Donald Trump's picks for key cabinet positions

President-elect Donald Trump is beginning to fill key posts in his second administration, thus far emphasizing aides and allies who were his strongest backers during the 2024 campaign.

Here you can see who he has selected so far.

Susie Wiles, Chief of Staff

Williams, 67, was a senior advisor to Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign and his de facto manager.

Wiles has a background in Florida politics. She helped Ron DeSantis win his first race for governor of Florida. Six years later, she was key to Trump’s defeat in the 2024 Republican primaries.

Wiles’ appointment was Trump’s first major decision as president-elect and one that could be a defining test for his new administration, given its close relationship with the president-elect. Wiles is said to have earned Trump’s trust in part by presiding over the most disciplined of Trump’s three presidential campaigns.

Wiles was able to help Trump stay on track as few others have, not by criticizing his impulses, but by winning his respect by demonstrating his success after seeking her advice.

Mike Waltz, National Security Advisor

Trump tapped Waltz, a retired National Guard officer and war veteran, to become his national security adviser, a person familiar with the matter said Monday.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the matter before Trump made a formal announcement.

The move would put Waltz at the forefront of a litany of national security crises, ranging from the ongoing efforts to arm Ukraine and escalating concerns about the growing alliance between Russia and North Korea to the continued attacks in the Middle East by Iranian allies and the pursuit of a ceasefire between Israel, Hamas and Hezbollah.

Waltz is a three-term Republican congressman from east-central Florida. He served multiple tours in Afghanistan and also worked in the Pentagon as a policy advisor when Donald Rumsfeld and Robert Gates were defense chiefs.

He is seen as hawkish toward China and called for a U.S. boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing over his involvement in the origins of COVID-19 and continued mistreatment of the Uyghur minority Muslim population.

Tom Homan, ‘border czar’

Homan, 62, has become Trump’s top priority of carrying out the largest deportation operation in the country’s history.

Homan, who served under Trump in his first administration to lead U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, was widely expected to take a position related to the border, an issue Trump made central to his campaign.

While Homan insists such a large-scale undertaking would be humane, he has long been a staunch supporter of Trump’s policy proposals. At a July conference in Washington, he suggested he would be prepared to carry out “the largest deportation operation this country has ever seen.”

Democrats have criticized Homan for his defense of Trump’s “zero tolerance” policy on border crossings during his first administration, which led to the separation of thousands of parents and children seeking asylum at the border.

Elise Stefanik, Ambassador of the United Nations

Stefanik is one representative from New York and one of Trump’s staunchest defenders dating back to his first impeachment.

Stefanik was elected to the House of Representatives in 2014 and was chosen by her GOP House colleagues to chair the House Republican Conference in 2021, when former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney was removed from the post after she had publicly criticized Trump for falsely claiming he had won the 2020 election. Stefanik, 40, has since served in that role as the third member of the House of Representatives leadership.

Stefanik’s questioning of university presidents about anti-Semitism on their campuses led to two of those presidents resigning, further raising her national profile.

If confirmed, she would represent US interests at the UN as Trump promises to end Russia’s war on Ukraine, which started in 2022. He has also called for peace as Israel continues its offensive against Hamas in Gaza and its invasion of Lebanon to attack Hezbollah. .

Stephen Miller, deputy chief of staff for policy

Miller, a immigration hardlinerwas a vocal spokesperson during the presidential campaign for Trump’s priority of mass deportations. The 39-year-old was a senior adviser during Trump’s first administration.

Miller has been a central figure in some of Trump’s policy decisions, most notably his plan to separate thousands of immigrant families.

Trump argued throughout the campaign that the country’s economic, national security and social priorities could be met by deporting people in the United States illegally. Since Trump left office in 2021, Miller has served as president of America First Legal, an organization made up of former Trump advisers that aims to challenge the Biden administration, media companies, universities and others on issues including freedom of speech and national security.

Lee Zeldin, Environmental Protection Agency

Trump has chosen the former New York Rep. Lee Zeldin to serve as his choice to lead the Environmental Protection Agency.

Zeldin appears to have no experience with environmental issues, but has been a longtime supporter of the former president. The 44-year-old former US House member from New York wrote further X“We will restore American energy dominance, revitalize our auto industry to bring back American jobs, and make the US the world leader in AI.” “We will do this while protecting access to clean air and water,” he added.

During his campaign, Trump often attacked the Biden administration’s promotion of electric vehicles, incorrectly referring to a tax credit for EV purchases as a government mandate. Trump also often told his audience during the campaign that his administration would “drill, baby, drill,” referring to his support for expanded petroleum exploration.

In a statement, Trump said Zeldin “will ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions that will be made in a way that will unleash the power of American corporations while maintaining the highest environmental standards, including the cleanest air and water on the planet.” .”