Who’s been picked for Trump’s second administration so far?

Who’s been picked for Trump’s second administration so far?

President-elect Donald Trump has wasted no time staffing his incoming administration, announcing a flurry of picks in the last few days alone. With intense jockeying going on at the highest levels of MAGA world, and a slate of cabinet picks yet to be announced, here’s a look at who’s been picked so far.

Vice President JD Vance

JD Vance will be the first millennial vice president.AFP via Getty Images

JD Vance will be America’s millennial vice president and the second youngest VP in history.

He was serving his first term as senator from Ohio when Trump tapped him to be his running mate.

Vance is seen as the heir-apparent to the MAGA movement adopting economic populist stances and skepticism towards US foreign engagements such as Ukraine funding.

Secretary of State: Marco Rubio

Sen. Marco Rubio
Sen. Marco Rubio was tapped as Secretary of State.AFP via Getty Images

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio was first elected senator in 2010.

The son of Cuban immigrants, he is seen as a foreign policy hawk who strongly favors a hard line on Iran and communist China.

Rubio was famously dubbed “Lil Marco” by Trump when he ran against him in the 2016 GOP presidential primary, but his nod to run State represents his growing relationship with President-elect Trump.

Rubio is regarded highly by establishment Republicans, but has lately adopted more economically populist policy positions favored by the MAGA wing of the party.

Secretary of Defense: Pete Hegseth

Trump tapped “Fox & Friends Weekend” host Pete Hegseth to lead the DoD. Hegseth is an Iraq and Afghanistan war veteran who has received two Bronze Stars. Hegseth is an unexpected pick for the position, with Sen. Joni Ernst and former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard vying for the role. He is a graduate of Princeton University and got his masters from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.

Pete Hegseth is Trump’s pick for Secretary of Defense.AP

Department of Homeland Security: Kristi Noem

Kristi Noem
Gov. Kristi Noem will head the DHS if confirmed.AP

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem has been chosen to oversee Trump’s Department of Homeland Security. As Homeland Security secretary Noem will oversee ICE and be tasked with implementing much of President-elect Trump’s deportation and border security plans. The South Dakota governor was once in contention to be Trump’s VP pick, but was taken out of the running after she admited in her memoir she once killed her puppy Cricket after she determined it was “untrainable.”

CIA Director: John Ratcliffe

Trump picked John Ratcliffe to serve as CIA director.POOL/AFP via Getty Images

John Ratcliffe is a former Texas congressman who was Trump’s Director of National Intelligence during his first term.

While serving as head of National Intelligence Ratcliffe denied the unproven allegations made by the “Spies who Lie” that Hunter Biden’s laptop was part of a Russian disinformation campaign.

“Hunter Biden’s laptop is not part of some Russian disinformation campaign,” Ratcliffe told Fox Business Network days after The Post first reported on the Biden family’s extensive overseas business dealings.

Ratcliffe is seen as a hawk on China and has accused the communist country of engaging in a “massive cover-up” of the origins of COVID 19.

EPA Director Lee Zeldin

Lee Zeldin
Lee Zeldin was tapped to lead the EPA.AFP via Getty Images

Lee Zeldin is a former congressman from Long Island. He ran unsuccessfully for New York Governor against Kathy Hochul in 2022. Zeldin’s gubernatorial race was closer than many predicted with him having lost by only six points. Zeldin made headlines after he was nearly stabbed at a campaign rally after a man rushed the stage and attacked him. He was a staunch supporter of Trump’s during his first term in congress.

UN Ambassador: Elise Stefanik

Elise Stefanik
Elise Stefanik will be the US ambassador to the UN.REUTERS

Rep. Elise Stefanik has been picked to be Trump’s UN ambassador. Stefanik is the fourth highest ranking GOP member of the House, and has been a staunch Trump ally. The upstate New York rep’s selection was cheered by Jewish supporters of the president-elect. Stefanik’s tough questioning about campus antisemitism is widely seen as leading to the firings of the presidents of Harvard and UPenn.

Border Czar: Tom Homan

Tom Homan
Tom Homan has been a vocal proponent of deportations.

Tom Homan led Immigration and Custom Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations under President Barack Obama in 2013, before being picked to lead the agency by President Trump in 2017.

As border czar Homan will not have to be approved by the Senate, and Trump has tasked him with overseeing his ambitious deportation plans.

Homan has been a vocal proponent of deportations, and says that he will not allow sanctuary cities to get in the way of President-elect Trump’s initiative to deport over a million criminal migrants.

“We’re going to do the job with you or without you,” he told “Fox & Friends” Monday.

White House Chief of Staff: Susie Wiles

Susie Wiles
Susie Wiles will be Trump’s chief of staff.REUTERS

Susie Wiles ran Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign alongside Corey Lewandowski and Chris Lacivita. Wiles is a veteran of Florida politics widely credited with energizing Ron DeSantis’ then-struggling gubernatorial campaign. Wiles, a DC outsider, is widely credited with running the most disciplined of Trump’s three campaigns for president.

Department of Government Efficiency (D.O.G.E.): Vivek Ramaswamy, Elon Musk

Biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk have been tapped to run the new Department of Government Efficiencey (D.O.G.E.). Ramaswamy is a businessman who ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024 before becoming a vocal campaign surrogate for President-elect Trump. Musk previously supported Barack Obama but became a major donor and campaign spokesman for Trump. The Tesla CEO handed out $1 million cash giveaways at a series of townhalls in battleground state Pennsylvania in the leadup to the election.

The Department of Government Efficiency is a new agency established to oversee and reduce federal spending. Its initials spell out D.O.G.E, which is a meme-based crypto currency.

Elon Musk
Elon Musk will co-lead the Department of Government Efficiency.AFP via Getty Images
Vivek Ramaswamy
Vivek Ramaswamy will also lead the department, tasked with reducing federal spending, alongside Musk.REUTERS

National Security Adviser: Mike Waltz

Rep. Mike Waltz was tapped as serving as Trump’s national security adviser. The Florida congressman was the first Green Beret ever to be elected to the House.

He is seen as a China hawk and has been highly critical of Biden’s botched withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Rep. Mike Waltz
Rep. Mike Waltz will be Trump’s national security adviser.waltz.house.gov/

What do you think? Post a comment.

Deputy White House Chief of Staff: Stephen Miller

AFP via Getty Images

Stephen Miller served as a senior adviser on immigration during Trump’s first term in office. Miller, 39, is a proponent of strict border enforcement and deportations. Before joining Trump’s orbit Miller previously worked for former Senator Jeff Sessions.

About The Facts USA

The Facts USA was launched in 2023 with the slogan “forward with the people,” because that is what we believe in. The Facts USA cares about quality of life, the kind of world we live in, and about people. The Facts USA is more than a newspaper. It is an instigator, an entertainer, a cultural reference point, a finger on the pulse and a daily relationship. We believes that great journalism has the power to make each reader’s life richer and more fulfilling, and all of society stronger and more just.

View all posts by The Facts USA →

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *