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- President-elect that Trump had referred to him as “Mr. Secretary” while notifying him that he wasn’t selected as the Republican vice presidential candidate.
Like Trump, Burgum was a businessman before entering politics. In 2001, he sold his software company, Great Plains Software, to Microsoft for over $1 billion.
Burgum was elected governor of North Dakota in 2016, and his second term is slated to end in December. Burgum said in January that he would not seek a third term.
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Former Rep. Lee Zeldin, 44, has been chosen to lead the Environmental Protection Agency.
“We will restore US energy dominance, revitalize our auto industry to bring back American jobs, and make the US the the president-elect’s pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.
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Trump said he would nominate Kevin Hassett, an economist and veteran of the president-elect’s first term, to run the White House National Economic Council.
Hassett previously led the White House Council of Economic Advisers from 2017 to 2019. He returned as a senior advisor to Trump in 2020 during the COVID pandemic.
“He will play an important role in helping American families recover from the inflation that was unleashed by the Biden administration. Together we will renew and improve our record Tax Cuts, and ensure that we have Fair Trade with Countries that have taken advantage of the United States in the past,” Trump wrote in the Truth Social post announcing Hassett’s appointment.
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Karoline Leavitt, who served as the national press secretary for Trump’s 2024 reelection campaign, was tapped to become the administration’s White House press secretary.
At 27, she will be the youngest person in history to hold the role, NPR reported.
In Trump’s first administration, the role of the top White House spokesperson had a notable turnover rate, with four people holding the title over the four-year term. President Joe Biden had two White House spokespeople during his term, while President Barack Obama had three over both his terms.
During Trump’s first term, Leavitt previously served in the White House as an assistant press secretary.
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Steven Cheung, the chief spokesman for Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, is set to become the next White House communications director.
Cheung, a former spokesperson for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, previously served as the director of strategic response during Trump’s first term.
During the 2024 campaign, Cheung became known for his forceful statements against Trump’s rivals in both the GOP primaries and the general election. Earlier this year, Cheung strongly criticized onetime Trump officials-turned-critics John Kelly and John Bolton, accusing them of having “a severe case of Trump Derangement Syndrome.”
Trump, in a statement, praised Cheung as a “trusted” advisor who has “continued to champion America First principles” from the president-elect’s first foray in the White House to his successful reelection bid.
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Trump has tapped Thomas Homan to serve as his administration’s “border czar.” Homan, 62, was a senior immigration official during Trump’s first term and served as the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Homan will oversee the nation’s borders, as well as maritime and aviation security. A former police officer and border patrol agent, he has extensive experience in immigration enforcement.
Trump made immigration enforcement a centerpiece of his election campaign and has promised to pursue the country’s largest mass deportation to date.
Last month, Homan told “60 Minutes” that worksite raids to target unauthorized employees would pick back up under a Trump presidency.
The president-elect announced Homan’s role on Truth Social: “I’ve known Tom for a long time, and there is nobody better at policing and controlling our Borders,” he wrote.
Homan’s role does not need Senate confirmation.
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Trump has turned to Rep. Michael Waltz of Florida to become his next national security advisor, bringing on board an Army Green Beret veteran and staunch critic of the Biden administration’s 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Waltz himself served in Afghanistan, as well as the Middle East and Africa.
“Mike has been a strong champion of my America First Foreign Policy agenda, and will be a tremendous champion of our pursuit of Peace through Strength!” Trump said in a statement.
Waltz was first elected to the House in 2018, where he succeeded now-Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in the conservative-leaning 6th Congressional District. He currently chairs the Armed Services subcommittee on readiness and also sits on the Foreign Affairs and Intelligence committees.
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Trump announced Brendan Carr as his pick to lead the FCC during his second term.
Carr has served at the FCC since 2012, including being nominated to five-year terms as a commissioner by both Trump and Biden. He has been confirmed unanimously by the Senate three times. According to his biography, his work at the FCC has focused on modernizing communications infrastructure and accelerating the construction of high-speed networks across the country.
“Commissioner Carr is a warrior for Free Speech, and has fought against the regulatory Lawfare that has stifled Americans’ Freedoms, and held back our Economy,” Trump said in a statement. “He will end the regulatory onslaught that has been crippling America’s Job Creators and Innovators, and ensure that the FCC delivers for rural America.”
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Trump tapped Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, a Fox News medical contributor, to serve as the US surgeon general.
“Dr. Nesheiwat is a fierce advocate and strong communicator for preventive medicine and public health,” Trump said in a statement. “She is committed to ensuring that Americans have access to affordable, quality healthcare, and believes in empowering individuals to take charge of their health to live longer, healthier lives.”
