Hill this week in a new, more visible role: Helping Donald Trump try to get his most contentious Cabinet picks to confirmation in the Senate, where Vance has served for the last two years.
Vance arrived at the Capitol on Wednesday with former Rep. Matt Gaetz. He spent the morning sitting in on meetings between Trump’s choice for attorney general and key Republicans, including members of the Senate Judiciary Committee. The effort was for naught: Gaetz announced a day later that he was withdrawing his name amid scrutiny over sex trafficking allegations and the reality that he was unlikely to be confirmed.
Judge delays Trump hush money sentencing
A judge confirmed Friday that President-elect Donald Trump won't be sentenced this month in his hush money case, instead setting a schedule for prosecutors and his lawyers to expand on their ideas about what to do next.
Amid a flurry of filings in the case since Trump's election win this month, it had already become clear that the Nov. 26 sentencing date wouldn't hold. Judge Juan M. Merchan's order Friday formalized that without setting a new one.
He called for more filing from both sides over the next 2 1/2 weeks about how to proceed in light of Trump's impending return to the White House.
Trump chooses Pam Bondi for attorney general pick after Gaetz withdraws
Former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, speaks before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump arrives to speak at a campaign rally at First Horizon Coliseum on Saturday, Nov. 2 in Greensboro, North Carolina. Credit: AP/Alex Brandon
WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday named Pam Bondi, the former attorney general of Florida, to be U.S. attorney general just hours after his other choice, Matt Gaetz, withdrew his name.
Bondi is a longtime Trump ally and 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.
She has been a chair at the America First Policy Institute, a think tank set up by former Trump administration staffers.
Gaetz withdraws as Trump's pick for attorney general, averting confirmation battle in the Senate
Matt Gaetz arrives before President-elect Donald Trump speaks during an America First Policy Institute gala at his Mar-a-Lago estate, Thursday, Nov. 14 in Palm Beach, Fla. Credit: AP/Alex Brandon
WASHINGTON — Matt Gaetz withdrew Thursday as President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general 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.
The announcement caps a turbulent eight-day period in which Trump sought to capitalize on his decisive election win to force Senate Republicans to accept provocative selections like Gaetz, who had been investigated by the Justice Department before being tapped last week to lead it. 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,” Gaetz, a Florida Republican who one day earlier met with senators in an effort to win their support, said in a statement.
Here are the people Trump has picked for key positions so far
President-elect Donald Trump is starting to fill key posts in his second administration, putting an emphasis so far on aides and allies who were his strongest backers during the 2024 campaign.
Peter Navarro, White House adviser
Peter Navarro speaks during the Republican National Convention on July 17 in Milwaukee. Credit: AP/Paul Sancya
President-elect Donald Trump is bringing Peter Navarro, a former adviser who served prison time related to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, back to the White House for his second administration.
Navarro will serve as a senior counselor for trade and manufacturing, Trump announced on Truth Social, his social media website.
Trump wrote that the position “leverages Peter’s broad range of White House experience, while harnessing his extensive Policy analytic and Media skills.”
Navarro, a trade adviser during Trump's first term, was held in contempt of Congress for defying a subpoena from the House committee that investigated Jan. 6. Sentenced to four months in prison, he described his conviction as the “partisan weaponization of the judicial system.”
Warren Stephens, U.S. ambassador to United Kingdom
President-elect Donald Trump has named billionaire investment banker Warren Stephens as his envoy to Britain, a prestigious posting for the Republican donor whose contributions this year included $2 million to a Trump-backing super PAC.
Trump, in a post on his Truth Social site Monday evening, announced he was selecting Stephens to be the U.S. ambassador to the Court of Saint James. The Senate is required to confirm the choice.
“Warren has always dreamed of serving the United States full time. I am thrilled that he will now have that opportunity as the top Diplomat, representing the U.S.A. to one of America’s most cherished and beloved Allies,” Trump said in in his post.
Massad Boulos, senior adviser on Arab and Middle Eastern affairs
Massad Boulos visits The Great Commoner on Friday, Nov. 1, in Dearborn, Mich. Credit: AP/Julia Demaree Nikhinson
President-elect Donald Trump on Sunday named Massad Boulos, a Lebanese American businessman who is the father-in-law of Trump's daughter Tiffany, as a senior adviser on Arab and Middle Eastern affairs.
