Virgilio Lorenzo Jr

Trump's top team: Firebrands and stalwarts

Article (news)

Agence France-Presse

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1732415596747Image (14).jpeg" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Tourists gather in front of the White House in Washington, DC. File photo</span></span></span></div><p>WASHINGTON — US President-elect Donald Trump is handing top roles in his future administration to a mix of loyalists, provocateurs and a few relatively conventional figures.</p><p>Most positions will require confirmation by the US Senate.</p><div><strong>Health Secretary: RFK Jr.</strong></div><p>Leading vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is the scion of the famous Democratic political dynasty — and a conspiracy theorist.</p><p>The 70-year-old has promoted the disproven idea that childhood vaccines cause autism. He endorsed Trump after first seeking the Democratic presidential nomination.</p><p>TV celebrity Mehmet Oz, a former surgeon, has been picked to lead the country&#x27;s massive public health insurance programs.</p><div><strong>Attorney General: Pam Bondi</strong></div><p>The staunch Trump ally and former Florida attorney general from 2011 to 2019 is the president-elect&#x27;s second pick to lead the Department of Justice.</p><p>Bondi, who defended Trump during his first impeachment trial, was nominated after ex-congressman Matt Gaetz withdrew amid renewed scrutiny of sexual misconduct allegations.</p><div><strong>&#x27;Government Efficiency&#x27;: Elon Musk</strong></div><p>Tech tycoon Musk, the world&#x27;s richest person, was tapped to lead a new Department of Government Efficiency, along with wealthy Trump ally Vivek Ramaswamy. Both will supposedly remain private citizens.</p><p>Musk says he is targeting $2 trillion in cuts from the federal government&#x27;s $7 trillion budget, pledging to test legal boundaries to achieve it.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2024/11/20/musk-outlines-plans-for-mass-cuts-as-trump-efficiency-czar-0614">Musk outlines plans for mass cuts as Trump &#x27;efficiency&#x27; czar</a></div><div><strong>Secretary of State: Marco Rubio</strong></div><p>Amid the intensifying US power struggle with China, Trump tapped Senator Rubio of Florida, a relatively traditional conservative hawk, as top diplomat.</p><p>Born to Cuban immigrants, Rubio is a fervent Israel supporter and longtime critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin.</p><div><strong>Defense Secretary: Pete Hegseth</strong></div><p>Fox News host and former soldier Hegseth was nominated to head the Pentagon, which employs some 2.9 million people, despite a slim CV.</p><p>He was investigated for an alleged 2017 sexual assault but no charges were filed.</p><div><strong>Treasury Secretary: Scott Bessent</strong></div><p>Hedge fund manager Bessent would oversee policymaking for the world&#x27;s biggest economy. He has called for an extension of tax cuts from Trump&#x27;s first term and review of the nation&#x27;s budget deficit.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2024/11/20/musk-outlines-plans-for-mass-cuts-as-trump-efficiency-czar-0614">RELATED: PH needs to broaden export market after Trump win — economist</a></div><div><strong>Director of National Intelligence: Tulsi Gabbard</strong></div><p>Former Hawaii congresswoman and onetime presidential candidate Gabbard, like Kennedy a former Democrat, has stood out for endorsing Kremlin justifications about its invasion of Ukraine, and controversially met in 2017 with Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad.</p><div><strong>Homeland Security Secretary: Kristi Noem</strong></div><p>South Dakota&#x27;s governor became famous for admitting she shot an &quot;untrainable&quot; pet dog, saying it showed her ability to make tough choices.</p><p>Noem would play a key role in Trump&#x27;s promise to restrict immigration and deport undocumented migrants, along with hard-liners Tom Homan and Stephen Miller, who will be &quot;border czar&quot; and White House deputy chief of staff, respectively.</p><div><strong>Education Secretary: Linda McMahon</strong></div><p>The former executive of the staged and scripted WWE wrestling brand will head a department Trump has pledged to abolish, vowing to &quot;send education back to the states.&quot;</p><p>McMahon is a major Trump donor and led the Small Business Administration during his first term.</p><div><strong>Interior Secretary: Doug Burgum</strong></div><p>Burgum, North Dakota&#x27;s governor, would lead a sprawling department that oversees federal lands and natural resources, with additional clout as head of a new National Energy Council aimed at expanding oil and gas production.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/world/2024/11/20/los-angeles-passes-sanctuary-city-ordinance-to-protect-migrants-915">READ: Los Angeles passes &#x27;sanctuary city&#x27; ordinance to protect migrants</a></div><div><strong>Others<br/></strong></div><p>Energy Secretary: Fracking magnate Chris Wright</p><p>Commerce Secretary: Wall Street investor Howard Lutnick</p><p>Agriculture Secretary: Brooke Rollins, policy aide in Trump&#x27;s first term</p><p>Transportation Secretary: Fox News host and ex-congressman Sean Duffy</p><p>Labor Secretary: pro-business congresswoman Lori Chavez-DeRemer</p><p>Veterans Affairs Secretary: Iraq war veteran and ex-congressman Doug Collins</p><p>Housing Secretary: Retired NFL player and businessman Scott Turner</p><p>CIA Director: John Ratcliffe, former director of national intelligence</p><p>National Security Advisor: China hawk and Florida congressman Mike Waltz</p><p>Office of Management and Budget Director: Russell Vought, who held the role during Trump&#x27;s first term</p><p>Environmental Protection Agency Administrator: Former New York congressman Lee Zeldin</p><p>Federal Communications Commission Chair: Big-tech critic Brendan Carr</p><p>UN Ambassador: New York congresswoman Elise Stefanik, a pro-Israel stalwart</p><p>NATO Ambassador: Former acting attorney general Matthew Whitaker</p><p>White House Chief of Staff: Trump campaign manager Susie Wiles</p><p>White House Press Secretary: Former Trump campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt</p><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div>

<p>US President-elect Donald Trump is handing top roles in his future administration to a mix of loyalists, provocateurs and a few relatively conventional figures.</p>

US President-elect Donald Trump is handing top roles in his future administration to a mix of loyalists, provocateurs and a few relatively conventional figures.