Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

's second presidential transition began when he won the United States presidential election on November 5, 2024, and became the

president-elect An ''officer-elect'' is a person who has been elected to a position but has not yet been installed. Notably, a president who has been elected but not yet installed would be referred to as a ''president-elect'' (e.g. president-elect of the Un ...

. Trump was formally elected by the

Electoral College An electoral college is a body whose task is to elect a candidate to a particular office. It is mostly used in the political context for a constitutional body that appoints the head of state or government, and sometimes the upper parliament ...

on December 17, 2024. The results were

certified Certification is part of testing, inspection and certification and the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestatio ...

by a joint session of

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

on January 6, 2025, and the transition concluded when Trump was

inaugurated In government and politics, inauguration is the process of swearing a person into office and thus making that person the incumbent. Such an inauguration commonly occurs through a formal ceremony or special event, which may also include an inau ...

on January 20, 2025.

Developments

Trump became his party's

presumptive nominee Preselection is the process by which a candidate is selected, usually by a political party, to contest an election for political office. It is also referred to as candidate selection. It is a fundamental function of political parties. The presel ...

on March 12, 2024, and formally accepted the nomination at the

Republican National Convention The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the Republican Party in the United States. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal o ...

in July. The Trump campaign announced the formation of the transition team on August 16, with

Linda McMahon Linda Marie McMahon ( ; ; born October 4, 1948) is an American politician, business executive, and former professional wrestling promoter who has served as the 13th United States Secretary of Education, United States secretary of education since ...

, Trump's former head of the

Small Business Administration The United States Small Business Administration (SBA) is an independent agency of the United States government that provides support to entrepreneurs and small businesses. The mission of the Small Business Administration is "to maintain and str ...

, and

Howard Lutnick Howard William Lutnick (born July 14, 1961) is an American businessman, philanthropist, and government official who has served as the 41st United States Secretary of Commerce, United States secretary of commerce since February 2025. In 1983, Lu ...

, the billionaire CEO of

Cantor Fitzgerald Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P. is an American financial services firm that was founded in 1945. It specializes in institutional equity, fixed-income sales and trading, and serving the middle market with investment banking services, prime brokerage, an ...

and BGC Group, officially named as co-chairs. Vice presidential nominee

JD Vance James David Vance (born James Donald Bowman, August2, 1984) is an American politician, author, attorney, and Marine Corps veteran who is the 50th vice president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republic ...

, along with sons

Donald Trump Jr. Donald John Trump Jr. (born December 31, 1977), often nicknamed Don Jr., is an American businessman and political activist. He is the eldest child of U.S. president Donald Trump and his first wife Ivana. Trump serves as a trustee and exec ...

and

Eric Trump Eric Frederick Trump (born January 6, 1984) is an American businessman, activist, and former reality television presenter. He is the third child and second son of U.S. President Donald Trump and his first wife, Ivana Trump. Trump is a truste ...

, were designated as honorary co-chairs. The effort beginning at this time was considered unusually late, as historically, most transition efforts start in the late spring. On August 27, attorney

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Robert Francis Kennedy Jr. (born January 17, 1954), also known by his initials RFK Jr., is an American politician, environmental lawyer, author, conspiracy theorist, and anti-vaccine activist serving as the 26th United States secretary of heal ...

and former congresswoman

Tulsi Gabbard Tulsi Gabbard (; born April 12, 1981) is an American politician and military officer serving as the director of National Intelligence, director of national intelligence (DNI) since 2025. She has held the rank of Lieutenant colonel (United Stat ...

were also selected as honorary co-chairs, both of whom were former Democrats that had recently endorsed Trump. Kennedy had originally mounted an independent presidential bid before withdrawing from the race to endorse Trump, reportedly in exchange for a Cabinet position in his administration. In October, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' noted how Trump had refused to sign standard agreements around ethics and disclosure in order to begin key aspects of the transition process. The internal ethics pledges signed by Trump staff so far have been more lenient than standard pledges signed by Harris's transition team and the Trump team does not have to disclose its donors to the transition effort until Trump signs the agreements. Furthermore, the

General Services Administration The General Services Administration (GSA) is an Independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the United States government established in 1949 to help manage and support the basic functioning of federal agencies. G ...

cannot supply any assistance such as office space or IT equipment until the agreements are signed, leading the

Partnership for Public Service The Partnership for Public Service is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization based in Washington, D.C. whose mission is to inspire a new generation of civil servants and to transform the way government works. The Partnership's programs include ...

to call the delay a "tremendous and unnecessary" national security risk. In October, ''Politico'' reported on how potential conflicts of interest surrounding co-chair

had created tension within the transition team and criticism of the transition effort. On November 24, ''Politico'' described Trump's refusal to accept federal transition assistance as a potential national security concern and "unprecedented in the modern presidential system". It highlighted their refusal as having "freed the Trump transition from having to abide by a $5,000 cap on donations and a requirement to disclose their donors". On November 26, Trump signed a transition agreement that allows his staff to work with federal agencies and access information. Trump's transition team ruled out signing a memorandum of understanding with the General Services Administration, instead opting to use an independently drafted ethics plan; an agreement with the

Department of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

, which allows background checks and security clearances with the

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...

required for Senate confirmation of certain positions, was belatedly signed on December 3.

Beginning of transition process

In the early morning of November 6, major news outlets projected that Trump would win the

2024 presidential election This is a list of elections that were held in 2024. The National Democratic Institute also maintains a calendar of elections around the world. *2024 United Nations Security Council election *2024 national electoral calendar *2024 local electoral ...

. During her concession speech that evening, Vice President

Kamala Harris Kamala Devi Harris ( ; born October 20, 1964) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 49th vice president of the United States from 2021 to 2025 under President Joe Biden. She is the first female, first African American, and ...

committed to a peaceful transition of power. The following day, President

Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...

appeared at a press event at the Rose Garden where he named "the steps he was taking" in coordinating a White House transition. On November 9, in a statement from

White House Press Secretary The White House press secretary is a senior White House official whose primary responsibility is to act as spokesperson for the executive branch of the United States federal government, especially with regard to the president, senior aides and ...

Karine Jean-Pierre Karine Jean-Pierre (born August 13, 1974) is an American political advisor who served as the White House Press Secretary, White House press secretary from May 2022 to January 2025, and a senior advisor to President Joe Biden from October 2024 t ...

, it was announced

President-elect An ''officer-elect'' is a person who has been elected to a position but has not yet been installed. Notably, a president who has been elected but not yet installed would be referred to as a ''president-elect'' (e.g. president-elect of the Un ...

Donald Trump would meet with Biden the following Wednesday, on Biden's own invitation. Trump and Biden met in the

Oval Office The Oval Office is the formal working space of the president of the United States. Part of the Executive Office of the President of the United States, it is in the West Wing of the White House, in Washington, D.C. The oval room has three lar ...

on November 13 for slightly less than two hours, with both calling for a "smooth transition" and Trump expressing his appreciation for Biden's efforts. Trump's

Mar-a-Lago Mar-a-Lago ( , ) is a resort and National Historic Landmark on a barrier island in Palm Beach, Florida, United States. It spans 126 rooms and built on of land. Since 1985, it has been owned by Donald Trump, the 45th and 47th president of t ...

became the center of the transition process, with job-seekers, media, and Trump friends and advisors filling the resort and nearby

West Palm Beach West Palm Beach is a city in and the county seat of Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It is located immediately to the west of the adjacent Palm Beach, Florida, Palm Beach, which is situated on a barrier island across the Lake Worth Lag ...

hotels. President-elect Trump began receiving the

President's Daily Brief The President's Daily Brief, sometimes referred to as the President's Daily Briefing or the President's Daily Bulletin, is a top-secret document produced and given each morning to the president of the United States; it is also distributed to a ...

in November 2024.

International visits

* The President-elect travelled on December 7 to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, France to attend the reopening of the restored

Notre-Dame de Paris Notre-Dame de Paris ( ; meaning "Cathedral of Our Lady of Paris"), often referred to simply as Notre-Dame, is a Medieval architecture, medieval Catholic cathedral on the Île de la Cité (an island in the River Seine), in the 4th arrondissemen ...

. At

Élysée Palace The Élysée Palace (, ) is the official residence of the President of France, President of the French Republic in Paris. Completed in 1722, it was built for Louis Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne, a nobleman and army officer who had been appointed g ...

, he had meetings with French president

Emmanuel Macron Emmanuel Jean-Michel Frédéric Macron (; born 21 December 1977) is a French politician who has served as President of France and Co-Prince of Andorra since 2017. He was Ministry of Economy and Finance (France), Minister of Economics, Industr ...

and Ukraine president

Volodymyr Zelenskyy Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy (born 25 January 1978) is a Ukrainian politician and former entertainer who has served as the sixth and current president of Ukraine since 2019. He took office five years after the start of the Russo-Ukraini ...

. He also met

William, Prince of Wales William, Prince of Wales (William Arthur Philip Louis; born 21 June 1982), is the heir apparent to the British throne. He is the elder son of King Charles III and Diana, Princess of Wales. William was born during the reign of his pat ...

at the British Ambassador's Residence and Italian prime minister

Giorgia Meloni Giorgia Meloni (; born 15 January 1977) is an Italian politician who has served as Prime Minister of Italy since 2022. She is the first woman to hold the office. A member of the Chamber of Deputies (Italy), Chamber of Deputies since 2006, s ...

, and had an official dinner at Élysée with many heads of state.

Appointees

Announced

November

On November 7,

Susie Wiles Susan Wiles (' Summerall; born May 14, 1957) is an American government official and political consultant who has served as the 32nd White House Chief of Staff, White House chief of staff since 2025, and the first woman to hold the role. A m ...

was announced as the

White House Chief of Staff The White House chief of staff is the head of the Executive Office of the President of the United States, a position in the federal government of the United States. The chief of staff is a Political appointments in the United States, politi ...