Boulos arranged Trump campaign efforts to engage the Arab American community in Michigan, organizing dozens of meetings in areas with large Arab American populations angered by Democratic President Joe Biden's backing of Israel's offensives in Gaza and Lebanon. Trump won the majority Arab American city of Dearborn Heights on his way to sweeping Michigan and other swing states.
“He has been a longtime proponent of Republican and Conservative values, an asset to my Campaign, and was instrumental in building tremendous new coalitions with the Arab American Community,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
Trump and Boulos said the Republican president-elect would bring peace to the Middle East, but neither has publicly offered concrete details on Trump's plans for the region.
Kash Patel, FBI director
Kash Patel, former chief of staff to Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller, speaks at a rally in Minden, Nev., Oct. 8, 2022. Credit: AP/José Luis Villegas
President-elect Donald Trump’s stunning announcement that he will nominate Kash Patel as FBI director sets the stage for a fresh round of turbulence at a law enforcement agency tasked with protecting the homeland and investigating federal crimes.
Patel, a steadfast Trump ally with plans to shake up the bureau, is a study in contrasts from the current tight-lipped director, Christopher Wray, who preaches a “keep calm and tackle hard” mantra.
In selecting Patel late Saturday over more conventional contenders, the incoming Republican president is again testing the loyalty of Senate Republicans and their willingness to defy him.
Keith Kellogg, special envoy for Ukraine and Russia
Ret. Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg speaks to reporters at Trump Tower, Nov. 15, 2016, in New York. Credit: AP/Carolyn Kaster
President-elect Donald Trump said Wednesday that he will nominate Gen. Keith Kellogg to serve as assistant to the president and special envoy for Ukraine and Russia.
Kellogg, a retired Army lieutenant general who has long been Trump’s top adviser on defense issues, served as National Security Advisor to Trump's former Vice President Mike Pence.
Trump made the announcement on his Truth Social account, and said “He was with me right from the beginning! Together, we will secure PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH, and Make America, and the World, SAFE AGAIN!"
Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, National Institutes of Health director
President-elect Donald Trump has chosen health economist Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, a critic of pandemic lockdowns and vaccine mandates, to lead the National Institutes of Health, the nation's leading medical research agency.
Trump, in a statement Tuesday evening, said Bhattacharya, a 56-year-old physician and professor at Stanford University School of Medicine, will work in cooperation with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., his pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, "to direct the Nation’s Medical Research, and to make important discoveries that will improve Health, and save lives.”
“Together, Jay and RFK Jr. will restore the NIH to a Gold Standard of Medical Research as they examine the underlying causes of, and solutions to, America’s biggest Health challenges, including our Crisis of Chronic Illness and Disease," he wrote.
Brooke Rollins, agriculture secretary
Brooke Rollins speaks at a campaign rally at Madison Square Garden, Oct. 27 in New York. Credit: AP/Evan Vucci
President-elect Donald Trump said Saturday that he will nominate former White House aide Brooke Rollins to be his agriculture secretary. Rollins, who heads the Trump-allies America First Policy Institute, was the director of his office of American innovation in his first term.
The nomination must be confirmed by the Republican-led Senate. Rollins would succeed Tom Vilsack, President Joe Biden’s agriculture secretary who oversees the sprawling agency that controls policies, regulations and aid programs related to farming, forestry, ranching, food quality and nutrition.
Lori Chavez-DeRemer, labor secretary
Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, R-Ore., accompanied by Majority Whip Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Minn., left, and House Majority Leader Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., right, speaks at a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Jan. 25, 2023. Credit: AP/Andrew Harnik
"I look forward to working with her to create tremendous opportunity for American Workers," President-elect Donald Trump said in a statement.
Scott Bessent, treasury secretary
Investor Scott Bessent speaks on the economy in Asheville, N.C., Aug. 14. Credit: AP
President-elect Donald Trump announced Friday that he'll nominate former George Soros money manager Scott Bessent, an advocate for deficit reduction, to serve as his next treasury secretary.
Bessent, 62, is the founder of hedge fund Key Square Capital Management, after having worked on-and-off for Soros Fund Management since 1991. If confirmed by the Senate, he would be the nation’s first openly gay treasury secretary.
