Trump's top team: firebrands and stalwarts

US President-elect Donald Trump and former US Representative Tulsi Gabbard during a town hall meeting in La Crosse, Wisconsin, on August 29, 2024. [AFP] US President-elect Donald Trump is handing top roles for his future White House to a mix of political allies, firebrands and a few relatively conventional figures. These are the key nominations, some requiring potentially difficult Senate confirmations -- unless Trump can circumvent scrutiny through a process called recess appointments. - Health Secretary: RFK Jr. - Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is a longtime health and environmental campaigner, who at 70 proudly shows off his muscular body. But the scion of the famous US political dynasty is also a leading anti-vaccine activist and conspiracy theorist who has promoted the disproven idea that childhood vaccines cause autism and claimed that Covid vaccines were deadly. - 'Government Efficiency': Elon Musk - Musk, the world's richest man, was tapped to lead a new Department of Government Efficiency, along with another wealthy Trump ally, Vivek Ramaswamy. Musk says he is targeting $2 trillion in cuts from the federal government's $7 trillion budget, without explaining how. There has been no explanation of how the Tesla, SpaceX and Starlink boss would navigate conflicts of interest as a major US government contractor. - Secretary of State: Marco Rubio - Trump tapped the Florida senator to be top diplomat, with an eye to intensifying the US power struggle with China. Rubio, a relatively traditional conservative hawk, has said China seeks "to reorient the world." The son of Cuban immigrants is a fervent supporter of Israel and longtime critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin. - Defense Secretary: Pete Hegseth - Fox News host and National Guard veteran Hegseth was nominated to lead the world's most powerful military, despite a slim CV. Hegseth joined Fox News -- Trump's favorite network -- in 2014 and hosts a weekend program. The Pentagon employs some 2.9 million people. - National Security Advisor: Mike Waltz - Congressman and former special forces officer Waltz has been tapped as Trump's top White House foreign policy advisor. Waltz is critical of both China and Russia, but backs winding down support for Ukraine. - CIA Director: John Ratcliffe - Ratcliffe, who was director of national intelligence at the tumultuous end of Trump's first term, has been tapped to lead the Central Intelligence Agency. He defended Trump during his first impeachment trial for allegedly blackmailing Ukraine's president. But he is seen as somewhat of an institutionalist and a relatively safe pair of hands. - Director of National Intelligence: Tulsi Gabbard - Gabbard, a former Hawaii congresswoman, switched sides from the Democrats to back Trump's reelection. She has stood out for echoing Kremlin talking points about the invasion of Ukraine. As director of national intelligence, she'd oversee coordination of the 18 intelligence agencies. - Attorney General: Matt Gaetz - A pro-Trump firebrand in Congress, Gaetz was subject to a House ethics probe into alleged sex trafficking. The Justice Department, which he would head, announced last year that it would not bring charges in the same case, after a lengthy inquiry. The department is also expected to drop a string of criminal cases against Trump. On Thursday, Trump named his personal attorneys Todd Blanche and Emil Bove, who defended him during his trial this year over hush money payments to former porn star Stormy Daniels, as deputies to Gaetz. John Sauer, who represented Trump during his successful presidential immunity case before the Supreme Court, was also tapped as solicitor general. - Homeland Security Secretary: Kristi Noem - South Dakota Governor Noem, a longtime Trump loyalist, would play a key role in any Trump effort to restrict immigration and deport undocumented migrants. Noem became famous for admitting that she shot an "untrainable" pet dog, saying it showed her ability to make tough choices. Veteran immigration official Tom Homan is set to be the country's "border czar." - Secretary of the Interior: Doug Burgum - North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, a billionaire businessman-turned-politician like Trump, was picked to lead the Department of the Interior, which oversees federal lands, including their oil and gas production. Burgum ran against Trump in the 2024 Republican primary and was on the shortlist of his potential vice presidential picks. - UN Ambassador: Elise Stefanik - New York congresswoman Stefanik is a vocal Trump ally and pro-Israel stalwart. She was among the first to be nominated as the president-elect rolled out his choices. - Ambassador to Israel: Mike Huckabee - Trump says the former Arkansas governor, a Christian pastor-turned-politician, "loves Israel, and the people of Israel, and likewise, the people of Israel love him." - Others - Environmental Protection Agency: Former congressman Lee Zeldin. White House Chief of Staff: Trump campaign manager Susie Wiles. Veterans Affairs secretary: Iraq war veteran and former Georgia congressman Doug Collins. Treasury, Commerce, Education, Agriculture: no announcement yet.

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