. She began her duties following Donald Trump's inauguration on January 20, 2025. She is the first woman to hold this position. Wiles had previously worked as a campaign manager for Trump's presidential campaigns in

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

, and

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

. On November 9, it was reported that

Robert Lighthizer Robert Emmet Lighthizer (; born October 11, 1947) is an American attorney and government official who was the U.S. Trade Representative in the First presidency of Donald Trump, Trump administration from 2017 to 2021. After he graduated from Geo ...

would be re-appointed to the role of

US Trade Representative The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) is an agency of the United States federal government responsible for developing and promoting United States foreign trade policies. Part of the Executive Office of the President, it i ...

. Four days later, it was reported that Lighthizer would instead likely take the White House position of "trade czar". On November 10, Trump announced that

Tom Homan Thomas Douglas Homan (born November 28, 1961) is an American law enforcement officer and political commentator who served as acting director of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from January 30, 2017, to June 29, 2018. In Novembe ...

, who previously served as the acting director of

ICE Ice is water that is frozen into a solid state, typically forming at or below temperatures of 0 ° C, 32 ° F, or 273.15 K. It occurs naturally on Earth, on other planets, in Oort cloud objects, and as interstellar ice. As a naturally oc ...

in the last Trump administration, would be appointed "border czar" with full oversight of border controls north and south of the US. Aside from the positions listed below, Trump has also nominated as key White House staffers former Cabinet Secretary Bill McGinley as his next

White House Counsel The White House Counsel is a senior staff appointee of the president of the United States whose role is to advise the president on all legal issues concerning the president and their administration. The White House counsel also oversees the Off ...

and real estate investor

Steve Witkoff Steven Charles Witkoff (born March 15, 1957) is an American real estate investor and lawyer who has served as the Ambassadors of the United States#Special envoys, representatives, and coordinators, United States Special Envoy to the Middle East ...

as his special envoy to the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

. On November 11, it was announced that New York Congresswoman and

House Republican Conference The House Republican Conference is the party caucus for Republicans in the United States House of Representatives. It hosts meetings, and is the primary forum for communicating the party's message to members. The conference produces a daily pu ...

Chair,

Elise Stefanik Elise Marie Stefanik ( ; born July 2, 1984) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for . As chair of the House Republican Conference from 2021 to 2025, she was the fourth-ranking House Republican. Stefanik's district covers ...

, would be appointed as the

United States ambassador to the United Nations The United States ambassador to the United Nations is the leader of the U.S. delegation, the United States Mission to the United Nations, U.S. Mission to the United Nations. The position is formally known as the Permanent representative to the U ...

. That same day, former New York Congressman and nominee for governor

Lee Zeldin Lee Michael Zeldin (born January 30, 1980) is an American attorney, politician, and officer in the United States Army Reserve who has been serving as the 17th administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) since January 29, 2025. A m ...

was announced to be Trump's nominee for

Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency The administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency is the head of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and is thus responsible for enforcing the nation's Clean Air and Clean Water Acts, as well as numerous other envir ...

and Florida Representative

Mike Waltz Michael George Glen Waltz (born January 31, 1974) is an American politician, businessman, author, and former United States Army Special Forces, Army Special Forces officer who is President Donald Trump's current nominee for United States ambassa ...

as National Security Advisor. Stephen Miller was named

White House Deputy Chief of Staff The White House Deputy Chief of Staff is officially the top aide to the White House Chief of Staff, White House chief of staff, who is the senior aide to the president of the United States. The deputy chief of staff usually has an office in the Wh ...

for Policy. Miller served as a senior adviser and lead speechwriter in the

first Trump administration Donald Trump's first tenure as the president of the United States began on January 20, 2017, when Trump First inauguration of Donald Trump, was inaugurated as the List of presidents of the United States, 45th president, and ended on January ...

. On November 12, Trump named former Arkansas governor

Mike Huckabee Michael Dale Huckabee (, born August 24, 1955) is an American diplomat, political commentator, Baptist minister, and politician serving as the 29th United States Ambassador to Israel, United States ambassador to Israel since 2025. A member of ...

as his nominee for

United States Ambassador to Israel The United States ambassador to Israel is the official representative of the president of the United States to the head of state of Israel. Until 1948 the area that is now the state of Israel had been under British administration as part of the ...

. Trump also named

Vivek Ramaswamy Vivek Ganapathy Ramaswamy (born August 9, 1985) is an American entrepreneur and politician. He founded Roivant Sciences, a Biotechnology, biotech Pharmaceutical industry, pharmaceutical company in 2014 and was its Chief executive officer, CEO ...

and

Elon Musk Elon Reeve Musk ( ; born June 28, 1971) is a businessman. He is known for his leadership of Tesla, SpaceX, X (formerly Twitter), and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Musk has been considered the wealthiest person in th ...

to lead a new

Department of Government Efficiency The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is an initiative by the second Trump administration within the federal government of the United States. Its stated objective is to modernize information technology, maximize productivity, and cut ...

, a non-governmental partner of the

Office of Management and Budget The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is the largest office within the Executive Office of the President of the United States (EOP). The office's most prominent function is to produce the president's budget, while it also examines agency pro ...

and likely a presidential advisory commission to lead structural reform in government; South Dakota Governor

Kristi Noem Kristi Lynn Arnold Noem ( ; née Arnold; born November 30, 1971) is an American politician serving as the 8th United States secretary of homeland security since 2025. A member of the Republican Party, she served from 2019 to 2025 as the 33rd ...

as nominee for

Secretary of Homeland Security The United States secretary of homeland security is the head of the United States Department of Homeland Security, the federal department tasked with ensuring public safety in the United States. The secretary is a member of the Cabinet of the U ...

; former

Director of National Intelligence The director of national intelligence (DNI) is a Cabinet of the United States#Current Cabinet and Cabinet-rank officials, cabinet-level Federal government of the United States, United States government intelligence and security official. The p ...

and former Texas Congressman

John Ratcliffe John Lee Ratcliffe (born October 20, 1965) is an American politician and attorney who has served as the ninth director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) since 2025. He previously served as the sixth director of national intelligence from ...

as nominee for

Director of the Central Intelligence Agency The director of the Central Intelligence Agency (D/CIA) is a statutory office () that functions as the head of the Central Intelligence Agency, which in turn is a part of the United States Intelligence Community. The director reports to the D ...

; and Army National Guard veteran and

Fox News The Fox News Channel (FNC), commonly known as Fox News, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conservatism in the United States, conservative List of news television channels, news and political commentary Television stati ...

commentator

Pete Hegseth Peter Brian Hegseth (born June 6, 1980) is an American author, former television presenter, and former Army National Guard officer who has served as the 29th United States secretary of defense since 2025. Hegseth studied politics at Princeton ...

as nominee for

Secretary of Defense A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divided ...

. On November 13, Trump announced his nominee for

to be former Democratic Hawaii Representative

. On the same day, lawyer and Florida Representative

Matt Gaetz Matthew Louis Gaetz II ( ; born May 7, 1982) is an American politician and lawyer who served as the U.S. representative for from 2017 until his resignation in 2024. His district included all of Escambia, Okaloosa, and Santa Rosa counties, ...

was named as Trump's nominee for

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...

, who announced later that day his resignation from Congress, effective immediately. Gaetz was notably previously investigated by the

and was the subject of a House Committee on Ethics probe for allegedly violating federal sex trafficking laws, until his resignation ended the probe. The Department of Justice ended its case in 2023, declining to bring charges against Gaetz. Trump also nominated Florida Senator

Marco Rubio Marco Antonio Rubio (; born May 28, 1971) is an American politician, lawyer, and diplomat serving since 2025 as the 72nd United States Secretary of State, United States secretary of state. A member of the Republican Party (United States) , Rep ...

for Secretary of State. On November 14, Trump nominated former 2024 presidential candidate,

environmental law Environmental laws are laws that protect the environment. The term "environmental law" encompasses treaties, statutes, regulations, conventions, and policies designed to protect the natural environment and manage the impact of human activitie ...

yer and anti-vaccine activist

for

Secretary of Health and Human Services The United States secretary of health and human services is the head of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, and serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all health matters. The secretary is ...

. He is the son of former

attorney general In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...

Robert F. Kennedy Robert Francis Kennedy (November 20, 1925 – June 6, 1968), also known as RFK, was an American politician and lawyer. He served as the 64th United States attorney general from January 1961 to September 1964, and as a U.S. senator from New Yo ...

and nephew of

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...

. Former Georgia congressman Doug Collins was nominated to be

Secretary of Veterans Affairs The United States secretary of veterans affairs is the head of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, the department concerned with veterans' benefits, health care, and national veterans' memorials and cemeteries. The secretary is a m ...

. North Dakota Governor

Doug Burgum Douglas James Burgum ( ; born August 1, 1956) is an American businessman and politician who has served as the 55th United States Secretary of the Interior, United States secretary of the interior since February 1, 2025, under President Donald Tru ...

was nominated for

Secretary of the Interior Secretary of the Interior may refer to: * Secretary of the Interior (Mexico) * Interior Secretary of Pakistan * Secretary of the Interior and Local Government (Philippines) * United States Secretary of the Interior See also

*Interior ministry ...

. Former New York prosecutor

Todd Blanche Todd Wallace Blanche (/blæntʃ/ BLANCH) (born August 6, 1974) is an American lawyer and former prosecutor who serves as the 40th United States Deputy Attorney General, United States deputy attorney general since 2025. Blanche is best known for ...

was nominated for Deputy Attorney General.

Emil Bove Emil Joseph Bove III (; born April 1981) is an American attorney who has served as the principal associate deputy attorney general since 2025. Bove served as the acting United States deputy attorney general from January to March 2025. Bove s ...