He told Bloomberg in August that he decided to join Trump's campaign in part to attack the mounting U.S. national debt. That would include slashing government programs and other spending.
“This election cycle is the last chance for the U.S. to grow our way out of this mountain of debt without becoming a sort of European-style socialist democracy,” he said then.
Russ Vought, White House budget director
President-elect Donald Trump listens as his then-acting director of the Office of Management and Budget Russel Vought speaks during an event on "transparency in Federal guidance and enforcement" in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Oct. 2019, in Washington. Credit: AP/Evan Vucci
President-elect Donald Trump said he would nominate Russel Vought to lead the Office of Management and Budget, a position Vought held during Trump's first presidency.
Pam Bondi, attorney general
Former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks at a campaign rally for then-Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump Nov. 2 in Greensboro, NC. Credit: AP/Alex Brandon
President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday named Pam Bondi, the former attorney general of Florida, to be U.S. attorney general just hours after his other choice, Matt Gaetz, withdrew his name.
Bondi is a longtime Trump ally and 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.
She has been a chair at the America First Policy Institute, a think tank set up by former Trump administration staffers.
Bondi is from Tampa and spent more than 18 years as a prosecutor. She was Florida’s first female attorney general
Matt Whitaker, NATO ambassador
Former acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker waves at a caucus night party in Des Moines, Iowa, on Jan. 15. Credit: AP/Andrew Harnik
Donald Trump says he has chosen former acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker to serve as U.S. ambassador to NATO, the bedrock Western alliance that the president-elect has repeatedly expressed skepticism about.
Trump, in a statement, said Whitaker was “a strong warrior and loyal Patriot" who "will ensure the United States’ interests are advanced and defended” and “strengthen relationships with our NATO Allies, and stand firm in the face of threats to Peace and Stability.”
The choice of Whitaker as the nation's representative to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is an unusual one, given his background is as a lawyer and not in foreign policy.
Linda McMahon, education secretary
Linda McMahon speaks during an America First Policy Institute gala at his Mar-a-Lago estate, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla. Credit: AP/Alex Brandon
President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday tapped billionaire professional wrestling mogul Linda McMahon to be secretary of the Education Department, tasked with overseeing an agency Trump has promised to dismantle.
McMahon led the Small Business Administration during Trump’s initial term from 2017 to 2019 and twice ran unsuccessfully as a Republican for the U.S. Senate in Connecticut.
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,” Trump said in a statement.
In nominating McMahon, Trump is rewarding a loyal backer of his movement who, along with 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, 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. 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.
Dr. Mehmet Oz, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Mehmet Oz visits the AW Driving School & License Testing Center in Allentown, Pa., Sept. 23, 2022. Credit: AP/Matt Rourke
President-elect Donald Trump says he is nominating Dr. Mehmet Oz, who hosted a long-running television talk show, to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid 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,” 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.”
Oz, who ran a failed 2022 bid to represent Pennsylvania in the U.S. Senate, has been an outspoken support of 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.
Howard Lutnick, commerce secretary
Howard Lutnick speaks at a campaign rally at Madison Square Garden on Oct. 27. Credit: AP/Evan Vucci
President-elect Donald Trump has chosen Howard Lutnick, head of brokerage and investment bank Cantor Fitzgerald and a cryptocurrency enthusiast, as his nominee for commerce secretary, a position in which he'd have a key role in carrying out Trump's plans to raise and enforce tariffs.
Lutnick is a co-chair of Trump’s transition team, along with Linda McMahon, the former wrestling executive who previously led Trump’s Small Business Administration. Both are tasked with putting forward candidates for key roles in the next administration.
The nomination would put 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, Lutnick told CNBC in September that “tariffs are an amazing tool for the president to use — we need to protect the American worker." 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.
Sean Duffy, transportation secretary
Rep. Sean Duffy, R-Wis., speaks during a hearing July 18, 2018, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Credit: AP/Jacquelyn Martin
President-elect Donald Trump said Monday he is naming former Wisconsin Rep. Sean Duffy as his nominee to be transportation secretary, as he continues to roll out picks for his Cabinet.
Trump said in a statement, “Sean will use his experience and the relationships he has built over many years in Congress to maintain and rebuild our Nation’s Infrastructure, and fulfill our Mission of ushering in The Golden Age of Travel, focusing on Safety, Efficiency, and Innovation.” He added, "Importantly, he will greatly elevate the Travel Experience for all Americans!"
