Tracking Trump’s picks to serve in his Cabinet, administration

President-elect Donald Trump, ahead of his return to power in January, is announcing who he wants to fill Cabinet positions and other key roles inside his administration, including names like Marco Rubio, Tulsi Gabbard and Matt Gaetz.

Trump began to roll out his nominees and appointees just days after his election victory over Vice President Kamala Harris. Among them are some of his staunchest allies on Capitol Hill and key advisers to his 2024 campaign.

Trump will have a Republican-controlled Senate and possibly a Republican-controlled House to help usher his picks through. But he’s also urging the incoming Senate leader to embrace recess appointments, which has led to speculation some of his choices may be more controversial.

Here is a running list of whom Trump has selected, or is expected to select, to serve in his administration.

Secretary of state: Marco Rubio

Trump announced Florida Sen. Marco Rubio as his pick to be secretary of state.

Rubio is the vice-chair of the Senate Select Committee on Foreign Intelligence and sits on the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. He holds hard-line views on China, Iran and Russia, although like other Republicans he has shifted on support for Ukraine’s war effort to be more aligned with Trump.

Rubio will need to be confirmed by the Senate. Read more about Rubio’s experience here.

Department of Homeland Security secretary: Kristi Noem

Trump announced he has chosen South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem to be his secretary for the Department of Homeland Security.

As Trump’s Homeland Security secretary, among Noem’s biggest roles is expected to be to oversee Trump’s border policies, including the major campaign promise of “mass deportations,” alongside Trump’s “border czar” Tom Homan and White House deputy chief of staff on policy Stephen Miller.

The role would require Senate approval. Read more about Noem here.

Secretary of defense: Pete Hegseth

Trump has selected Fox News host Pete Hegseth to lead the Department of Defense.

He listed Hegseth’s experience as a veteran and his media experience as his reasons for the choice. Hegseth served in the Army National Guard and was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan and previously served as the director of an advocacy group that has called for more privatization of the Veterans Administration.

Hegseth will need to be confirmed by the Senate to serve in the role. Read more about Hegseth here.

Health and Human Services secretary: Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Trump said he has picked Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a vaccine skeptic, to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.

HHS oversees major health agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, among others.

The job requires Senate confirmation. Read more about Kennedy here.

‘Department of Government Efficiency’: Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy

Trump announced the two men will lead what he’s calling a new “Department of Government Efficiency.”

It will not be a new federal agency, but will provide “outside of government” counsel on reforming departments and cutting waste, Trump said.

Read more about Trump’s plan here. The president-elect did not detail how this new department would be funded.

Attorney general: Matt Gaetz

Trump has nominated Rep. Matt Gaetz to be his attorney general.

The Florida Republican is a firebrand and one of Trump’s most loyal allies who will now be the head of the Justice Department. Gaetz was the subject of a yearslong Justice Department probe that ended without charges, though he is still under investigation by the House Ethics Committee for the same allegations.

Gaetz will need to be confirmed by the Senate. Read more about him here.

Chairman of the FCC: Brendan Carr

President-elect Donald Trump announced Brendan Carr as his pick for chairman of the Federal Communications Commission on Nov. 17.

Carr previously served as general counsel for the FCC and as the senior Republican for the FCC.

Trump first nominated Carr to the FCC in 2017. The president-elect said in his official announcement this week that although Carr’s current term runs through 2029, the president-elect is now designating him as the “permanent chairman.”

A president chooses a chair from among Senate-confirmed commissioners of the FCC, such that the choice does not require further confirmation from the Senate.

Deputy attorney general: Todd Blanche

Trump nominated his own personal top defense attorney for the second highest position in the Department of Justice on Thursday.

After much speculation, Trump nominated his lawyer who represented Trump in the hush money case and in both of Jack Smith’s federal probes.

Blanche will need to be confirmed by the Senate.

Associate deputy attorney general: Emil Bove

Trump announced he nominated Emil Bove for principal associate deputy attorney general.

Bove will need to be confirmed by the Senate.

Secretary of veterans affairs: Doug Collins

Trump announced he nominated former Georgia Rep. Doug Collins for secretary of veterans affairs.

Collins is a veteran who currently serves as a chaplain in the U.S. Air Force Reserve Command, Trump said in a statement.

“We must take care of our brave men and women in uniform, and Doug will be a great advocate for our Active Duty Servicemembers, Veterans, and Military Families to ensure they have the support they need,” Trump said.

Collins’ position requires Senate confirmation.

Energy secretary: Chris Wright

Trump announced Chris Wright is his nominee to lead the Department of Energy.

Wright, who must be approved by the Senate, is the chief executive of Liberty Energy – the world’s second-largest fracking services company – and is one of the industry’s most outspoken critics of the effort to combat climate change.

“As Secretary of Energy, Chris will be a key leader, driving innovation, cutting red tape, and ushering in a new ‘Golden Age of American Prosperity and Global Peace,'” Trump said.

Wright has said he doesn’t believe there is a “climate crisis” and has argued that policies aimed at combating climate change make energy more expensive and less reliable.

Read more about Wright’s experience here.

Interior secretary: Doug Burgum

Trump announced he has chosen North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum as his interior secretary.

Trump also announced that Burgum will be joining his administration as chairman of the “newly formed, and very important, National Energy Council.”

The council will consist of all departments and agencies “involved in the permitting, production, generation, distribution, regulation [and] transportation” of American energy, Trump said.