, former

assistant US Attorney An assistant United States attorney (AUSA) is an official career civil service position in the U.S. Department of Justice composed of lawyers working under the U.S. attorney of each U.S. federal judicial district. They represent the federal gove ...

in New York, was nominated to be Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General. Dean John Sauer, former Solicitor General of Missouri, was nominated to be

Solicitor General of the United States The solicitor general of the United States (USSG or SG), is the fourth-highest-ranking official within the United States Department of Justice (DOJ), and represents the federal government in cases before the Supreme Court of the United States. ...

. Jay Clayton, former chairman of the

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government, created in the aftermath of the Wall Street crash of 1929. Its primary purpose is to enforce laws against market m ...

, was nominated as

United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York The United States attorney for the Southern District of New York is the United States Attorney, chief federal law enforcement officer in eight contiguous New York counties: the counties (coextensive boroughs of New York City) of New York County, ...

. On November 15, ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...

'' reported that Trump was considering

Fox Business Fox Business (officially known as Fox Business Network, or FBN) is an American conservative business news channel and website publication owned by the Fox News Media division of Fox Corporation. The channel broadcasts primarily from studios ...

host and former director of the National Economic Council

Larry Kudlow Lawrence Alan Kudlow (born August 20, 1947) is an American conservative broadcast news analyst, economist, columnist, journalist, political commentator, and radio personality. He is a financial news commentator for Fox Business and served as the ...

for a "senior economic role", and Trump announced that Steven Cheung and Sergio Gor would serve as White House communications director and personnel director, respectively. Also, Trump, in a statement, confirmed that alongside his nomination for Secretary of the Interior, Doug Burgum would serve as

Energy Czar Energy Czar, and also later Climate Czar, is a nickname, using the political term "czar", for the person in the government of the United States given authority over energy or climate policy within the executive branch. This has never been the o ...

, "chairman of the newly formed, and very important, National Energy Council which will consist of all departments and agencies involved in the permitting, production, generation, distribution, regulation, transportation of all forms of American energy." Former press secretary of Trump's third presidential campaign

Karoline Leavitt Karoline Claire Leavitt ( ; born August 24, 1997) is an American spokesperson who, since 2025, has served as the 36th White House press secretary. She was the Republican Party (United States), Republican candidate for New Hampshire's 1st congr ...

was confirmed as White House Press Secretary, the youngest to ever be appointed to this position. Trump UFC 2024

On November 16, Trump announced

Chris Wright Christopher Allen Wright (born January 15, 1965) is an American government official, engineer, and businessman serving as the 17th United States Secretary of Energy, United States secretary of energy since 2025. Before his appointment, he was th ...

, the chief executive of oil and natural gas fracking services company Liberty Energy as his nominee for

Secretary of Energy The United States secretary of energy is the head of the United States Department of Energy, a member of the Cabinet of the United States and fifteenth in the presidential line of succession. The position was created on October 1, 1977, when P ...

. He also announced that Wright will also serve as part of the new National Energy Council. Wright has acknowledged the link between burning fossil fuels and climate change but has expressed doubt that climate change is linked to worsening extreme weather. A staunch supporter of fossil fuels in public interviews, he considers them as necessary to lift the developing world out of poverty. On November 17, Trump announced

Brendan Carr Brendan Thomas Carr (born January 5, 1979) is an American attorney who has served as the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) since January 2025. Carr has been an FCC commissioner since 2017. He previously served as the agency' ...

, a commissioner on the

Federal Communications Commission The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, internet, wi-fi, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains j ...

, to lead the commission. Carr was notably the author of the section regarding communications in the

Project 2025 Project 2025 (also known as the 2025 Presidential Transition Project) is a political initiative to reshape the federal government of the United States and consolidate executive power in favor of right-wing policies. The plan was published in ...

initiative. On November 18, Trump announced his intention to nominate former Wisconsin Representative

Sean Duffy Sean Patrick Duffy (born October 3, 1971) is an American politician, lawyer, former prosecutor, and former television personality who has served as the 20th United States Secretary of Transportation, United States secretary of transportation sinc ...

for

Secretary of Transportation The United States secretary of transportation is the head of the United States Department of Transportation. The secretary serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all matters relating to transportation. The secre ...

. On November 19, Trump announced he would be nominating

to be

Secretary of Commerce The United States secretary of commerce (SecCom) is the head of the United States Department of Commerce. The secretary serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all matters relating to commerce. The secretary rep ...

and surgeon

Mehmet Oz Mehmet Cengiz Oz ( ; ; born June 11, 1960), also known as Dr. Oz (), is an American television presenter, physician, author, educator and government official serving as the 17th administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services sinc ...

, known for being the host of '' The Dr. Oz Show'', to be

Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is a federal agency within the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that administers the Medicare program and works in partnership with state governments to administer M ...

. That day, CNN reported that

would be nominated for

Secretary of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...

. On November 20, former

Matthew Whitaker Matthew George Whitaker (born October 29, 1969) is an American lawyer, politician, and diplomat serving as the 26th List of United States permanent representatives to NATO, United States permanent representative to NATO since 2025 in the Second ...

and first-term Ambassador to the Netherlands

Pete Hoekstra Cornelis Piet Hoekstra (; born October 30, 1953) is a Dutch-American politician who is serving as Ambassador to Canada. Hoekstra had served as the United States Ambassador to the Netherlands from January 10, 2018, to January 17, 2021. A member ...

were nominated to be the NATO ambassador and Ambassador to Canada, respectively. On November 21, former Representative Matt Gaetz announced his withdrawal from consideration as Trump's

pick, reportedly due to lack of support for his nomination in the Senate. Former

Florida Attorney General The Florida attorney general is an elected Florida Cabinet, cabinet official in the U.S. state of Florida. The attorney general serves as the chief legal officer of the state, and is head of the Florida Department of Legal Affairs. The office is ...

Pam Bondi Pamela Jo Bondi ( ; born November 17, 1965) is an American attorney, lobbyist, and politician who has served as the 87th United States attorney general since 2025. A member of the Republican Party, she served as the 37th attorney general of Fl ...

was announced as the new nominee for Attorney General. On November 22, Trump announced he would nominate

Scott Bessent Scott Kenneth Homer Bessent ( ; born August 21, 1962) is an American government official and former hedge fund manager serving since 2025 as the 79th United States Secretary of the Treasury, United States secretary of the treasury. He was former ...

, the founder of the macro hedge fund Key Square Group, for the position of

Treasury Secretary The United States secretary of the treasury is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury, and is the chief financial officer of the federal government of the United States. The secretary of the treasury serves as the principal a ...

; Oregon congresswoman Lori Chavez-DeRemer for the position of Secretary of Labor; former

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

player and former Texas State Representative Scott Turner for

Secretary of Housing and Urban Development The United States secretary of housing and urban development is the head of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, a member of the Cabinet of the United States, and thirteenth in the presidential line of succession. The ...

; Fox News contributor Dr. Janette Nesheiwat for

Surgeon General Surgeon general (: surgeons general) is a title used in several Commonwealth countries and most NATO nations to refer either to a senior military medical officer or to a senior uniformed physician commissioned by the government and entrusted with p ...

;

Russell Vought Russell Thurlow Vought ( , born March 26, 1976) is an American government official and conservative political analyst who has been the director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) since February 2025. He held the same position from July ...

for Director of the

; surgeon Dr.

Marty Makary Martin Adel Makary () is a British-American surgeon, professor, author, and medical commentator who has served as the 27th Commissioner of Food and Drugs since 2025. He practices surgical oncology and gastrointestinal laparoscopic surgery at ...

for

Commissioner A commissioner (commonly abbreviated as Comm'r) is, in principle, a member of a commission or an individual who has been given a commission (official charge or authority to do something). In practice, the title of commissioner has evolved to incl ...

of the

FDA The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a federal agency of the Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the control and supervision of food ...

; and former Florida Representative Dr. Dave Weldon for Director of the

CDC The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the national public health agency of the United States. It is a United States federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and is headquartered in Atlanta, ...

. On November 23, Trump nominated the former director of the

Domestic Policy Council The Domestic Policy Council (DPC) is the principal forum used by the president of the United States for the consideration of domestic policy matters and senior policymaking, and includes Cabinet members and White House officials. The Council is ...

Brooke Rollins Brooke Leslie Rollins (born April 10, 1972) is an American attorney and politician who has served as the 33rd United States secretary of agriculture since February 2025. Rollins previously served as deputy general counsel, ethics advisor, and p ...

, to serve as

Secretary of Agriculture The United States secretary of agriculture is the head of the United States Department of Agriculture. The position carries similar responsibilities to those of agriculture ministers in other governments The department includes several organiz ...

. On November 26, Trump nominated John Phelan to be

Secretary of the Navy The Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the Department of the Navy, a military department within the United States Department of Defense. On March 25, 2025, John Phelan was confirm ...

; former

SENS Research Foundation The SENS Research Foundation is a non-profit organization that does research programs and public relations work for the application of regenerative medicine to aging. It was founded in 2009, located in Mountain View, California, US. The organizat ...

CEO Jim O'Neill was nominated to be

Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services The Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services (formerly the under Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, 1953–1979, and the under Secretary of Health and Human Services, 1979–1990) is the Chief Operating Officer of the United States ...

;

Jay Bhattacharya Jayanta Bhattacharya (born 1968) is an American physician-scientist and health economist who has served as the 18th Director of the National Institutes of Health since 2025. Bhattacharya was a professor of medicine, economics, and health resear ...

was nominated to be Director of

National Institutes of Health The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in 1887 and is part of the United States Department of Health and Human Service ...

; and former Chief of Staff to the US Trade Representative

Jamieson Greer Jamieson Lee Greer (born 1979 or 1980) is an American attorney and former Air Force officer who is serving as the 20th United States trade representative in the second Trump administration since 2025. A member of the Republican Party, he previo ...

was nominated to be the

United States Trade Representative The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) is an agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government responsible for developing and promoting Foreign trade of the United States, United States ...