According to her website, Nesheiwat graduated from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and is the medical director at CityMed.
The surgeon general is responsible for communicating to the public essential information about healthcare.
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Trump nominated Marty Makary, a surgeon and professor at Johns Hopkins University, to be the commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration.
“FDA has lost the trust of Americans, and has lost sight of its primary goal as a regulator. The Agency needs Dr. Marty Makary, a Highly Respected Johns Hopkins Surgical Oncologist and Health Policy Expert, to course-correct and refocus the Agency,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social on November 22.
Makary gained some notoriety for questioning COVID-19 protocols and vaccinations in the United States.
Trump said on Truth Social that Makary would work closely with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to “properly evaluate harmful chemicals poisoning our Nation’s food supply and drugs and biologics being given to our Nation’s youth,” among other things.
“I am confident that Dr. Makary, having dedicated his career to High-Quality Lower-Cost care, will restore FDA to the Gold Standard of Scientific Research, and cut the bureaucratic red tape at the Agency to make sure Americans get the Medical Cures and Treatments they deserve,” Trump said.
Makary has written books like “UNACCOUNTABLE” and “The Price We Pay,” which question the American healthcare system.
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Dr. David Weldon, a former Republican congressman of Florida, was nominated by Trump to serve as the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
During his time in Congress, Weldon pushed a bill that would have moved vaccine research away from the CDC and toward an independent agency within the HHS. He has also pushed the false idea that thimerosal, an ingredient in some vaccines, caused an increase in autism, according to The New York Times.
“As a father of two and a husband of 45 years, Dave understands American Family Values, and views Health as one of utmost importance,” Trump said in a statement on November 22. “Dave will prioritize Transparency, Competence, and High Standards at CDC.”
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Trump has appointed real-estate developer Steven Witkoff as a special Middle East envoy.
Witkoff, who has known Trump for decades, has no formal diplomatic experience, although that did not stop Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner from leading the first Trump administration’s efforts in the region. Kushner helped broker the Abraham Accords, which normalized relations between Israel, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates.
Trump also appointed Witkoff to cochair his inaugural committee alongside former US Sen. Kelly Loeffler of Georgia.
Biden appointed several special envoys to the Middle East. In April, Biden appointed Lise Grande, the former head of the US Insitute for Peace, as Special Envoy for Middle East Humanitarian Issues.
Trump has repeatedly vowed to bring about peace, though he hasn’t been clear on how he will reach a long-term cease-fire in Gaza that has so far eluded Biden.
Witkoff was playing golf with Trump at his West Palm Beach, Florida, golf club in September when a Secret Service officer fired at a would-be assassin, the second attempt on Trump’s life.
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Trump tapped former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee as his next ambassador to Israel.
“He loves Israel, and the people of Israel, and likewise, the people of Israel love him,” Trump said in a statement. “Mike will work tirelessly to bring about Peace in the Middle East!”
Since the war in Gaza began more than a year ago, Huckabee has been a critic of the Biden administration’s response. In an interview on Fox News at the end of 2023, Huckabee said Biden was participating in “nothing less than diplomatic schizophrenia.”
Huckabee served as Arkansas governor from 1996 to 2007. He’s since pivoted more toward commentary, hosting his own talk show.
He ran for president in both 2008 and 2016.
In 2008, Huckabee won the Iowa GOP caucuses, but he was unable to sustain that momentum against the eventual nominee, then-Arizona Sen. John McCain, in later contests and eventually bowed out of the race.
When he ran again in 2016, Huckabee came in ninth place in Iowa, and suspended his campaign after that performance.
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Trump selected Todd Blanche, his defense lawyer, to serve as deputy attorney general in the Department of Justice.
“Todd is an excellent attorney who will be a crucial leader in the Justice Department, fixing what has been a broken System of Justice for far too long,” Trump wrote on November 15 in an announcement on Truth Social.
Blanche, a former chief federal prosecutor in New York, represented Trump in multiple indictments, including leading his defense in the hush-money trial concerning Stormy Daniels earlier this year. Trump was convicted on all 34 counts brought in the case.
Trump also said he was selecting Emil Bove, another of his defense attorneys, to serve as principal associate deputy attorney general. Bove also represented Trump in the hush-money case.
“Emil is a tough and strong attorney, who will be a crucial part of the Justice Department, rooting out corruption and crime,” Trump said.
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Trump selected another of his lawyers, Dean John Sauer, to serve as solicitor general of the US. Sauer previously served as solicitor general of Missouri and clerked for Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.
