After Donald Trump’s presidential election, the world has set its eyes on who he will pick for his cabinet. Trump is also all geared up and has started selecting people for his cabinet portfolio. His selection of cabinet will alter the course of global politics as the appointed individuals will have a lot of say in world affairs in the upcoming months. Although many significant portfolios still need to be filled, here is a breakdown of Trump’s proposed cabinet that has been shared with the media so far.
Chief of Staff
After the president and vice president, the chief of staff holds the most significant position in any US presidency. This time, Trump has decided to appoint Susie Wiles as his chief of staff, which also makes her the first woman in history to hold this position. She also played a major role during Trump’s campaign as a co-campaign manager. Due to her constructive role, this campaign has been regarded as the most disciplined and effective campaign of Trump so far.
Deputy Chief of Staff
In recent news, Trump has announced the appointment of Dan Scavino as his new deputy chief of staff. He will also have the additional role of Trump’s assistant. He worked as a senior advisor during Trump’s election campaign this year. During Trump’s first tenure, he was mainly responsible for handling Trump’s social media.
Secretary of State
This position is the highest appointed position in the US cabinet. For now, there is no official announcement of who Trump will give this significant portfolio to, but according to some sources, he intends to appoint Marco Rubio. He is a seasoned US Senate member who also happens to have a hardcore approach toward China, Iran, Cuba, and Venezuela. His robust approach towards China can also be seen through one of his proposed bills, where he demanded a ban on China’s exports that were allegedly manufactured by the suppressed Uyghur minority.
Moreover, back in 2019, during Trump’s presidency, he has always pushed him to have a stringent sanction approach towards Venezuela. He is also famous for his aligned thinking with Trump regarding ending the Russia-Ukraine conflict and finding a middle ground in it. Surprisingly, Rubio has been a loyal Trump supporter despite being passed over as a suitable candidate for vice president.
Secretary of Defence
For the portfolio of secretary of defence, Trump has decided to appoint Pete Hegseth, an Army National Guard veteran and a famous Fox News host. This pick is a shock for the Republicans, as it is one of Trump’s most unusual picks so far. Hegseth has been deployed in numerous challenging areas, including Guantanamo Bay, Iraq, and Afghanistan, making him an experienced person for this portfolio.
Director of National Intelligence
Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman and now a staunch Trump supporter, has been appointed as the director of national intelligence. Back in 2020, she was the presidential candidate. She parted ways with the Democratic Party in 2022 and, for a brief period, worked as an independent politician. Recently, she has changed her political allegiance from being an independent politician to joining the Republican Party.
She is an anti-interventionist. On multiple occasions, she has criticized US interventions in conflicted zones such as Syria. Although Gabbard has served the Army National Guard for two decades, she is still not experienced enough to hold a sensitive portfolio like this. It is also important to note that, unlike her previous director counterparts, she has not held any senior government position.
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director
John Ratcliffe, a previous Texas congressman representative who served as the director of national intelligence from 2020-2021, where he supervised 17 national agencies, has been appointed as the CIA director for Trump’s upcoming presidency. The top US spy is famous for his revelations on the unverified Russian intelligence saga during Clinton’s campaign and the Hunter Biden case. Apart from these instances, Ratcliffe has also declassified major intelligence incidents. Trump, on several occasions, has also addressed Ratcliffe as a “warrior for truth and honesty with the American Public.”
White House Counsel
William Joseph McGinley, a seasoned lawyer, has been appointed as the White House counsel. He has been famous for being a loyal lawyer to the Republican Party for a very long time. Moreover, he is a part of two major lobbying firms in the US. He is also famous for dealing with political scandals concerning ethics and morality, which are grave allegations that Trump has faced numerous times. He has also served as a White House cabinet secretary during Trump’s first tenure.
Special Envoy to the Middle East
For this portfolio, Trump has selected his old gold partner and a real-estate business tycoon, Steven Witkoff, who also happened to be with him when the second assassination attempt was executed on Trump. He is the founder of the famous Witkoff real estate agency. He is also the chairman of the real estate advisory board of the University of Miami Business School.