. On November 27, Trump announced that retired Army general

Keith Kellogg Joseph Keith Kellogg Jr. (born May 12, 1944) is an American diplomat and retired Lieutenant general (United States), lieutenant general in the United States Army. He previously served as the national security advisor to Vice President Mike Penc ...

would serve as his special envoy to

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

and

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

. On November 30, Trump nominated

Kash Patel Kashyap Pramod "Kash" Patel (born February 25, 1980) is an American lawyer and former federal prosecutor serving as the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation since 2025. He also served as acting director of the Bureau of Alcohol, To ...

to be the new

FBI Director The director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation is the head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), a United States federal law enforcement agency, and is responsible for its day-to-day operations. The FBI director is appointed for a ...

; Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister for DEA Administrator; and Kushner Companies founder Charles Kushner, father of Trump's son-in-law

Jared Kushner Jared Corey Kushner (born January 10, 1981) is an American businessman and investor. He is a son-in-law of the president of the United States, Donald Trump, through his marriage to Ivanka Trump and served as a senior advisor in his father-in- ...

, for Ambassador to France. Chronister withdrew his name from consideration on December 3, citing the "gravity" of the job.

December

On December 1, Trump announced Lebanese-American businessman and

Tiffany Trump Tiffany Ariana Trump (born October 13, 1993) is the fourth child of Donald Trump, the president of the United States, and his only child with his second wife, Marla Maples. Born in West Palm Beach, Florida, and primarily raised by her mother ...

's father-in-law Massad Boulos as the Senior Advisor to the President on Arab and Middle Eastern Affairs. On December 4, Trump nominated former Missouri Representative

Billy Long William Hollis Long II (born August 11, 1955) is an American politician, realtor, and auctioneer who served as the U.S. representative for from 2011 to 2023. He was nominated by President Donald Trump to serve as Commissioner of the Internal Rev ...

for

IRS Commissioner The Commissioner of Internal Revenue is the head of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), an agency within the United States Department of the Treasury. The office of Commissioner was created by Congress as part of the Revenue Act of 1862. Sectio ...

; former Georgia Senator

Kelly Loeffler Kelly Lynn Loeffler ( ; born November 27, 1970) is an American businesswoman and politician who has served as the 28th administrator of the Small Business Administration since February 20, 2025. A member of the Republican Party, she served as a ...

to be the

Administrator Administrator or admin may refer to: Job roles Computing and internet * Database administrator, a person who is responsible for the environmental aspects of a database * Forum administrator, one who oversees discussions on an Internet forum * N ...

of the

; his personal lawyer

David Warrington David Alan Warrington (born September 16, 1967) is an American lawyer who is the White House Counsel, White House counsel, serving since January 2025 as part of the Second presidency of Donald Trump, second Donald Trump administration. Early life ...

to replace Bill McGinley as

(McGinley would instead serve as advisor to the Department of Government Efficiency);

Fiserv Fiserv, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational corporation, multinational financial technology company headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Fiserv provides financial technology and services to clients across the financial services sector, incl ...

CEO Frank Bisignano to be the Commissioner of the

Social Security Administration The United States Social Security Administration (SSA) is an Independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government that administers Social Security (United ...

; Iraq veteran and 2020 North Carolina congressional candidate Daniel P. Driscoll for

Secretary of the Army The secretary of the Army (SA or SECARMY) is a senior civilian official within the United States Department of Defense, with statutory responsibility for all matters relating to the United States Army: manpower, personnel, reserve affairs, insta ...

; tech entrepreneur and commercial astronaut

Jared Isaacman Jared Taylor Isaacman (born February 11, 1983) is an American billionaire entrepreneur, pilot, and commercial astronaut. He is the founder and Executive Chairman of Shift4, Shift4 Payments, a payment processor, and the founder of Draken Internati ...

for

Administrator of NASA The administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the highest-ranking official of NASA, the national List of space agencies, space agency of the United States. The administrator is NASA's chief decision maker, responsible ...

; former CEO of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation and current CEO of Rubicon Founders

Adam Boehler Adam Seth Boehler ( born June 23, 1979) is an American businessman and government official. Boehler is the managing partner and founder of Rubicon Founders, a health care investment firm based in Nashville. He is also the founder of Landmark Hea ...

for Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs; economist

Peter Navarro Peter Kent Navarro (born July 15, 1949) is an American economist who has been the senior counselor for trade and manufacturing to U.S. president Donald Trump since January 2025. He previously served in the first Trump administration, first as ...

for Senior Counselor for Trade and Manufacturing; Professor

Michael Faulkender Michael Faulkender (born 1974) is an American academic and government official currently serving as Commissioner of Internal Revenue, acting commissioner of the US Internal Revenue Service and 16th United States Deputy Secretary of the Treasury , ...

for Deputy Treasury Secretary; former

United States Assistant Secretary of the Treasury United States Assistant Secretary of the Treasury is one of several positions in the United States Department of the Treasury, serving under the United States Secretary of the Treasury. History According to the U.S. statute, there are eight Assis ...

for Public Affairs

Monica Crowley Monica Elizabeth Crowley (born September 19, 1968) is the Chief of Protocol of the United States since May 2025 in the Second presidency of Donald Trump, Second Trump administration. Crowley formerly served as the United States Department of the ...

for Chief of Protocol; former Commissioner of the

Securities and Exchange Commission The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government, created in the aftermath of the Wall Street crash of 1929. Its primary purpose is to enforce laws against market m ...

Paul S. Atkins for Chairman of the SEC and JD Vance's policy advisor Gail Slater for

Assistant Attorney General Many of the divisions and offices of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) are headed by an assistant attorney general. The president of the United States appoints individuals to the position of assistant attorney general with the adv ...

for the Antitrust Division. On December 5, Trump nominated ICE Assistant Director of the Office of Firearms and Tactical Programs Caleb Vitello as Director of ICE; Rodney Scott for Chief of Customs and Border Protection; former president of the Border Patrol Union Brandon Judd for Ambassador to Chile; former Georgia Senator

David Perdue David Alfred Perdue Jr. (born December 10, 1949) is an American politician, diplomat, and businessman serving as the List of ambassadors of the United States to China, United States ambassador to China since 2025. A member of the Republican Pa ...

for Ambassador to China;

David O. Sacks David Oliver Sacks (born May 25, 1972) is a South African-American entrepreneur, author, and investor in internet technology firms. He is a general partner of Craft Ventures, a venture capital fund he co-founded in late 2017. Additionally, he is ...

for Cryptocurrency and Artificial Intelligence Czar; and Special Agent in Charge for Homeland Security Investigations in Miami Anthony Salisbury as Deputy Homeland Security Advisor. On December 8, Trump announced lawyer

Alina Habba Alina Saad Habba (, born March 25, 1984) is an American lawyer and political advisor who is currently serving as acting U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey, as well as a counselor to the President in the second Trump administration. B ...

Counselor to the President Counselor to the President is a title used by high-ranking political advisors to the president of the United States and senior members of the White House Office. The current officeholders are Alina Habba and Peter Navarro. The position should no ...

and former Ambassador to Mexico,

Christopher Landau Christopher Thomas Landau (born November 13, 1963) is a Spanish-born American lawyer and diplomat who has served as the United States Deputy Secretary of State, United States deputy secretary of state since 2025. He previously served as the List ...

as the

United States Deputy Secretary of State The deputy secretary of state of the United States is the principal deputy to the United States Secretary of State, secretary of state. If the secretary of state resigns or dies, the deputy secretary of state becomes acting secretary of state unti ...

. On December 10, Trump nominated Andrew N. Ferguson to be Chair of the

Federal Trade Commission The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is an independent agency of the United States government whose principal mission is the enforcement of civil (non-criminal) United States antitrust law, antitrust law and the promotion of consumer protection. It ...

; former Ambassador to El Salvador

Ronald D. Johnson Ronald Douglas Johnson is an American diplomat who is serving as the United States Ambassador to Mexico, United States ambassador to Mexico. Johnson served as the United States Ambassador to El Salvador, United States ambassador to El Salvador f ...

to be Ambassador to Mexico; former First Lady of San Francisco and former Fox News host

Kimberly Guilfoyle Kimberly Ann Guilfoyle ( ; born March 9, 1969) is an American television news personality and former prosecutor in San Francisco and Los Angeles. She served as an advisor and led the fundraising division of President Donald Trump's 2020 presid ...

to be Ambassador to Greece; Executive Chairman of

Colony Capital DigitalBridge Group, Inc. is a global digital infrastructure investment firm. The company owns, invests in and operates businesses such as cell towers, data centers, fiber, small cells, and edge infrastructure. Headquartered in Boca Raton, Digita ...

Tom Barrack Thomas Joseph Barrack Jr. (born April 28, 1947) is an American private equity real estate investor and the founder and executive chairman of Colony Capital, a publicly traded real estate investment trust (REIT). Barrack has for decades been a ...

to be Ambassador to Turkey; commissioner for the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission Jacob Helberg for

Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment The Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment is an undersecretary position within the United States Department of State. The Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment serves as senior economic advi ...

and North Carolina Congressman

Dan Bishop James Daniel Bishop (born July 1, 1964) is an American attorney and politician who has served as the Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget since 2025. He previously served as a U.S. representative from North Carolina from 201 ...

to be deputy director of the

. On December 11, Trump nominated Florida attorney Dan Newlin for Ambassador to Colombia; Florida physician and businessman Dr. Peter Lamelas for Ambassador to Argentina; and

Leandro Rizzuto Jr. Leandro Rizzuto Jr. (born March 20, 1962) is an American businessman who has been announced as nominee to be ambassador to the Organization of American States in the second Trump administration. He was U.S. Consul General in Hamilton, Bermuda du ...

as Ambassador to the

Organization of American States The Organization of American States (OAS or OEA; ; ; ) is an international organization founded on 30 April 1948 to promote cooperation among its member states within the Americas. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, the OAS is ...

