(AFP) – US President-elect Donald Trump is handing top roles for his future White House to a mix of political allies, firebrands, and a few relatively conventional figures.
**Health Secretary: RFK Jr.**
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is a longtime health and environmental campaigner, and the scion of the famous US political dynasty. But the 70-year-old is also a leading anti-vaccine activist and conspiracy theorist who has promoted the disproven idea that childhood vaccines cause autism. He has also claimed that Covid vaccines were deadly.
**’Government Efficiency’: Elon Musk**
Tech tycoon Musk, and the world’s richest person, was tapped to lead a new Department of Government Efficiency, along with another wealthy Trump ally, Vivek Ramaswamy. Musk says he is targeting $2 trillion in cuts from the federal government’s $7 trillion budget, without explaining how.
**Secretary of State: Marco Rubio**
Amid the intensifying US power struggle with China, Trump tapped the Florida senator, a relatively traditional conservative hawk, as top diplomat. The son of Cuban immigrants is a fervent supporter of Israel and longtime critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
**Defense Secretary: Pete Hegseth**
Fox News host and former soldier Hegseth was nominated to lead the world’s most powerful military, despite a slim CV.
**National Security Advisor: Mike Waltz**
Congressman and former special forces officer Waltz has been tapped as Trump’s top White House foreign policy advisor. Waltz is critical of both China and Russia but backs winding down support for Ukraine.
**CIA Director: John Ratcliffe**
Ratcliffe was director of national intelligence at the tumultuous end of Trump’s first term. He defended Trump during his first impeachment trial for allegedly blackmailing Ukraine’s president. However, he is seen as somewhat of an institutionalist and a relatively safe pair of hands.
**Director of National Intelligence: Tulsi Gabbard**
Gabbard, a former Hawaii congresswoman, switched sides from the Democrats to back Trump’s reelection. She has stood out for echoing Kremlin talking points about the invasion of Ukraine. As director of national intelligence, she would oversee coordination of the 18 intelligence agencies.
**Attorney General: Matt Gaetz**
A pro-Trump firebrand in Congress, Gaetz was subject to a House ethics probe into alleged sex trafficking, though no criminal charges were brought. He would head a Justice Department that is expected to drop a string of criminal cases against Trump. Trump has named his personal attorneys Todd Blanche and Emil Bove, who defended him during his trial this year over hush money payments to former porn star Stormy Daniels, as deputies to Gaetz.
**Homeland Security Secretary: Kristi Noem**
South Dakota Governor Noem, a longtime Trump loyalist, would play a key role in any Trump effort to restrict immigration and deport undocumented migrants. Noem became famous for admitting that she shot an “untrainable” pet dog, saying it showed her ability to make tough choices. Veteran immigration official Tom Homan is set to be the country’s “border czar.”
**Secretary of the Interior: Doug Burgum**
North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, a billionaire businessman-turned-politician like Trump, would lead a department that oversees federal lands, including their oil and gas production.
**Energy Secretary: Chris Wright**
Fracking magnate and climate change skeptic Chris Wright has been tasked with “cutting red tape” to aid Trump’s goal of boosting investment in fossil fuels. Wright is the founder of Liberty Energy, which serves companies that have driven oil and gas extraction in recent years through fracking.
**White House Press Secretary: Karoline Leavitt**
At 27, Karoline Leavitt will be the youngest ever White House press secretary, having previously served as Trump’s campaign spokeswoman.
**UN Ambassador: Elise Stefanik**
New York congresswoman Stefanik is a vocal Trump ally and pro-Israel stalwart.
**Others**
Environmental Protection Agency: Former congressman Lee Zeldin.
White House Chief of Staff: Trump campaign manager Susie Wiles.
Veterans Affairs Secretary: Iraq war veteran and former Georgia congressman Doug Collins.
Ambassador to Israel: Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee.
© 2024 AFP
