by Ben Whedon
Former President Donald Trump’s historic comeback marked the culmination of not just his own efforts, but those of his many surrogates and allies who will likely join him in the White House.
Trump has thus far not announced any major cabinet picks, though speculation has abounded as to who may hold major posts in the second Trump administration. During the election cycle, Trump’s campaign made extensive use of surrogates, including high-profile Republicans, ex-Democrats such as Tulsi Gabbard and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and tech moguls like Elon Musk.
“President Trump is supported by an impressive array of exceptionally talented individuals who bring different expertise and backgrounds to the table,” Trump Campaign National Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in September.
Some of Trump’s old cabinet members could conceivably return to their old posts, though many of his ex-cabinet members actively campaigned against him after either being fired or resigning over his election challenges. Trump addressed his frequent termination of high-profile staffers while on the campaign trail.
“When you fire somebody, they say bad things,” Trump said at a Latino voter town hall in mid-October. “When I fire a John Bolton, or when I fire any of these people, he was terrible… But you know what, Biden should have fired a lot of people, because he had a very unsuccessful administration.”
Co-chairing Trump’s transition team are former Small Business Administration head and co-founder of World Wrestling Entertainment Linda McMahon and Cantor Fitzgerald CEO Howard Lutnick, where he oversees management of $13.2 billion in assets. McMahon currently serves as chair of the board of the America First Policy Institute (AFPI).
McMahon’s position on the transition team signals a possible shift in Washington as AFPI appears poised to influence staffing in the White House more than the Heritage Foundation. Trump has sought to distance himself from that group’s Project 2025 throughout the campaign.
Here’s a look at who may fill various Trump cabinet posts:
Steve Mnuchin
The former Treasury secretary was among the only major cabinet members to serve through the entire Trump administration and did so largely without incident. He suggested in March that he was open to returning to his old post.
“If the president called me up down the road, of course I would have to take that call and consider it, but it’s my current focus to build out this business,” he said at the time.
Mike Pompeo
Trump’s first CIA director and second Secretary of State, Pompeo played a key role in fostering the historic “Abraham Accords,” a diplomatic rapprochement between Israel and neighboring Arab states, as well as the negotiations between the Taliban and Afghan government.
In March, he told Fox News that he was likely to accept a role in a second Trump administration, saying “[I]f I get a chance to serve and think that I can make a difference … I’m almost certainly going to say yes to that opportunity to try and deliver on behalf of the American people.”
Keith Kellogg
Kellogg served as Trump’s acting National Security Advisor after the resignation of Mike Flynn and went on to take the same role in the office of Vice President Mike Pence. He was a highly decorated lieutenant general in the United States Army, having served in Vietnam with the legendary 101st Airborne Division, and in Operation Desert Storm in Iraq.
Christopher Miller
Miller took over as acting Secretary of Defense when Trump’s second pick for the role, Mark Esper, resigned in 2020. Trump, in 2023, hinted to radio host Hugh Hewitt that Miller was of interest to him for the job on a permanent basis.
Robert Lighthizer
Lighthizer served as United States Trade Representative during key trade negotiations for the United States Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA) as well as during trade negotiations with China.
He further appeared on the campaign trail for Trump as part of his team of surrogates.
Peter Navarro
Navarro served as an advisor to Trump in the first administration and was recently released from prison, after spending four months incarcerated for contempt of Congress. Navarro refused to comply with a subpoena from the House Jan. 6 Committee, resulting in the conviction.
“I would absolutely have Peter back. This outrageous behavior by the Democrats should not have happened,” Trump said in May.
Elon Musk
The Tesla founder, X owner and creator of SpaceX, the leading private-sector space program, became a prominent supporter of Trump in the wake of the July 13 assassination attempt in Butler, Pa.
Trump confirmed that he would appoint Musk to run a “government efficiency commission” in September. After purchasing X, Musk famously cut the overwhelming majority of the platform’s staff and he has pitched a similar action for the federal government.
His purchase of X also led to his elimination of many of the platform’s content moderation policies and the reinstatement of Trump’s account. He has become a key free speech advocate and an opponent of “misinformation” monitoring.
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
A member of the closest thing to a royal family in American political history and formerly a Democratic presidential candidate, Kennedy mounted an independent campaign before dropping out of the race and throwing his support behind Trump.
Kennedy has embraced a variation on Trump’s classic “Make America Great Again” slogan and hopes to “Make America Healthy Again.” It remains unclear exactly what position he may receive, though he has emerged as a prospective head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or Secretary of Health and Human Services.
The campaign saw him emphasize changes in chemical inputs to food over the past several decades that he believes may contribute to the obesity epidemic and other diseases. Speaking on MSNBC, Kennedy expressed interest in eliminating entire departments from the FDA.
“In some categories, there are entire departments, like the nutrition department at the FDA that have to go,” he said. “They’re not protecting our kids.”
Tulsi Gabbard
The doggedly outspoken former Hawaii Democrat became a Republican before the end of the campaign. During her 2020 bid for the Democratic nomination, she emerged as a prominent critic of American involvement in foreign conflicts. Gabbard served in the National Guard for 17 years, where she saw active duty in Iraq, and was retired 2020 as a lieutenant colonel.
Gabbard ultimately helped coach Trump for his one debate with Harris and has emerged as a favorite to hold a foreign affairs or defense role, in part in light of her military service.
Vivek Ramaswamy
A near-total unknown prior to his 2024 bid for the Republican nomination, Ramaswamy stormed onto the political stage running a campaign that largely expressed agreement with Trump on key policy issues. He dropped out after the Iowa Caucus and backed the former president, becoming one of his most visible surrogates on the campaign trail.
Despite his background as a biotech entrepreneur and financial mogul, Ramaswamy’s campaign saw him largely trade barbs with former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley over foreign policy, attacking her “neocon” hawkish inclinations.
Possible Attorney Generals
After previously appointing Jeff Sessions to the post, only to see him recuse himself and pave the way for the Mueller investigation, Trump is likely to appoint a stalwart ally to run the Department of Justice.
His second pick, William Barr, left the post amid Trump’s 2020 election challenge and became a prominent critic, though he eventually expressed support for Trump’s candidacy. He is unlikely to return, however, and a handful of MAGA hardliners have filled the list of likely candidates.
Among those is Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, whom Trump has said he would consider picking for the job.
“We have a lot of people that want that one and will be very good at it. But he’s a very talented guy,” he said.
America First Legal’s Stephen Miller and the Article III Project’s Mike Davis have also appeared as possible selections. Miller’s outfit has achieved recognition in recent years as an effective watchdog group, tackling election integrity issues and an array of other conservative causes.
Davis, for his part, has previously suggested that Trump would “clean house” in a second administration and make careful staffing decisions so as to avoid a repeat of Sessions.
“He’s not going to make that mistake again,” he said. “He’s going to put great people in these key jobs, like the Attorney General, like the White House counsel. And they’re going to come in there with a plan on day one to clean house.”
Immigration and security posts
Former acting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Tom Homan could conceivably return to his post in official capacity or receive a promotion to lead the Department of Homeland Security.
Former acting U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Mark Morgan may also find himself in line for an immigration or border security role. Both men have become prominent media figures advocating for tighter border security measures in support of Trump’s policies.
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Ben Whedon joined the Just the News team in March of 2022 after previously working as an editor and national security reporter for Breitbart News.
Photo “Robert Kennedy Jr and Donald Trump” by Team Trump.