. Trump also announced his preference for former

KSAZ-TV KSAZ-TV (channel 10) is a television station in Phoenix, Arizona, United States. It is owned and operated by the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox network through its Fox Television Stations division alongside KUTP (channel 45), which airs MyNetw ...

anchor

Kari Lake Kari Lake Halperin ( Lake; ; born August 23, 1969) is an American political figure and former television news anchor who has served as the special advisor to the United States Agency for Global Media since 2025 under President Donald Trump. S ...

to be the next director of

Voice of America Voice of America (VOA or VoA) is an international broadcasting network funded by the federal government of the United States that by law has editorial independence from the government. It is the largest and oldest of the American internation ...

(VOA). The VOA director is not directly selected by the President, but rather by the CEO of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, a role which requires Senate confirmation. On December 14, Trump nominated former Ambassador to Germany and

Richard Grenell Richard Allen Grenell (born September 18, 1966) is an American diplomat, public official, and former public relations consultant who has served as Ambassadors of the United States#Special envoys, representatives, and coordinators, special presid ...

for Presidential Envoy for Special Missions; former Los Alamitos Mayor

Troy Edgar Troy D. Edgar (born 1966 or 1967) is an American politician, business executive, security official, and Navy veteran who has served as the ninth United States deputy secretary of homeland security since 2025. Early life Edgar is from Los Alamitos ...

for Deputy Homeland Security Secretary; founder and CEO of Constellations Group Bill White for Ambassador to Belgium; founder of The Walsh Company, Walsh Environmental Solutions, and Walsh PoE Lighting Edward Walsh for Ambassador to Ireland; and former California congressman

Devin Nunes Devin Gerald Nunes (; born October 1, 1973) is an American businessman and politician who serves as the Chair of the President's Intelligence Advisory Board since January 20, 2025, and as chief executive officer of the Trump Media & Technolog ...

as Chair of the President's Intelligence Advisory Board. Mike Johnson and Donald Trump at the Army-Navy Game 2024

On December 16, Trump nominated former CIA case worker Leah Campos for Ambassador to the Dominican Republic. She is the sister of ''Fox & Friends Weekend'' co-host Rachel Campos-Duffy, wife of Sean Duffy. Trump also nominated President of Brevard-based Fisher Realty Arthur Fisher for Ambassador to Austria; Broadway producer and board member of the Women Founders Network Stacey Feinberg for Ambassador to Luxembourg; former Ambassador to Portugal George Edward Glass for

Ambassador to Japan The is the ambassador from the United States of America to Japan. History Beginning in 1854 with the use of gunboat diplomacy by Commodore Matthew C. Perry, the U.S. has maintained diplomatic relations with Japan, except for the ten-year pe ...

; and Lou Rinaldi for Ambassador to Uruguay. On December 17, Trump nominated 2022 U.S. Senate candidate in Georgia and former

player

Herschel Walker Herschel Junior Walker (born March 3, 1962) is an American former professional football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons. He was also the Republican nominee in the 2022 United States Senate election ...

for Ambassador to the Bahamas; and Nicole McGraw for Ambassador to Croatia. On December 21, Trump nominated former MGM chairman and producer

Mark Burnett James Mark Burnett (born 17 July 1960) is a British television producer who has won thirteen Emmy Awards including ten Primetime, one Sports Emmy Award and two Daytime Emmy Awards. His other accolades include five Producers Guild of America A ...

as Special Envoy to the United Kingdom; former top Department of Homeland Security attorney Chad Mizelle for Chief of Staff at the

(Mizelle being the husband of Trump-appointed Florida federal judge

Kathryn Kimball Mizelle Kathryn Kimball Mizelle (née Kathryn Anne Kimball; born August 14, 1987)Ted Cruz Rafael Edward Cruz (; born December 22, 1970) is an American politician and attorney serving as the junior United States senator from Texas since 2013. A member of the Republican Party, Cruz was the solicitor general of Texas from 2003 ...

's Chief of Staff Aaron Reitz as head of DOJ's

Office of Legal Counsel The Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) is an office in the United States Department of Justice that supports the attorney general in their role as legal adviser to the president and all executive branch agencies. It drafts legal opinions of the atto ...

; former

Pan Am Railways Pan Am Railways, Inc. (PAR) is a subsidiary of CSX Corporation that operates Class II regional railroads covering northern New England from Mattawamkeag, Maine, to Rotterdam Junction, New York. Pan Am Railways is primarily made up of former C ...

President David Fink for Administrator of the

Federal Railroad Administration The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is an agency in the United States Department of Transportation (DOT). The agency was created by the Department of Transportation Act of 1966. The purpose of the FRA is to promulgate and enforce railroa ...

;

Landry's Landry's, Inc., is a privately held American multi-brand dining, hospitality, entertainment, and gaming corporation headquartered in Houston, Texas. Landry's, Inc., owns and operates more than 600 restaurants, hotels, casinos, and entertainment ...

CEO and

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA) ...

owner

Tilman Fertitta Tilman Joseph Fertitta (born June 25, 1957) is an American businessman and television personality. He has served as the List of ambassadors of the United States to Italy, United States ambassador to Italy and List of ambassadors of the United S ...

for Ambassador to Italy and Ambassador to San Marino; and

CatholicVote CatholicVote.org is a conservative, non-profit political advocacy group based in the United States. While the organization acknowledges the authority of the Magisterium, it is independent of the Catholic Church. Structure CatholicVote.org is div ...

President Brian Burch for Ambassador to Vatican City. On December 22, Trump nominated former Ambassador to the Vatican

Callista Gingrich Callista Louise Gingrich (Birth name, née Bisek; born March 4, 1966) is an American diplomat, businesswoman, author, and documentary film producer who served as List of ambassadors of the United States to the Holy See, United States ambassador t ...

for Ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein; she is the wife of former

House Speaker The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hung ...

and

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

Republican presidential candidate

Newt Gingrich Newton Leroy Gingrich (; né McPherson; born June 17, 1943) is an American politician and author who served as the List of speakers of the United States House of Representatives, 50th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1 ...

. He also nominated former Ambassador to Sweden

Ken Howery Kenneth Alan Howery (; born November 4, 1975) is an American entrepreneur and diplomat. He is a co-founder of PayPal and Founders Fund. He served as the U.S. ambassador to Sweden from 2019 to 2021 under President Donald Trump. On December 22, 2 ...

for Ambassador to Denmark; former president of the

Inter-American Development Bank The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB or IADB) is an international development finance institution headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States of America. It serves as one of the leading sources of development financing for the countri ...

Mauricio Claver-Carone Mauricio Claver-Carone (born 1975) is an American lawyer, investor, diplomat and lobbyist. He was an official in the Treasury Department, National Security Council and State Department, in both Donald Trump Administrations. He was nominated and ...

, as special envoy for Latin America;

Hewlett Packard The Hewlett-Packard Company, commonly shortened to Hewlett-Packard ( ) or HP, was an American multinational information technology company. It was founded by Bill Hewlett and David Packard in 1939 in a one-car garage in Palo Alto, Californi ...

Vice President Scott Kupor for Director of Office of Personnel Management; 2022 North Carolina congressional candidate Bo Hines for executive director of his new proposed crypto advisory council; former Uber executive

Emil Michael Emil G. Michael ( ; born September 19, 1972) is an Egyptian-born American businessman. Michael was previously the senior vice president of business and chief business officer at Uber, and the chief operating officer of Klout. In December 2 ...

Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering The under secretary of defense for research and engineering, abbreviated USD (R&E), is a senior official of the United States Department of Defense. The USD (R&E) is charged with the development and oversight of technology strategy for the DoD. ...

; businessman Stephen Feinberg for

Deputy Secretary of Defense The deputy secretary of defense (acronym: DepSecDef) is a statutory office () and the second-highest-ranking official in the Department of Defense of the United States of America. The deputy secretary is the principal civilian deputy to the s ...

;

Author Elbridge Colby for

Undersecretary of Defense for Policy The United States under secretary of defense for policy (USDP) is a high level civilian official in the United States Department of Defense. The under secretary of defense for policy is the principal staff assistant and adviser to both the secr ...

, he is also the grandson of former

Director of Central Intelligence The director of central intelligence (DCI) was the head of the American Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) from 1946 to 2004, acting as the principal intelligence advisor to the president of the United States and the United States National Se ...

William Colby William Egan Colby (January 4, 1920 – May 6, 1996) was an American intelligence officer who served as Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) from September 1973 to January 1976. During World War II, Colby served with the Office of Strat ...

; and

Stephen Miran Stephen Ira Miran is an American economist, currently serving as chair of the Council of Economic Advisers since March 2025. He is a senior strategist at Hudson Bay Capital Management, a co-founder of the asset management firm Amberwave Partners, ...

for Chair of the

Council of Economic Advisers The Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) is a United States agency within the Executive Office of the President established in 1946, which advises the president of the United States on economic policy. The CEA provides much of the empirical resea ...

. On December 24, Trump nominated Arrigo Automotive Group Vice President John Arrigo for Ambassador to Portugal; and philanthropist Somers Farkas for Ambassador to Malta. On December 25, Trump nominated Miami-Dade County Commissioner

Kevin Marino Cabrera Kevin Marino Cabrera (born September 3, 1990) is an American politician from Florida who has served as the List of ambassadors of the United States to Panama, United States ambassador to Panama since 2025. He previously served as the commissione ...

for Ambassador to Panama.

January

On January 2, Trump nominated Charles and Potomac Capital CEO Joe Popolo to be Ambassador to the Netherlands; León Medical Centers founder Benjamin Leon to be Ambassador to Spain; and Ken Kies for Assistant Treasury Secretary For Tax Policy; Alexandra Preate for senior counsel to the Treasury Secretary

, David Katz for Treasury Chief of Staff, Cora Alvi and Samantha Schwab for Treasury Deputy Chief of Staff, granddaughter of founder, chairman, and former CEO of

Charles Schwab Corporation The Charles Schwab Corporation is an American multinational Financial institution, financial services company. It offers banking, commercial banking, investing and related services including consulting, and wealth management advisory services ...