One of the striking points of Witkoff’s personality is that he is Jewish and pro-Israel. He has a significant challenge in dealing with the Middle East crisis. With his no background in diplomacy, it will be an arduous task for him to meet all the goals that Trump has set for the Middle East, including a peace deal between Israel and Palestine and the recontinuation of the normalization process between Saudi Arabia and Israel. Yet the new president fully believes and regards him as an excellent negotiator.
US Ambassador to Israel
Trump has decided to appoint a pro-Israeli ambassador to Israel instead of appointing an unbiased and objective individual. Mike Huckabee has constantly criticized the Biden administration for mishandling the conflict and proposing a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel. He has also served in the Army Special Forces for 27 years. He has also served Arkansas as its governor. With his appointment, there seems a chance that Israel will intensify its atrocities against Palestine since they will now have the solid backing of the US cabinet.
National Security Advisor
Trump has named Mike Waltz for this portfolio for a critical position like the NSA. He is a former Green Beret officer with long years of expertise in foreign policy and defence. As an NSA, he will play a significant role in resolving geopolitical conflicts such as Israel-Palestine and Russia-Ukraine conflicts. In addition, he has always been a hardcore critic of China, Mexico, Iran, and Afghanistan. Like most of the officials from Trump’s proposed cabinet, Waltz is also a staunch supporter of Israel.
Homeland Security Secretary
South Dakota’s first-ever woman governor, Kristi Noem, has been appointed homeland security secretary for the upcoming tenure. Trump has always been regarded as a hardliner against immigration. His pick of Noem for this portfolio is appropriate, as she is famous for her stringent reviews of border security and immigration.
Border Czar
Tom Homan, a previous Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) director and also a staunch anti-immigration official, has been appointed for the portfolio of border czar, where he will be responsible for border management, which includes north and south borders as well as aviation and maritime security. Homan will also make a substantial contribution to the upcoming administration’s efforts to deport illegal immigrants. He started his way from being a border patrol agent to being a director of one of the most esteemed portfolios in the US: ICE.
Energy Secretary
Doug Burgum, a former North Dakota governor, has been shortlisted for the energy secretary portfolio. Trump plans to introduce a new portfolio known as “Energy Czar.” Burgum is also being considered for this position. Although no proper explanation of this new portfolio has been outlined, it will revolve around coordinating energy-related policies with numerous agencies. The selection is not final yet, as Burgam has Dan Brouillette, a former energy secretary, as a contender. Burgam is everyone’s favourite in the oil industry. He is the governor of the state, the third largest oil producer in the US after New Mexico and Texas.
Department of Government Efficiency
Trump looks pretty excited about his new tenure as he introduces new portfolios with each passing day. Recently, he announced the formation of a new department named the Department of Government Efficiency. This department will be responsible for cutting extra expenditures, reducing unnecessary regulations, and making appropriate changes in the federal agencies. This is a non-governmental entity; hence, it needs congressional endorsement to make it a government entity.
According to Trump, the department will advise the government from outside as non-political individuals. To run this department, Trump has decided to appoint Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy as heads. Musk is already very famous for cutting down expenditures. He laid off many people in X because of his cost-consuming strategies. While his counterpart, Ramaswamy, is also renowned for his cost-effective plans. He has advised Trump to eliminate the Department of Education and give the jurisdiction to states to reduce federal expenditure.
Elon Musk has vowed to cut $2 trillion from the federal budget. For this purpose, Musk has decided to eradicate Medicare fraud, which will help them save dollars. It is also persistent on ending subsidies on agricultural products. Since federal spending comes under the jurisdiction of Congress, any significant cuts on social services like Medicare will not be taken pleasantly, given that it is a famous social service and affects the official’s vote bank.
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Minahil Baig is currently pursuing her master's degree in Peace and Conflict Studies from NUST. Her areas of interest include conflict management, defence studies, artificial intelligence, and modern warfare.