Duffy left Congress in 2019, and is now co-host of a show on Fox Business, the “Bottom Line." Before beginning his political career, he appeared on the MTV reality show “The Real World.”
Brendan Carr, Federal Communications Commission chairman
Brendan Carr answers questions during a Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation committee hearing to examine the Federal Communications Commission on Capitol Hill in Washington, June 24, 2020. Credit: AP/Jonathan Newton
President-elect Donald Trump on Sunday named Brendan Carr, the senior Republican on the Federal Communications Commission, as the new chairman of the agency tasked with regulating broadcasting, telecommunications and broadband.
Carr is a longtime member of the commission and served previously as the FCC's general counsel. He has been unanimously confirmed by the Senate three times and was nominated by both Trump and President Joe Biden to the commission.
The FCC is an independent agency that is overseen by Congress, but Trump has suggested he wanted to bring it under tighter White House control, in part to use the agency to punish TV networks that cover him in a way he doesn’t like.
Carr has of late embraced Trump's ideas about social media and tech. Carr wrote a section devoted to the FCC in “Project 2025,” a sweeping blueprint for gutting the federal workforce and dismantling federal agencies in a second Trump administration produced by the conservative Heritage Foundation.
Trump has claimed he doesn’t know anything about Project 2025, but many of its themes have aligned with his statements.
Carr said in a statement congratulating Trump on his win that he believed "the FCC will have an important role to play reining in Big Tech, ensuring that broadcasters operate in the public interest, and unleashing economic growth.”
Chris Wright, energy secretary
Liberty Oilfield Services CEO Chris Wright is pictured in Denver, Jan. 17, 2018. Credit: AP/Andy Cross
President-elect Donald Trump has selected Chris Wright, a campaign donor and fossil fuel executive, to serve as energy secretary in a second Trump administration.
Wright, CEO of Denver-based Liberty Energy, is a vocal advocate of oil and gas development, including fracking, a key pillar of Trump’s quest to achieve U.S. “energy dominance” in the global market.
Wright has won support from influential conservatives, including oil and gas tycoon Harold Hamm. Hamm, executive chairman of Oklahoma-based Continental Resources, a major shale oil company, is a longtime Trump supporter and adviser who played a key role on energy issues in Trump’s first term.
Hamm helped organize an event at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in April where Trump reportedly asked industry leaders and lobbyists to donate $1 billion to Trump’s campaign, with the expectation that Trump would curtail environmental regulations if re-elected.
Wright has been one of the industry’s loudest voices against efforts to fight climate change and could give fossil fuels a boost, including quick action to end a year-long pause on natural gas export approvals by the Biden administration.
Wright has criticized what he calls a “top-down” approach to climate by liberal and left-wing groups and said the climate movement around the world is “collapsing under its own weight.”
Karoline Leavitt, White House press secretary
Karoline Leavitt speaks to the news media across the street from President-elect Donald Trump's criminal trial in New York, May 28. Credit: AP/Ted Shaffrey
President-elect Donald Trump on Friday named Karoline Leavitt, his campaign press secretary, to serve as his White House press secretary.
Leavitt, 27, currently a spokesperson for Trump's transition, would be the youngest White House press secretary in history. Previously that distinction went to Ronald Ziegler, who was 29 when he took the position in 1969 in Richard Nixon’s administration.
“Karoline 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,” Trump said in a statement. "Karoline is smart, tough, and has proven to be a highly effective communicator. 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.”
The White House press secretary typically serves as the public face of the administration and historically has held daily briefings for the press corps.
Doug Burgum, secretary of the Department of the Interior and White House council on energy
North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum arrives before President-elect Donald Trump at an America First Policy Institute gala at his Mar-a-Lago estate, Thursday in Palm Beach, Fla. Credit: AP/Alex Brandon
Trump has also picked Burgum to serve as chair of a new National Energy Council.
Trump had revealed his cabinet pick at a gala Thursday night, but issued a statement Friday confirming his pick.
He says the new energy council Burgum will lead will be “very important” and consist of all departments and agencies involved in energy permitting, production, generation, distribution, regulation and transportation.