Charles R. Schwab, and Hunter McMaster for Director of Policy Planning, nephew of South Carolina Governor

Henry McMaster Henry Dargan McMaster (born May 27, 1947) is an American politician and attorney serving since 2017 as the 117th governor of South Carolina. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he was the 50th List of Attorneys Ge ...

. On January 3, Trump nominated

Morgan Ortagus Morgan Deann Ortagus (born July 10, 1982) is an American diplomat, intelligence analyst, political advisor, United States Navy, naval officer, and former television commentator serving as deputy Ambassadors of the United States#Special envoys, re ...

as his deputy special envoy to the Middle East;

Roman Pipko Roman Pipko (born July 10, 1960) is an American lawyer who has been nominated by President Donald Trump to be the United States ambassador to Estonia. Early life and education Pipko was born in Estonia to Russian-Jewish parents. His parents w ...

for Ambassador to Estonia; and

Tammy Bruce Tammy K. Bruce (born August 20, 1962) is an American conservative radio host, author, and political commentator. She serves as spokesperson for the United States Department of State in the second Trump administration. Bruce has been an on-air c ...

for Spokesperson for the Department of State. On January 6, Trump nominated Nassau County Judge Joseph Nocella Jr. as

United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York The United States attorney for the Eastern District of New York is the chief federal law enforcement officer in five New York counties: Kings (Brooklyn), Queens, Richmond (Staten Island), Nassau and Suffolk. , the acting U.S. attorney is Jo ...

. On January 7, Trump announced that he intends to fire Colleen Joy Shogan, chief

Archivist An archivist is an information professional who assesses, collects, organizes, preserves, maintains control over, and provides access to records and archives determined to have long-term value. The records maintained by an archivist can cons ...

of the

National Archives and Records Administration The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an independent agency of the United States government within the executive branch, charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It is also task ...

. On January 9, Trump nominated Pennsylvania Republican National Committeewoman

Christine Toretti Christine Jack Toretti (born February 24, 1957) is an American politician, businesswoman, philanthropist, 2016 U.S. presidential elector, and Pennsylvania's Republican National Committeewoman. In January 2025, then President-elect Donald Trump nom ...

for Ambassador to Sweden. Trump also nominated

Leo Terrell Leo James Terrell (born February 1, 1955) is an American civil rights attorney and talk radio host based in Los Angeles, California. He has frequently appeared on Fox News programs, such as ''Hannity'' and ''The O'Reilly Factor''. Previously a De ...

for Senior Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the US Department of Justice. Trump also nominated 2024 Nevada Senate Republican candidate Sam Brown for Under Secretary for Memorial Services at the US Department of Veteran's Affairs. On January 10, Trump said he had picked Ed Russo to lead the Environmental Advisory Task Force. Trump also announced that Bill Briggs will be the Deputy Administrator of the Small Business Administration. On January 11, Trump nominated former Acting Counsel for the EPA David Fotouhi for Deputy

EPA Administrator The administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency is the head of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and is thus responsible for enforcing the nation's Clean Air Act (United States), Clean Air and Clean Water Acts, as ...

, former Deputy Interior Secretary Katharine MacGregor for Deputy Interior Secretary, former Transportation General Counsel and Acting Deputy Transportation and Acting Secretary of Transportation

Steven G. Bradbury Steven Gill Bradbury (born September 12, 1958) is an American lawyer and government official serving as the 14th United States deputy secretary of transportation since 2025. He served as the General Counsel of the United States Department of Tra ...

for Deputy Transportation Secretary,

James Danly James Patrick Danly is an American attorney who was a member of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. He was nominated by President Donald Trump in 2019 and took office on March 30, 2020. In January 2025, President-elect Donald Trump announce ...

for Deputy Energy Secretary, Casey Mulligan for Chief Counsel for Advocacy at

United States Small Business Administration The United States Small Business Administration (SBA) is an independent agency of the United States government that provides support to entrepreneurs and small businesses. The mission of the Small Business Administration is "to maintain and stre ...

, and Paul R. Lawrence for Deputy Veterans Affairs Secretary. On January 14, Trump nominated former Chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission commissioner

Keith Sonderling Keith E. Sonderling is an American lawyer and government official. He has served as the 38th United States Deputy Secretary of Labor, the acting director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and an acting under secretary of United Stat ...

for Deputy Labor Secretary. On January 16, Trump nominated private equity CEO Bill Pulte to lead the

Federal Housing Finance Agency The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) is an independent federal agency in the United States created as the successor regulatory agency of the Federal Housing Finance Board (FHFB), the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight (OFHEO), ...

, former congressman Brandon Williams as the

Under Secretary of Energy for Nuclear Security The Under Secretary for Nuclear Security, in the United States Department of Energy, is the Administrator for the National Nuclear Security Administration. The National Nuclear Security Administration's responsibilities include designing, produci ...

and the Administrator of the

National Nuclear Security Administration The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) is a United States federal agency responsible for safeguarding national security through the military application of nuclear science. NNSA maintains and enhances the safety, security, and ef ...

, and Darío Gil as Under Secretary of Energy for Science and Innovation. Trump also nominated Texas Border Czar Mike Banks for Chief of the

United States Border Patrol The United States Border Patrol (USBP) is a Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and is responsible for secu ...

and head of his personal Secret Service detail, Sean M. Curran, for

Director of the Secret Service Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''Di ...

. On January 17, Trump appointed

Mel Gibson Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson (born January 3, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. The recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Mel Gibson, multiple accolades, he is known for directing historical films as well for his act ...

Sylvester Stallone Sylvester Gardenzio "Sly" Stallone (; born July 6, 1946) is an American actor and filmmaker. In a Sylvester Stallone filmography, film career spanning more than fifty years, Stallone has received List of awards and nominations received by Syl ...

, and

Jon Voight Jonathan Vincent Voight (; born December 29, 1938) is an American actor. Throughout his career, he has received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and four Golden Globe Awards as well as nominations ...

to be special ambassadors to Hollywood.

February

On February 4, Trump nominated former

Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere The under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere, or USC(OA), is a high-ranking official in the United States Department of Commerce and the principal advisor to the United States Secretary of Commerce on the environmental and scientifi ...

Neil Jacobs Neil Andrew Jacobs, Jr. (born December 12, 1973) is an American scientist and former government official who served as the acting Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admi ...

to head the

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA ) is an American scientific and regulatory agency charged with Weather forecasting, forecasting weather, monitoring oceanic and atmospheric conditions, Hydrography, charting the seas, ...

, the organization he headed on an acting basis in the first Trump administration. On February 6, Trump nominated former police chief of

Palmetto Bay, Florida Palmetto Bay is a suburban incorporated village in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. Palmetto Bay includes two neighborhoods that were former census-designated places, Cutler and East Perrine. The village is part of the Miami metropo ...

Gadyaces Serralta to be Director of the United States Marshals Service.

Senate confirmation announcements

These are the people nominated for their corresponding roles. * Secretary of State:

Deputy Secretary of State The deputy secretary of state of the United States is the principal deputy to the secretary of state. If the secretary of state resigns or dies, the deputy secretary of state becomes acting secretary of state until the president nominates and the ...

Chief of Protocol of the United States In the United States, the chief of protocol is an officer of the United States Department of State responsible for advising the president of the United States, the Vice President of the United States, vice president of the United States, and th ...

Spokesperson for the United States Department of State The Spokesperson for the United States Department of State is a U.S. government official whose primary responsibility is to serve as the spokesperson for the United States Department of State and the U.S. government's foreign policies. The posi ...

: Jacob Helberg *

Secretary of the Treasury The United States secretary of the treasury is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury, and is the chief financial officer of the federal government of the United States. The secretary of the treasury serves as the principal a ...

Deputy Secretary of the Treasury The deputy secretary of the treasury of the United States advises and assists the Secretary of the Treasury in the supervision and direction of the United States Department of the Treasury, Department of the Treasury and its activities, and succ ...

***

Assistant Secretary of the Treasury United States Assistant Secretary of the Treasury is one of several positions in the United States Department of the Treasury, serving under the United States Secretary of the Treasury. History According to the U.S. statute, there are eight Assis ...

For Tax Policy: Ken Kies *

: Stephen Feinberg **

Under Secretary of Defense for Policy The United States under secretary of defense for policy (USDP) is a high level civilian official in the United States Department of Defense. The under secretary of defense for policy is the principal staff assistant and adviser to both the Unite ...

: Elbridge Colby **

Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment The Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, or USD (A&S), is the Principal Staff Assistant (PSA) and advisor to the United States Secretary of Defense, Secretary of Defense for all matters relating to acquisition and sustain ...

: Michael Duffey ***

Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs The Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs (ASD(HA)) is chartered under United States Department of Defense Directive (DoDD) 5136.1 in 1994. This DoDD states that the ASD(HA) is the principal advisor to the U.S. Secretary of Defense o ...

: Keith Bass *

** Deputy Attorney General:

Solicitor General A solicitor general is a government official who serves as the chief representative of the government in courtroom proceedings. In systems based on the English common law that have an attorney general or equivalent position, the solicitor general ...

: Dean John Sauer ** Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General:

for Antitrust Division: Gail Slater **

: Judge Joseph Nocella Jr. **

: Jay Clayton *

*Interior ministry ...

Deputy Secretary of the Interior Deputy or depute may refer to: * Steward (office) * Khalifa, an Arabic title that can signify "deputy" * Deputy (legislator), a legislator in many countries and regions, including: ** A member of a Chamber of Deputies, for example in Italy, Spain, ...

: Katharine MacGregor *

** Deputy Secretary of Agriculture:

Stephen Vaden Stephen Alexander Vaden (born May 15, 1982) is a United States federal judge, United States judge of the United States Court of International Trade. He is the designate to serve as the United States Deputy Secretary of Agriculture, United States ...