Sauer was Trump’s lead counsel in his case before the Supreme Court arguing for presidential immunity, which resulted in a favorable decision for the former president.
“John is a deeply accomplished, masterful appellate attorney,” Trump said in a Truth Social post, adding he “will be a great Champion for us as we Make America Great Again!”
Daniel Driscoll is Trump’s nominee for Secretary of the Army, the official within the Defense Department responsible for matters that pertain to the army.
“As a former Soldier, Investor, and Political Advisor, Dan brings a powerful combination of experiences to serve as a disruptor and change agent,” Trump wrote in a string of Truth Social posts on December 4.
In addition to serving in the army, Driscoll worked in venture capital and was a senior advisor to Vance.
Trump chose Gail Slater as his nominee to be the assistant attorney general for the antitrust division at the Justice Department.
“Big Tech has run wild for years, stifling competition in our most innovative sector and, as we all know, using its market power to crack down on the rights of so many Americans, as well as those of Little Tech!” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social announcing his pick. He said that Slater will lead the effort to address the “abuses.”
Slater was an assistant to the president on tech, telecom, and cybersecurity issues during Trump’s first term and is an economic policy advisor for Vice President-Elect JD Vance. She worked at the Federal Trade Commission for a decade and has been advising Trump’s transition team on whom to appoint as the chair, Bloomberg reported.
Trump appointed David Warrington as assistant to the president and counsel to the president, he announced on Truth Social. In this capacity, Warrington will be the top attorney in the White House.
Warrington — a partner at the Dhillon Law Group — previously served as Trump’s personal attorney, as well as general counsel for his presidential campaign.
Trump picked former Missouri Congressman Billy Long to serve as commissioner of the IRS.
“Billy brings 32 years of experience running his own businesses in Real Estate and, as one of the premier Auctioneers in the Country,” Trump wrote in a statement on Truth Social. “He then served 12 years in Congress, because he “felt it was important for his constituents to have a Representative who has signed the front of a check!” Since leaving Congress, Billy has worked as a Business and Tax advisor, helping Small Businesses navigate the complexities of complying with the IRS Rules and Regulations.”
Long would replace current IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel and would be crucial in the new administration’s targeting of the Inflation Reduction Act.
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Former Georgia Sen. David Perdue is Trump’s nominee for the US ambassador to China.
“As a Fortune 500 CEO, who had a 40-year International business career, and served in the US Senate, David brings valuable expertise to help build our relationship with China,” Trump wrote of his decision on Truth Social. “He has lived in Singapore and Hong Kong, and worked in Asia and China for much of his career.”
Perdue, who was a top executive at companies like Reebok, Sara Lee, PillowTex, and Dollar General, has years of experience expanding Western manufacturing firms in China and other lower-cost countries.
As the ambassador in Beijing, he will help Trump navigate the latter’s pledges of additional tariffs on China.
“Having lived in Asia on two occasions, I understand the gravity of this responsibility and look forward to implementing President Trump’s strategy to make the world safe again and to represent the United States’ interests in China,” Perdue wrote on X in response to Trump’s announcement.
Trump’s pick to lead Immigration and Customs Enforcement is Caleb Vitello, who is the assistant director of the agency’s Office of Firearms and Tactical Programs.
“Caleb’s exceptional leadership, extensive experience, and commitment to ICE’s mission make him an excellent choice to implement my efforts to enhance the safety and security of American communities who have been victimized by illegal alien crime,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Vitello has 23 years of federal law enforcement experience at ICE and oversees tactical training and safety, according to his agency bio.
He previously was a deputy assistant director at ICE’s fugitive operations, which tracks and arrests non-citizens who “present a danger to national security, or are a risk to public safety.”
As the acting director of ICE, he’s to play a key role in helping Trump enforce his promise of deporting millions of people staying illegally in the US.
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Trump has chosen Rodney S. Scott to be the commissioner of US Customs and Border Protection.
Scott is a border enforcement veteran with almost three decades of experience. He was the chief of the US Border Patrol from January 2020 to August 2021 and was vocal in his support for Trump’s wall.
Announcing his choice on Truth Social, Trump praised Scott’s tenure as Border Patrol chief for “record low levels of illegal immigration.”
During his time leading Border Patrol, Scott implemented the Trump administration’s Remain-in-Mexico program, which blocked non-Mexican asylum seekers from entering the US while waiting for their court dates.
His new role as commissioner expands upon his previous role — Scott will also oversee enforcement at ports of entry, trade, and travel.