“This Council will oversee the path to U.S. ENERGY DOMINANCE by cutting red tape, enhancing private sector investments across all sectors of the Economy, and by focusing on INNOVATION over longstanding, but totally unnecessary, regulation,” he said.
Burgum will also have a seat on the National Security Council, he says.
Trump ran on a platform of dramatically expending gas and oil drilling, often repeating the mantra, “Drill baby, drill.”
Burgum grew close to Trump during the campaign and the governor was one of Trump’s finalists for running mate.
President-elect Donald Trump announced Friday that North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Trump's choice to head the Interior Department, will also lead a newly created National Energy Council that will seek to establish U.S. “energy dominance” around the world.
Burgum, in his new role, will oversee a panel that crosses all executive branch agencies involved in energy permitting, production, generation, distribution, regulation and transportation, Trump said in a statement. As chairman of the National Energy Council, Burgum will have a seat on the National Security Council, Trump said.
Steven Cheung, White House communications director
Steven Cheung walks before Republican President-elect President Donald Trump votes on Election Day at the Morton and Barbara Mandel Recreation Center on Nov. 5 in Palm Beach, Fla. Credit: AP/Evan Vucci
Cheung led communications for Trump's latest campaign, where he gained a reputation for combative and insulting attacks on the Republican's opponents. A native of Sacramento, California, he worked in Republican politics and for the Ultimate Fighting Championship before joining Trump’s team in 2016.
Sergio Gor, Presidential Personnel Office
Gor ran Winning Team Publishing, which he started with Donald Trump Jr. The company has published books by Trump and his allies. Gor also led the super PAC Right for America.
The Presidential Personnel Office will likely be a focal point of Trump's efforts to shape his administration's staff with loyalists.
Doug Collins, secretary of Veterans Affairs
Former Rep. Doug Collins speaks before President-elect Donald Trump at a campaign event Oct. 15 in Atlanta. Credit: AP/John Bazemore
Collins is a former Republican congressman from Georgia who gained recognition for defending Trump during his first impeachment trial, which centered on U.S. assistance for Ukraine. Trump was impeached for urging Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden in 2019 during the Democratic presidential nomination, but he was acquitted by the Senate.
Collins has also served in the armed forces himself and is currently a chaplain in the United States Air Force Reserve Command.
"We must take care of our brave men and women in uniform, and Doug will be a great advocate for our Active Duty Servicemembers, Veterans, and Military Families to ensure they have the support they need," Trump said in a statement about nominating Collins to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., speaks before President-elect Donald Trump at a campaign Nov. 1 in Milwaukee. Credit: AP/Morry Gash
President-elect Donald Trump says he will nominate anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to 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.
Kennedy, a former Democrat who ran as an independent in this year’s presidential race, abandoned his bid after striking a deal to give Trump his endorsement with a promise to have a role in health policy in the administration.
A longtime vaccine skeptic, 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.
With the Trump campaign, he worked to shore up support among young mothers in particular, with his message of making food healthier in the U.S., promising to model regulations imposed in Europe. In a nod to Trump’s original campaign slogan, he named the effort “Make America Healthy Again.”
Matt Gaetz, attorney general (withdrawn)
President-elect Donald Trump said he will nominate Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida to serve as his attorney general, putting a loyalist in the role of the nation's top prosecutor. In selecting the congressman, Trump passed over some of the more established attorneys whose names had been mentioned as being contenders for the job. On Thursday, Nov. 21, Gaetz withdrew his nomination for attorney general following scrutiny over a federal sex trafficking investigation.
Marco Rubio, secretary of state
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., smiles as he addresses supporters Nov. 8, 2012, in Miami. Credit: AP/Wilfredo Lee
President-elect Donald Trump named Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida as his nominee for secretary of state, setting up a onetime critic who evolved into one of the president-elect’s fiercest defenders to become the nation’s top diplomat.
The conservative lawmaker is a noted hawk on China, Cuba and Iran, and was a finalist to be Trump’s running mate this summer.
On Capitol Hill, Rubio is the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He has pushed for taking a harder line against China and has targeted social media app TikTok because its parent company is Chinese. He and other lawmakers contend that Beijing could demand access to the data of users whenever it wants.