* Secretary of Labor: Lori Chavez-DeRemer ** Deputy Secretary of Labor:

: Jim O'Neill *

: Scott Turner *

Deputy Secretary of Transportation The deputy secretary of transportation advises and assists the United States Secretary of Transportation, secretary of transportation in the supervision and direction of the United States Department of Transportation, Department of Transportation ( ...

** Deputy Energy Secretary:

: Brandon Williams ** Under Secretary of Energy for Science and Innovation: Darío Gil *

: Doug Collins ** Deputy Veterans Affairs Secretary: Paul R. Lawrence **

Under Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Memorial Affairs The under secretary for memorial affairs is a senior position within the United States Department of Veterans Affairs that directs the National Cemetery Administration, which maintains 150 national cemeteries and provides burial services for vete ...

: Sam Brown *

** Deputy Homeland Security Secretary:

Cabinet-level nominations requiring Senate confirmation

** Deputy

: David Fotouhi *

Director of the CIA The director of the Central Intelligence Agency (D/CIA) is a statutory office () that functions as the head of the Central Intelligence Agency, which in turn is a part of the United States Intelligence Community. The director reports to the d ...

Director of the Office of Management and Budget The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is the largest office within the Executive Office of the President of the United States (EOP). The office's most prominent function is to produce the president's budget, while it also examines agency pro ...

** Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget:

* Trade Representative:

of the

** Deputy Administrator of the Small Business Administration: Bill Briggs

Non-cabinet-level offices requiring Senate confirmation

* Administrator of the

: David Fink * Administrator of the

CMS CMS may refer to: Computing * Call management system * CMS-2, a programming language implemented for and used by the United States Navy * Code Morphing Software, a technology used by Transmeta * Collection management system for a museum coll ...

* Administrator

* Ambassador to Argentina: Peter Lamelas * Ambassador to Austria: Arthur Fisher * Ambassador to the Bahamas:

* Ambassador to Belgium: Bill White * Ambassador to Canada:

* Ambassador to Chile: Brandon Judd * Ambassador to China:

* Ambassador to Colombia: Dan Newlin * Ambassador to Croatia: Nicole McGraw * Ambassador to Denmark:

* Ambassador to the Dominican Republic: Leah Campos * Ambassador to Estonia:

* Ambassador to France: Charles Kushner * Ambassador to Greece:

* Ambassador to Ireland: Edward Sharp Walsh * Ambassador to Israel:

* Ambassador to Italy:

: George Edward Glass * Ambassador to Liechtenstein:

* Ambassador to Luxembourg: Stacey Feinberg * Ambassador to Malta: Somers Farkas * Ambassador to Mexico:

* Ambassador to Morocco: Duke Buchan * Ambassador to NATO:

* Ambassador to the Netherlands: Joe Popolo * Ambassador to Panama:

* Ambassador to Portugal: John Arrigo * Ambassador to San Marino:

* Ambassador to Sweden:

* Ambassador to Switzerland:

* Ambassador to Spain: Benjamin Leon * Ambassador to Turkey:

* Ambassador to the United Kingdom: Warren Stephens * Ambassador to Uruguay:

Lou Rinaldi Luigino Rinaldi (born ) is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 2003 to 2011 and again from 2014 to 2018 who represented the ridings of Northumberland and Northumberland� ...

* Ambassador to the Vatican City: Brian Burch * Chair of the

* Chair of the

: Andrew N. Ferguson * Chair of the

: Paul S. Atkins * Chief of the

: Mike Banks *

: Dr.

* Commissioner of IRS:

* Commissioner of SSA: Frank Bisignano * Commissioner of CBP: Rodney Scott * Director of the

: Dr. Dave Weldon *

Director of the FBI The director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation is the head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), a United States federal law enforcement agency, and is responsible for its day-to-day operations. The FBI director is appointed for a ...

* Director of the

NIH The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in 1887 and is part of the United States Department of Health and Human Service ...

: Dr.

* Director of ICE: Caleb Vitello * Director of the United States Marshals Service: Gadyaces Serralta *

: John Phelan *

: Daniel P. Driscoll *

: Dr. Janette Nesheiwat * Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs:

Non-confirmation announcements

The people who do not need confirmation: *

* Principal Deputy Chief of Staff:

Dan Scavino Daniel Scavino Jr. is an American political adviser who serves as deputy chief of staff in the Trump administration since 2025. He previously served as White House deputy chief of staff for communications from 2020 to 2021 and director of social ...

White House Deputy Chiefs of Staff White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wavelen ...

: ***James Blair for Legislative, Political and Public Affairs *** Taylor Budowich for Communications and Personnel *** Stephen Miller for Policy and Homeland Security Advisor *

Communications Director Director of communications is a position in both the private and public sectors. A director of communications is responsible for managing and directing an organization's internal and external communications. Directors of communications supervis ...

: Steven Cheung *

Press Secretary A press secretary or press officer is a senior advisor who provides advice on how to deal with the news media and, using news management techniques, helps their employer to maintain a positive public image and avoid negative media coverage. Dutie ...

Staff Secretary The Staff Secretary ("Staff Sec") is a position in the White House Office responsible for managing paper flow to the President of the United States, President and circulating documents among senior staff for comment. It has been referred to as ...

Will Scharf William Owen Scharf (born ) is an American attorney and political advisor who serves as the White House Office of the Staff Secretary, White House staff secretary in the Second presidency of Donald Trump, second Donald Trump administration. He pr ...

* Director of Presidential Personnel:

Sergio Gor Sergio Gor (born November 30, 1986) is, allegedly, a Maltese Americans, Maltese American businessman and political operative. He led Right for America, a super PAC supporting president Donald Trump, during the 2024 United States presidential elect ...

Border Czar In the United States, Czar (political term), the informal term "czar" (or, less often, "tsar") is employed in media and popular usage to refer to high-level Federal government of the United_States#Executive branch, executive-branch officials who o ...

* National Security Advisor:

** Principal Deputy National Security Advisor: Alex Nelson Wong *Senior Director for Counterterrorism:

Sebastian Gorka Sebastian Lukács Gorka (; born October 22, 1970) is a British-Hungarian-American media host and commentator, currently affiliated with Salem Radio Network and NewsMax TV, and a United States government official. He served in the first Trump ...

*Deputy Homeland Security Advisor: Anthony Salisbury * Commissioner of Government Efficiency:

**Counsel to

: Bill McGinley * FCC Chairman:

* Senior Counselor for Trade and Manufacturing:

* White House AI & Crypto Czar:

**Executive Director of the Crypto Advisory Council: Bo Hines *Presidential Envoy for Special Missions:

*Special Envoy for Latin America:

*Director of Office of Personnel Management: Scott Kupor *Special Envoy to the United Kingdom:

* Middle East Special Envoy: Steven Witkoff **Deputy Special Envoy for the Middle East:

*Senior Advisor to the President on Arab and Middle Eastern affairs: Massad Boulos *Ukraine and Russia Special Envoy:

*Chief of Staff to the DOJ: Chad Mizelle *Head of DOJ's Office of General Counsel: Aaron Reitz *

: Sean M. Curran

Maintaining the House majority

Despite the nature of the 2024 House elections that left Republicans with a narrow majority, Trump has picked several incumbent House members for his cabinet. Mike Johnson, the Republican Speaker, raised concern about too many special elections throwing the majority back into chaos. Trump has so far picked three House members, but is not expected to nominate more.

Withdrew from consideration

On November 21, Matt Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration for Attorney General. Donald Trump then chose Pam Bondi, the former Attorney General of Florida, as the nominee. On December 3, Chad Chronister withdrew his name from consideration for Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration. Trump has not yet announced a replacement. On March 13, the White House withdrew the nomination of Dave Weldon to head

due to "...Weldon’s recent comments expressing skepticism about vaccines". On March 27, the White House withdrew

from consideration as Ambassador to the United Nations amid concerns that her departure from the House would affect the thin House Republican majority.

Confirmation hearings and votes

On December 18, Armed Services Committee Chairman

Roger Wicker Roger Frederick Wicker (born July 5, 1951) is an American politician, attorney, and United States Air Force, Air Force veteran serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from Mississi ...

announced that

Defense Secretary The United States secretary of defense (acronym: SecDef) is the head of the United States Department of Defense (DoD), the executive department of the U.S. Armed Forces, and is a high-ranking member of the federal cabinet. DoDD 5100.1: Enclosu ...

nominee

would begin confirmation hearings on January 14. On January 7, the

Senate Homeland Security Committee The United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs is the chief oversight committee of the United States Senate. It has jurisdiction over matters related to the Department of Homeland Security and other homeland sec ...

announced Homeland Security Secretary nominee

would have confirmation hearings on January 15, postponed on January 14 until January 17; and the

Senate Foreign Relations Committee The United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations is a standing committee of the U.S. Senate charged with leading foreign-policy legislation and debate in the Senate. It is generally responsible for authorizing and overseeing foreign a ...

announced Secretary of State nominee

would have confirmation hearings on January 15. On January 8, the

Senate Judiciary Committee The United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, informally known as the Senate Judiciary Committee, is a Standing committee (United States Congress), standing committee of 22 U.S. senators whose role is to oversee the United States Departm ...

announced

nominee

would have confirmation hearings on January 15 and 16. On January 9, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee announced

Interior Secretary The United States secretary of the interior is the head of the United States Department of the Interior. The secretary and the Department of the Interior are responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land along with natur ...

nominee

would have confirmation hearings on January 14, postponed on January 13 until January 16, and Energy Secretary nominee

would have confirmation hearings on January 15; the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee announced

Transportation Secretary The United States secretary of transportation is the head of the United States Department of Transportation. The secretary serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all matters relating to transportation. The secre ...

nominee

would have confirmation hearings on January 15; the

Senate Intelligence Committee The United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (sometimes referred to as the Intelligence Committee or SSCI) is dedicated to overseeing the United States Intelligence Community—the agencies and bureaus of the federal government of ...

