Pompeo, Kennedy … and Musk? Who might be in Trump’s new administration

Elon Musk, who become a totally fledged cheerleader for Trump and who holds billions in federal contracts, has reportedly sought a job in a second Trump administration accountable for the regulators that oversee him. Trump has appeared to rule out a cupboard position for Musk, however has mentioned he needs the tech billionaire to have some kind of an unspecified position in his administration. The world’s wealthiest particular person has proposed the institution of a Division of Authorities Effectivity.

Mike Pompeo, a former CIA director and secretary of state and devoted ally of Trump, selected to not problem his ex-boss for the Republican nomination. The staunch supporter of Israel and a sworn enemy of Iran is extensively thought-about a key contender for a prime position within the new administration, doable as secretary of state for defence.

Robert F Kennedy Jr, the son of the assassinated Bobby Kennedy and nephew of JFK, whose impartial marketing campaign for president has at occasions reached as excessive as 10% of the vote, strongly believes he has a shot at a job in Trump’s cupboard after he backed the Republican. Whereas senior members of Trump’s marketing campaign have dominated out Kennedy getting a job within the Division of Well being, Trump has mentioned he would let him “do what he needs” with girls’s healthcare if he makes it to the White Home, citing how Kennedy would be capable of “go wild” on meals and medicines.

Richard Grenell, an ex-Fox Information contributor who’s amongst Trump’s closest overseas coverage advisers, might be within the operating for secretary of state or different prime overseas coverage and nationwide safety posts. A former US ambassador to Germany and vocal backer of Trump’s America First credo on the worldwide stage in his first time period, he has advocated for establishing an autonomous zone in japanese Ukraine to finish the battle there, a place Kyiv considers unacceptable.

The far-right Republican senator from Arkansas emerged as a dark-horse contender to be Trump’s operating mate within the ultimate weeks of the vice-presidential choice course of. In a infamous 2020 New York Occasions op-ed headlined Ship Within the Troops, Tom Cotton, likened Black Lives Matter protests to a riot and urged the federal government to deploy the US army towards demonstrators by invoking the Riot Act. He’s effectively preferred amongst Trump donors and in addition seen as a contender for secretary of defence.

A retired neurosurgeon and former US housing secretary, Ben Carson has pushed for a nationwide abortion ban – a posture at odds with most People and even Donald Trump himself. Throughout his 2016 run he bumped into controversy when he likened abortion to slavery and mentioned he needed to see the tip of Roe v Wade. When the supreme courtroom reversed its choice within the Dobbs case, he known as it “a vital correction”. Carson might be nominated by Trump as housing and concrete improvement secretary.

A key financial adviser to Trump and ally of JD Vance, Scott Bessent, the supervisor of Key Sq. macro hedge fund, is seen as a doable cupboard contender. The Wall Avenue investor and a outstanding Trump fundraiser has praised Trump’s use of tariffs as a negotiating device.

A former US military inexperienced beret, who now serves as a congressman for Florida, Michael Waltz has solidified his popularity as a number one advocate for a more durable stance on China throughout the Home of Representatives. He performed a number one position in sponsoring laws aimed toward lowering the US’s dependence on minerals sourced from China. Waltz is understood to have a stable friendship with Trump and has additionally voiced help for US help to Ukraine, whereas concurrently pushing for higher oversight of American taxpayer funds allotted to help Kyiv’s defence efforts. He has been tipped within the US media as a contender for both defence secretary or secretary of state.

Robert Lighthizer is Donald Trump’s most senior commerce official. He’s a agency believer in tariffs and was one of many main figures in Trump’s commerce battle with China. Described by Trump as “the best United States commerce consultant in American historical past”, Lighthizer is sort of sure to be again within the new cupboard. Although Scott Bessent and the billionaire hedge fund supervisor John Paulson in all probability have a greater shot at turning into treasury secretary, Lighthizer has a number of exterior possibilities: he would possibly be capable of reprise his previous position as US commerce consultant or turn out to be the brand new commerce secretary.

A former home coverage adviser within the White Home, Brooke Rollins has a detailed private relationship with Trump. Thought-about by many to be one among Trump’s extra average advisers, she backed the previous president’s first-term legal justice reforms that lessened jail sentences for some comparatively minor offences and is seen as a number one contender for chief of employees.

One among Trump’s two co-campaign managers, Susie Wiles, could also be vying with Brooke Rollins for the place of chief of employees. Though her political opinions stay considerably ambiguous, she is seen as having led a profitable and streamlined presidential race. Supporters consider she might introduce a stage of organisation and self-discipline that was regularly absent all through Trump’s first time period, marked by a sequence of modifications within the chief of employees position.

Though he has been much less outstanding on the marketing campaign path than in earlier election cycles, the forty seventh president’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr, was lively behind the scenes and advocated for his buddy JD Vance as operating mate. He has constructed a loyal following within the Maga universe through his Triggered podcast and has taken a job alongside together with his brother Eric Trump within the transition course of to ascertain a brand new administration. The formal co-chairs of the transition are the Cantor Fitzgerald chief government, Howard Lutnick, and Linda McMahon, the previous wrestling government who led the Small Enterprise Administration throughout Trump’s first time period.

A senior coverage adviser within the early a part of Trump’s first time period who was the chief architect of the Muslim journey ban, Stephen Miller is predicted to be again within the White Home for a second Trump time period that the president-elect has mentioned will convey the biggest mass deportation in US historical past. The anti-immigration extremist can be the founding father of America First Authorized, a bunch described by him as the suitable’s “long-awaited reply” to the American Civil Liberties Union, and is already serving to drive plans for the second Trump time period.