Tulsi Gabbard, director of national intelligence
Former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard waves as she arrives to speak before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump during a campaign rally at Thomas & Mack Center, Oct. 24 in Las Vegas. Credit: AP/Alex Brandon
President-elect Donald Trump has chosen Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democratic member of Congress and presidential candidate, to serve as director of national intelligence, continuing to stock his Cabinet with loyal personalities complimentary to his own, rather than long-term professionals in their requisite fields.
Gabbard, who has served in the Army National Guard for more than two decades, deploying to Iraq and Kuwait, would come to the role as somewhat of an outsider, 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.
Gabbard hasn’t worked directly in the intelligence community, outside of House committees, including two years on the Homeland Security Committee. Like others Trump has selected for his agency leadership, she has been among his most popular political surrogates, often drawing thunderous responses from crowds as she stumped for him in the campaign’s closing months.
Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, Department of Government Efficiency
Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy speak before president-elect Donald Trump at a campaign rally at Madison Square Garden on Oct. 27 in New York. Credit: AP/Evan Vucci
Elon Musk and former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy will lead a new “Department of Government Efficiency" — which is not, despite the name, a government agency.
The acronym “DOGE” is a nod to Musk's favorite cryptocurrency, dogecoin. Trump said in a statement that Musk and Ramaswamy will work from outside the government to offer the White House “advice and guidance” and will partner with the Office of Management and Budget to “drive large scale structural reform, and create an entrepreneurial approach to Government never seen before.” He added that the move would shock government systems.
It's not clear how the organization will operate. It could come under the Federal Advisory Committee Act, which dictates how external groups that advise the government must operate and be accountable to the public.
Federal employees are generally required to disclose their assets and entanglements to ward off any potential conflicts of interest, and to divest significant holdings relating to their work. Because Musk and Ramaswamy would not be formal federal workers, they would not face those requirements or ethical limitations.
Pete Hegseth, secretary of defense
Pete Hegseth walks to an elevator for a meeting with President-elect Donald Trump at Trump Tower in New York, Dec. 15, 2016. Credit: AP/Evan Vucci
Hegseth, 44, is a co-host of Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends Weekend” and has been a contributor with the network since 2014, where he developed a friendship with Trump, who made regular appearances on the show.
Hegseth lacks senior military or national security experience. If confirmed by the Senate, he would inherit the top job during a series of global crises — ranging from Russia’s war in Ukraine and the ongoing attacks in the Middle East by Iranian proxies to the push for a cease-fire between Israel, Hamas and Hezbollah and escalating worries about the growing alliance between Russia and North Korea.
Hegseth is also the author of “The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free,” published earlier this year.
Kristi Noem, secretary of homeland security
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem speaks before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at a campaign town hall on Oct. 14 in Oaks, Pennsylvania. Credit: AP/Matt Rourke
President-elect Donald Trump picked a well-known conservative who faced sharp criticism for telling a story in her memoir about shooting a rambunctious dog to lead an agency crucial to the president-elect’s hardline immigration agenda.
Noem used her two terms leading a tiny state to vault to a prominent position in Republican politics.
South Dakota is usually a political afterthought. But during the COVID-19 pandemic, Noem did not order restrictions that other states had issued and instead declared her state “open for business.” Trump held a fireworks rally at Mount Rushmore in July 2020 in one of the first large gatherings of the pandemic.
She takes over a department with a sprawling mission. In addition to key immigration agencies, the Department of Homeland Security oversees natural disaster response, the U.S. Secret Service, and Transportation Security Administration agents who work at airports.
Dan Scavino, deputy
Dan Scavino speaks before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally at Madison Square Garden, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024, in New York. Credit: AP/Evan Vucci
Trump announced that longtime aide Dan Scavino will serve as a deputy without giving a specific portfolio. Scavino was a senior adviser on Trump’s campaign and, in his first term in the White House, he worked as a social media director.
He began working for Trump as a caddy at one of Trump’s golf courses, and was part of the small group of staffers who traveled with the president across the country for the entirety of the campaign. He frequently posts memes and videos of Trump's campaign travel online, cataloguing the campaign from the inside on social media.
James Blair, deputy for legislative, political and public affairs
James Blair was the political director for Trump’s campaign and, once Trump became the presumptive GOP nominee, the political director for the Republican National Committee. He previously worked on Trump's 2020 campaign in Florida and was a top aide for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Taylor Budowich, deputy chief of staff for communications and personnel
Before joining Trump's campaign, Taylor Budowich worked for the pro-Trump Super PAC, Maga Inc., and after Trump left office, Budowich served as his spokesman while working for Trump's political action committee, Save America.
John Ratfcliffe, CIA director
Former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe, testifies before a hearing April 18, 2023, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Credit: AP/Manuel Balce Ceneta
Trump has picked John Ratcliffe, a former Texas congressman who served as director of national intelligence during his first administration, to be director of the Central Intelligence Agency in his next.
Ratcliffe was director of national intelligence during the final year and a half of Trump's first term, leading the U.S. government's spy agencies during the coronavirus pandemic.
“I look forward to John being the first person ever to serve in both of our Nation's highest Intelligence positions,” Trump said in a statement, calling him a “fearless fighter for the Constitutional Rights of all Americans” who would ensure “the Highest Levels of National Security, and PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH.”
Mike Huckabee, ambassador to Israel
President-elect Donald Trump talks with former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee during a roundtable at the Drexelbrook Catering & Event Center on Oct. 29, 2024. Credit: AP/Julia Demaree Nikhinson
President-elect Donald Trump will nominate former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee as ambassador to Israel, Trump announced Tuesday.
Huckabee is a staunch defender of Israel and his intended nomination comes as Trump has promised to align U.S. foreign policy more closely with Israel's interests as it wages wars against the Iran-backed Hamas and Hezbollah.
“Mike has been a great public servant, Governor, and Leader in Faith for many years,” Trump said in a statement. “He loves Israel, and the people of Israel, and likewise, the people of Israel love him. Mike will work tirelessly to bring about Peace in the Middle East!”
Mike Waltz, national security adviser
Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Fla., speaks outside the hush money criminal case of Donald Trump in New York in May. Credit: AP/Ted Shaffrey
Trump asked Waltz, a retired Army National Guard officer and war veteran, to be his national security adviser, a person familiar with the matter said Monday.
The person spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the matter before Trump made a formal announcement.
The move would put Waltz at the forefront of a litany of national security crises, ranging from the ongoing effort to provide weapons to Ukraine and escalating worries about the growing alliance between Russia and North Korea to the persistent attacks in the Middle East by Iran proxies and the push for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas and Hezbollah.
Waltz is a three-term GOP congressman from east-central Florida. He served multiple tours in Afghanistan and also worked in the Pentagon as a policy adviser when Donald Rumsfeld and Robert Gates were defense chiefs.
He is considered hawkish on China, and called for a U.S. boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing due to its involvement in the origin of COVID-19 and its ongoing mistreatment of the minority Muslim Uighur population.
Lee Zeldin, EPA
Former Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y., speaks at a rally in Concord, N.H., Jan. 19, 2024. Credit: AP/Matt Rourke
Trump has chosen former New York Rep. Lee Zeldin to serve as his pick to lead the Environmental Protection Agency.
Zeldin does not appear to have any experience in environmental issues, but is a longtime supporter of the former president. The 44-year-old former U.S. House member from New York wrote on X, “We will restore US energy dominance, revitalize our auto industry to bring back American jobs, and make the US the global leader of AI.” “We will do so while protecting access to clean air and water,” he added.
During his campaign, Trump often attacked the Biden administration's promotion of electric vehicles, and incorrectly referring to a tax credit for EV purchases as a government mandate. Trump also often told his audiences during the campaign his administration would “Drill, baby, drill,” referring to his support for expanded petroleum exploration.
In a statement, Trump said Zeldin “will ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions that will be enacted in a way to unleash the power of American businesses, while at the same time maintaining the highest environmental standards, including the cleanest air and water on the planet.”
Susie Wiles, chief of staff
Trump co-campaign manager Susie Wiles is seen at Nashville International Airport on July 27. Credit: AP/Alex Brandon
Wiles, 67, was a senior adviser to Trump's 2024 presidential campaign and its de facto manager.
Wiles has a background in Florida politics. She helped Ron DeSantis win his first race for Florida governor. Six years later, she was key to Trump's defeat of him in the 2024 Republican primary.
