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Susie Wiles has been named Trump’s White House chief of staff. A longtime Republican strategist and Florida political operative, Wiles will be the first woman to hold the position.
Everything you need to know about Team Trump 2.0
Susie Wiles has been named Trump’s White House chief of staff. A longtime Republican strategist and Florida political operative, Wiles will be the first woman to hold the position. Before serving as Trump’s de facto campaign advisor in 2024, she was credited with helping Gov. Ron DeSantis and Sen. Rick Scott get elected in the Sunshine State.
Tom Homan has been tapped to serve as “border czar” to oversee Trump’s plans for mass deportations. The former ICE director is a strong believer in border control and will also be responsible for maritime and aviation security. At the National Conservatism Conference in Washington, DC, earlier this year, Homan notably said that if he was appointed to the position “no one’s off the table. If you’re here illegally, you better be looking over your shoulder.”
Stephen Miller, a senior adviser and speechwriter in Trump’s first term, has been appointed deputy chief of staff for policy. He also is expected to play a big role in cracking down on immigration. In an interview on Fox News last week, Miller expressed that he hoped to increase deportation numbers to more than one million per year, and said he hoped to begin them as soon as possible.
Rep. Mike Waltz, a House Republican and veteran Green Beret, has been chosen to serve as national security adviser. Waltz is a big China hawk who has argued that the US is not prepared enough for a potential conflict in the Indo-Pacific.
Sen. Marco Rubio will serve as America’s top diplomat – in the role of secretary of state. Rubio aligns with Trump in that he is a China hawk and has supported negotiating an end to the war in Ukraine. But he is also a proponent of maintaining alliances and could serve as a counterweight to isolationist voices in Trump’s circle on some issues. He is also known for his hawkishness when it comes to Iran, Cuba, and Venezuela — and could make Latin America a much bigger priority for Trump 2.0. Tapping Rubio “suggests that Trump is going to take a more direct interest in Latin American policy this time around,” says Eurasia Group’s Clayton Allen.
John Ratcliffe, a loyalist who served as director of national intelligence in Trump's first administration, has been tapped to become the next CIA director. Ratcliffe is also a China hawk who aligns with Trump on security police.
Rep. Elise Stefanik will serve as the US ambassador to the UN. She is currently the chair of the House Republican Conference and the only woman in House Republican leadership. She has often criticized the UN, particularly over issues involving Israel and Palestine. She recently called for the US to conduct a “complete reassessment” of US funding for the UN if it continues to consider revoking Israel’s UN membership.
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee will serve as US ambassador to Israel. Huckabee is also an evangelical pastor and the first non-Jew to hold the position in 15 years. He has been a stalwart supporter of Israel’s right to defend itself and of its settlements in the West Bank throughout his career. His appointment is expected to further empower the far-right within Israel’s government.
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem has been picked to become Trump’s Homeland Security chief, where she will oversee Immigration and Customs Enforcement, FEMA, the Secret Service, and Customs and Border Protection. Noem is known as a hardliner on immigration, even sending her state’s national guard to the southern border to assist in detaining migrants, and supported Trump’s travel ban from Muslim-majority countries during his first term.
Fox News host Pete Hegseth has been nominatedto become defense secretary. Hegseth is an Army veteran who served in Afghanistan and Iraq but lacks government experience, and this unorthodox choice is already facing major questions. So far, he is expected to be the most likely appointment to be held up in the Senate confirmation process.
Trump has also created new positions for Elon Musk, the richest person on the planet, and former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy to lead a new "Department of Government Efficiency.” Since this cabinet position does not officially exist, and cannot be created without an act of Congress, it is unclear how it will increase efficiency or streamline the bureaucracy. Trump says that it will “provide advice and guidance from outside the government.”
On Wednesday, Trump announced that former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, a defector from the Democratic Party, who was briefly in the running to be Trump’s running mate, will be the director of national intelligence. Her prior service as a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve has made her skeptical of the foreign policy establishment, and she is yet another of Trump’s picks who will be skeptical of US military intervention.
Trump also nominated Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz to serve as his attorney general. Gaetz notably is being investigated by the House Ethics Committee over sexual misconduct allegations. As one of Trump's closest allies, Gaetz’s nomination raises flags about his ability to put his loyalties aside in a position that’s meant to be independent of the president. That said, Gaetz is far from the first AG nominee whose independence has been questioned. The same was said about Eric Holder and Barack Obama, John Mitchell and Richard Nixon, and John F. Kennedy and his brother, Robert F. Kennedy.
Donald Trump is seen here at a Jets football game next to his campaign manager Susie Wiles, on Oct. 20, 2024. The president-elect has just named Wiles his White House chief of staff.
Who will Trump’s team be?
At last count — yep, they’re still counting ballots from last week’s US election — Republicans looked set for a clean sweep: taking not only the White House and Senate but possibly the House too. With 18 House races yet to be called, the GOP is leading in seven and needs to win just four for a majority.
Attention now turns to the president-elect’s naming of names for the first cabinet of “Trump 2.0.”
Here’s what we know:
Trump has made just one appointment so far: He has named Susie Wiles as the first-ever female White House chief of staff. The 67-year-old veteran Florida political operative ran Trump’s presidential campaign, helping to secure his stunning comeback.
We also know for sure that two people won’t be in Trump’s cabinet: Nikki Haley, who served Trump as UN ambassador but also ran against him in the 2024 primary, and Mike Pompeo, who was Trump’s secretary of state during his first administration.
No other appointees have been made official, so lots of Republicans are jostling for 15 Cabinet positions and various advisory roles.
Names being floated for secretary of state, the US top foreign policy role, include Richard Grenell, former ambassador to Germany and acting DNI director; former national security adviser Robert O’Brien, former Iran envoy Brian Hook, GOP Sen. Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.
The US Treasury secretary position, which is the top financial position in the US government, is likely to go to one of five men: Robert Lighthizer, the arch-protectionist who helmed the US tariff war with China as Trump 1.0’s US trade representative; billionaire hedge fund managers Scott Bessent and John Paulson; former SEC chair Jay Clayton; and Larry Kudlow, Trump’s former National Economic Council director.
For interior secretary, which oversees management of federal lands, including their use as energy sources, the top names include South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, as well as North Dakota’s billionaire Gov. Doug Burgum — both were once considered veep candidates for Trump. Burgum, meanwhile, is also on the shortlist for energy secretary, along with Dan Brouillette, who held the post last time around.
We’ll be keeping an eye on official appointments for these and the other Cabinet positions, as well as for indications of what portfolios go to key supporters like Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — who may be named a White House health and wellness adviser or even become secretary of health and human services – and Elon Musk, who has himself suggested being named to helm a new department focused on government efficiency.