Burgum was seen as a possible running mate of Trump’s. He was one of his busiest surrogates, campaigning for the former president and raising money for his reelection campaign.

The position requires Senate confirmation.

Solicitor general: Dean John Sauer

Trump said on Thursday he has selected Dean John Sauer as solicitor general.

As Trump’s defense attorney, Sauer argued for presidential immunity in front of the Supreme Court earlier this year, in which the high court granted broad immunity for official acts.

The Department of Justice position requires Senate confirmation.

He marks the third attorney who has worked on Trump’s criminal cases nominated for a DOJ position.

‘Border czar’: Tom Homan

Trump announced former Acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Tom Homan will serve as “border czar.”

He will be charged with seeing out the mass deportations Trump promised throughout his campaign.

Homan oversaw ICE under the Trump administration for a year and a half, at a time when the administration’s “zero tolerance” policy led to parents being separated from their children at the border.

“Border czar” is not an official Cabinet position, meaning it won’t need Senate confirmation. Read more about Homan here.

Chief of staff: Susie Wiles

Susie Wiles will be the first female chief of staff for any White House.

Wiles was Trump’s co-campaign manager for his 2024 run. Trump also credited her for her work on his 2016 and 2020 White House bids, though his 2024 bid ran smoother and saw fewer shake-ups.

Wiles is the daughter of legendary NFL Hall of Famer Pat Summerall. She will not require Senate confirmation to serve in the post.

Deputy chief of staff for policy: Stephen Miller

Trump announced that Stephen Miller will become his deputy chief of staff for policy.

Miller is one of Trump’s senior advisers and helped craft his hard-line immigration policies during his first term. He will be key in trying to implement Trump’s 2024 campaign pledge to mass deport migrants illegally living in the U.S.

He will not require Senate confirmation to serve in the post. Read more about Miller’s background here.

In addition to Wiles and Miller, Trump also announced other key White House figures: Dan Scavino was named assistant to the president and deputy chief of staff; James Blair was named assistant to the president and deputy chief of staff for legislative, political and public affairs; and Taylor Budowich will serve as assistant to the president and deputy chief of staff for communications and personnel.

Ambassador to the United Nations: Elise Stefanik

New York Rep. Elise Stefanik has been tapped to be Trump’s U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

Stefanik joined Congress as a moderate Republican but became one of Trump’s key defenders after his first impeachment and after his 2020 election loss. She joined House leadership in 2021 as chair of the House Republican Conference.

Stefanik made headlines this past year as she challenged university presidents on their handling of protests over the Israel-Gaza war. She’s also accused the United Nations of antisemitism over some of the resolutions passed amid the conflict.

Stefanik will have to be confirmed by the Senate to serve in the role. Read more about Stefanik here.

Director of the Central Intelligence Agency: John Ratcliffe

Trump has selected John Ratcliffe to serve as director of the CIA.

The former three-term Republican congressman from Texas served as Trump’s director of national intelligence from mid-2020 until the end of Trump’s first term.

His path to DNI wasn’t a smooth one — he was nominated to the post in 2019, but he withdrew his nomination after questions from both parties arose about his qualifications for the job and whether he had embellished his record as a federal prosecutor.

“From exposing fake Russian collusion to be a Clinton campaign operation, to catching the FBI’s abuse of Civil Liberties at the FISA Court, John Ratcliffe has always been a warrior for Truth and Honesty with the American Public,” Trump said in a statement announcing his pick. “When 51 intelligence officials were lying about Hunter Biden’s laptop, there was one, John Ratcliffe, telling the truth to the American People.”

Ratcliffe’s nomination requires Senate confirmation. Read more about him here.

Environmental Protection Agency administrator: Lee Zeldin

Trump has tapped former New York congressman Lee Zeldin to lead the EPA.

Zeldin represented Long Island’s Suffolk County in the House of Representatives for eight years before launching a failed bid for governor against Democrat Kathy Hochul. Before becoming an elected official, Zeldin was an attorney.

Zeldin has pledged to eliminate regulations at the EPA he claimed are hampering businesses. He also said he wanted to restore energy independence as well as protect access to clean air and water.

Zeldin will need Senate confirmation to serve in the role. Read more about him here.

National security adviser: Mike Waltz

Trump has picked Florida Rep. Michael Waltz to be his national security adviser.

Waltz, who was the first Green Beret elected to the House, sits on the House Intelligence, Armed Services and Foreign Affairs committees. Before becoming an elected official, Waltz served in various national security policy roles.

The national security adviser is appointed by the president with no Senate confirmation needed.

Ambassador to Israel: Mike Huckabee

Trump announced he has nominated former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to be the U.S. ambassador to Israel.

The role, which will need to be confirmed by the Senate, will be a key appointment as tensions remain high in the Middle East. Like David Friedman, Trump’s first ambassador to Israel, Huckabee is an outspoken supporter of the Israeli settlement movement.

Director of national intelligence: Tulsi Gabbard

Trump announced that he had picked Tulsi Gabbard — a military veteran and honorary co-chair of his transition team — has been chosen by Trump to be his director of national intelligence.

The position requires Senate confirmation. Read more about Gabbard here.

Director of communications: Steven Cheung

Trump announced that Steven Cheung, who previously served as the director of strategic response in Trump’s first term, will serve as director of communications in his second.

Cheung was also the director of communications for Trump’s presidential campaign.

Trump also announced that Sergio Gor, who ran the pro-Trump Super PAC Right For America, will serve as assistant to the president and director of the presidential personnel office.