Wiles’ hire was Trump’s first major decision as president-elect and one that could be a defining test of his incoming administration considering her close relationship with the president-elect. Wiles is said to have earned Trump's trust in part by guiding what was the most disciplined of Trump's three presidential campaigns.
Wiles was able to help keep Trump on track as few others have, not by criticizing his impulses, but by winning his respect by demonstrating his success after taking her advice.
Tom Homan, ‘border czar’
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement acting director Thomas Homan speaks during an interview in East Point, Ga., April 26, 2018. Credit: AP/John Bazemore
Homan, 62, has been tasked with Trump’s top priority of carrying out the largest deportation operation in the nation’s history.
Homan, who served under Trump in his first administration leading U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, was widely expected to be offered a position related to the border, an issue Trump made central to his campaign.
Though Homan has insisted such a massive undertaking would be humane, he has long been a loyal supporter of Trump's policy proposals, suggesting at a July conference in Washington that he would be willing to "run the biggest deportation operation this country’s ever seen.”
Democrats have criticized Homan for his defending Trump's “zero tolerance” policy on border crossings during his first administration, which led to the separation of thousands of parents and children seeking asylum at the border.
Elise Stefanik, United Nations ambassador
Republican Conference Chair Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., waves to supporters at CPAC in Oxon Hill, Md., on Feb. 23. Credit: AP/Jose Luis Magana
Stefanik is a representative from New York and one of Trump's staunchest defenders going back to his first impeachment.
Elected to the House in 2014, Stefanik was selected by her GOP House colleagues as House Republican Conference chair in 2021, when former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney was removed from the post after publicly criticizing Trump for falsely claiming he won the 2020 election. Stefanik, 40, has served in that role ever since as the third-ranking member of House leadership.
Stefanik’s questioning of university presidents over antisemitism on their campuses helped lead to two of those presidents resigning, further raising her national profile.
If confirmed, she would represent American interests at the U.N. as Trump vows to end the war waged by Russia against Ukraine begun in 2022. He has also called for peace as Israel continues its offensive against Hamas in Gaza and its invasion of Lebanon to target Hezbollah.
Stephen Miller, deputy chief of staff for policy
Stephen Miller speaks at a campaign rally at Madison Square Garden on Oct. 27. Credit: AP/Evan Vucci
Miller, an immigration hardliner, was a vocal spokesperson during the presidential campaign for Trump's priority of mass deportations. The 39-year-old was a senior adviser during Trump's first administration.
Miller has been a central figure in some of Trump's policy decisions, notably his move to separate thousands of immigrant families.
Trump argued throughout the campaign that the nation's economic, national security and social priorities could be met by deporting people who are in the United States illegally. Since Trump left office in 2021, Miller has served as the president of America First Legal, an organization made up of former Trump advisers aimed at challenging the Biden administration, media companies, universities and others over issues such as free speech and national security.
Police report reveals assault allegations against Hegseth, Trump's defense secretary pick
Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's pick for secretary of defense, speaks with reporters following a meeting with senators on Capitol Hill, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, in Washington. Credit: AP/Rod Lamkey
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — A woman told police that she was sexually assaulted in 2017 by Pete Hegseth after he took her phone, blocked the door to a California hotel room and refused to let her leave, according to a detailed investigative report made public late Wednesday.
Hegseth, a former Fox News personality and President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to be defense secretary, told police at the time that the encounter had been consensual and denied any wrongdoing, the report said.
News of the allegations surfaced last week when local officials released a brief statement confirming that a woman had accused Hegseth of sexual assault in October 2017 after he had spoken at a Republican women’s event in Monterey.
Republicans on the House Ethics Committee reject releasing report on Matt Gaetz
FILE—Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., appears before the House Rules Committee at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Sept. 22, 2023. Credit: AP/J. Scott Applewhite
WASHINGTON — Republicans on the House Ethics Committee voted Wednesday against releasing a report on the panel's long-running investigation into President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for attorney general, former Rep. Matt Gaetz, the top Democrat on the panel said.
Rep. Susan Wild of Pennsylvania said the ethics panel, which is evenly split between the two parties, voted at a lengthy closed-door meeting, and no Republican joined Democrats who wanted to release the report.
Wild said she was compelled to speak up after the panel's Republican chairman, Rep. Michael Guest of Mississippi, characterized what had transpired at its session. He had said there was no agreement reached on the matter.