announced

CIA Director The director of the Central Intelligence Agency (D/CIA) is a statutory office () that functions as the head of the Central Intelligence Agency, which in turn is a part of the United States Intelligence Community. The director reports to the d ...

nominee

would have confirmation hearings on January 15; and the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee announced

nominee

would have confirmation hearings on January 16. On January 10, the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee announced Veterans Affairs Secretary nominee Doug Collins would have confirmation hearings on January 14, postponed on January 13 until January 21; and the Senate Homeland Security announced Director of

nominee

would have confirmation hearings on January 15; and the

Senate Finance Committee The United States Senate Committee on Finance (or, less formally, Senate Finance Committee) is a standing committee of the United States Senate. The committee concerns itself with matters relating to taxation and other revenue measures generall ...

announced

nominee

would have confirmation hearings on January 16. On January 15, the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Development Committee announced Housing and Urban Development Secretary nominee Scott Turner would have confirmation hearings on January 16; the

announced UN Ambassador nominee

would have confirmation hearings on January 21. and the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee announced

Agriculture Secretary The United States secretary of agriculture is the head of the United States Department of Agriculture. The position carries similar responsibilities to those of agriculture ministers in other governments The department includes several organiza ...

nominee

would have confirmation hearings on January 23. On January 22,

announced that Health and Human Services Secretary nominee

would begin confirmation hearings on January 29 and the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions announced that he would have a hearing on January 30; the

Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation The United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation is a standing committee of the United States Senate. Besides having broad jurisdiction over all matters concerning interstate commerce, science and technology policy, a ...

chairman

Ted Cruz Rafael Edward Cruz (; born December 22, 1970) is an American politician and attorney serving as the junior United States senator from Texas since 2013. A member of the Republican Party, Cruz was the solicitor general of Texas from 2003 ...

's office announced that Commerce Secretary nominee

would begin confirmation hearings on January 29. On January 23,

announced that FBI Director nominee

would begin confirmation hearings on January 30; and the

announced that

nominee

would begin confirmation hearings on January 30.

Confirmation votes

January

On January 20, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted unanimously to confirm

for Secretary of State, sending the confirmation to the full Senate, where he was confirmed unanimously as well, 99–0. Additionally, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee voted 13–2 in favor of

for Homeland Security Secretary; and voted 8–7 in favor of

for Director of the

; the

Senate Armed Services Committee The Committee on Armed Services, sometimes abbreviated SASC for Senate Armed Services Committee, is a committee of the United States Senate empowered with legislative oversight of the nation's military, including the Department of Defen ...

voted 14–13 in favor of

for Secretary of Defense; and the

voted 14–3 in favor of

for CIA Director. All of these nominees, except Rubio, will now move to the full Senate to be voted on. On January 21, the

announced that their committee vote on

's nomination for Attorney General, would be postponed to January 29; Marco Rubio was sworn in by Vice President

. On January 22, the

voted unanimously for

's nomination for

, moving his nomination to the full senate. Also nomination votes for

and

were scheduled for January 23. Hegseth and Ratcliffe first will have a procedural vote to advance their nominations, with the possibility of 30 hours of debate which would push their nomination votes to January 24. On January 23, the

Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works The United States Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works is responsible for legislation and oversight of the natural and built environment and for studying matters concerning environmental protection and resource conservation and util ...

voted to confirm

in a vote of 11–8 for

, the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources voted to confirm

in a vote of 18–2 for

, and voted to confirm Chris Wright in a vote of 15–6 for Energy Secretary, and the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs voted to confirm Scott Turner in a vote of 13–11 for HUD Secretary, and the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs voted to confirm Doug Collins in a vote of 18–1 for Veterans Affairs Secretary. These nominees confirmations now will move to the full senate for a final vote. Later that day, the Senate confirmed

in a vote of 74–25 for

and he was later sworn in by Vice President

. On January 24, the Senate voted 50–50 for

nomination for

. Vice President

broke the tie, voting in favor of his nomination. He was sworn in on January 25, by Vance, at the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...

. On January 25, the Senate confirmed it had scheduled confirmation votes for

, nominated to be

, for January 27, and Sean Duffy, nominated to be

, for January 28. The Senate voted 59–34 in favor of the nomination of

for Homeland Security Secretary; and was sworn in later that day by Supreme Court Justice

Clarence Thomas Clarence Thomas (born June 23, 1948) is an American lawyer and jurist who has served since 1991 as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. President George H. W. Bush nominated him to succeed Thurgood Marshall. Afte ...

in the place of Vice President Vance who had a scheduling conflict. On January 27, the Senate voted 68–29 for

's nomination for

Secretary of Treasury A secretary, administrative assistant, executive assistant, personal secretary, or other similar titles is an individual whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, program evalu ...

; and was sworn in on January 28, by Supreme Court Justice

Brett Kavanaugh Brett Michael Kavanaugh (; born February 12, 1965) is an American lawyer and jurist serving as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. He was nominated by President Donald Trump on July 9, 2018, and has served since Oct ...

. On January 28, the Senate voted 77–22 for

's nomination for

, with Georgia Senator

Jon Ossoff Thomas Jonathan Ossoff ( ; born February 16, 1987) is an American politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia since 2021. A member of the ...

not voting; and sworn in later that day by Supreme Court Justice

. On January 29, 2025, Vice President

held a ceremonial swearing-in for Duffy. On January 29, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted 12–10 in favor of

’s nomination to be

, moving it to the full senate for a vote; and the full Senate voted 56–42 for

's nomination for

, with New Jersey Senator

Cory Booker Cory Anthony Booker (born April 27, 1969) is an American politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from New Jersey, a seat he has held since 2013. A member of the Democ ...

and Georgia Senator

not voting; and it was announced that

's nomination for

would be brought before the full senate on January 30. Zeldin was sworn in by Supreme Court Justice

on January 30. On January 30, the Senate voted 80–17 for

's nomination for

, (Senators Booker, Ossoff, and Fetterman did not vote); and voted to break the filibusters for

's and Doug Collins's nominations, scheduling their final votes for February 3.

February

On February 1, Burgum was sworn in by

Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

Justice

Sonia Sotomayor Sonia Maria Sotomayor (, ; born June 25, 1954) is an American lawyer and jurist who serves as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. She was nominated by President Barack Obama on May 26, 2009, and has served since ...

. On February 2, the

announced that

would get a committee vote on his nomination for

HHS Secretary The United States secretary of health and human services is the head of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, and serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all health matters. The secretary is ...

on February 4. On February 3, the

announced that

would have a committee vote on her nomination for

on February 4. The full senate also voted 59–38 in favor of

's nomination for Energy Secretary. The Senate Agriculture Committee voted unanimously in favor of

for

, now her nomination will now move to the full senate for a final vote. On February 4, the

voted 9–8 in favor of

's nomination to be

; the Senate Finance Committee voted 14–13 in favor of

's nomination to be

; the Senate voted 77–23 in favor of Doug Collins to be Veterans Affairs Secretary; and voted 54–46 for

to be

. On February 5, the

voted 16–12 in favor of

's nomination to be Commerce Secretary, moving his nomination to the full senate for a vote. The full senate voted 55–44 to confirm Scott Turner for HUD Secretary. Also,

was sworn in as

; Doug Collins as Veterans Affairs Secretary; and Scott Turner as

HUD Secretary The United States secretary of housing and urban development is the head of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, a member of the Cabinet of the United States, and thirteenth in the presidential line of succession. The ...

, all by Supreme Court Justice

. On February 6, the

was scheduled to vote on the nomination of

to be FBI Director; but then postponed until February 13. The senate voted 53–47 in favor of

's nomination to be the

. On February 12, the Senate voted 52–48 in favor of

to be the

and she was sworn in later that day by

. The Senate announced that

’s nomination for

would be voted on February 13, followed by

for

, followed by votes to break filibusters on

's nomination to be

Commerce Secretary The United States secretary of commerce (SecCom) is the head of the United States Department of Commerce. The secretary serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all matters relating to Commerce, commerce. The sec ...

and

's nomination to be the

Administrator of the Small Business Administration The administrator of the Small Business Administration is the head of the Small Business Administration of the United States. The administrator is responsible for managing and the day-to-day operations of the agency. The administrator is nominat ...

. On February 13, the Senate voted 52–48 in favor of

's nomination for

and he was sworn in later that day by Supreme Court Justice

Neil Gorsuch Neil McGill Gorsuch ( ; born August 29, 1967) is an American jurist who serves as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. He was Neil Gorsuch Supreme Court ...

. Later,

for

was confirmed with a vote of 72–28 and was sworn in by Supreme Court Justice

. The

voted 12–10 in favor of the nomination of

to be FBI Director moving his nomination to the full senate for a final vote. On February 18, the Senate voted 51–45 in favor of

's nomination for

. On February 19, the Senate voted 52–46 in favor of

's nomination for

. On February 20, the

Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee The United States Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) generally considers matters relating to these issues. Its jurisdiction also extends beyond these issues to include several more specific areas, as defined by Sena ...

voted 12–11 in favor of

's nomination to be

; and the full senate voted 51–49 to confirm

's nomination to be

. On February 26, the Senate voted 56–43 in favor of

's nomination for

. On February 27, the

voted 13–9 in favor of Lori Chavez-DeRemer's nomination to be Secretary of Labor.

March

On March 3, the Senate voted 51–45 in favor of

's nomination for Education Secretary. On March 10, the Senate voted 67–32 in favor of Lori Chavez-DeRemer's nomination for Labor Secretary.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Trump, Donald 2024 in American politics 2025 in American politics November 2024 in the United States December 2024 in the United States January 2025 in the United States

Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

2024 United States presidential election Transition Presidency of Joe Biden Transition Kamala Harris JD Vance Articles containing video clips