President-elect Donald Trump is making his Cabinet picks and raising eyebrows on both sides of the aisle, with the choices looking very different than during his first administration in the White House.
Trump recently tapped environmentalist Robert F. Kennedy Jr., nephew of the late Democratic US President John F. Kennedy, for the Health and Human Services Cabinet position. This was not without controversy given his anti-vax views and stances against Big Pharma and Big Food – both under the US Food and Drug Administration.
“The FDA’s war on public health is about to end,” Kennedy wrote on X in late October. “If you work for the FDA and are part of this corrupt system, I have two messages for you: 1. Save your data and 2. Pack your bags.”
Kennedy’s mantra has become MAHA: Make America Healthy Again.
The Kennedy pick came the day after another controversial Trump pick in Matt Gaetz to lead the Justice Department, as he himself has been the subject of a year-long Justice Department investigation that ended without charges, though it continues to be investigated by the House Ethics Committee. . Some Republican senators have warned that Gaetz will have a difficult path to confirmation, among other things.
It is not clear what role Trump’s family members will play in this administration. Daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner previously worked in the White House. They have since withdrawn from their involvement in their father’s political work.
The Cabinet serves as an advisory council to the president in his areas of expertise and duties and generally has the most influence on presidential decisions and actions. It consists of the Vice President and 15 executive departments – the Secretaries of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs, as well as the Attorney General.
Here are all the choices Trump has made so far for his administration and cabinet as of Thursday, November 14 at 1 p.m. and what we know about it.
Who are Trump’s Cabinet and White House picks?
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Susie Wiles, 67, has been chosen chief of staff. She was a senior adviser on Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign and the first major decision Trump announced after his victory. While this is not a cabinet position, it is a key role in the White House.
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Mike Waltz, 50, has been elected National Security Advisor. He is a Florida congressman, a retired Army National Guard officer and a battle-decorated Green Beret. This position reports to the Minister of Defense.
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Tom Homan, 62, has been reappointed as ‘border czar’ to oversee border control. He previously served as Trump’s head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and will join his new administration. Homan will report to the Secretary of Homeland Security.
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Elise Stefanik, 40, has been chosen as ambassador to the United Nations. A congresswoman from New York, she has served as chair of the House Republican Conference since 2024 and would serve in Trump’s first role as UN ambassador. Nikki Haley held this position during the last Trump administration. Although it is not a cabinet position, ambassadors report to the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
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Stephen Miller, 39, has been chosen to return as deputy chief of staff for policy. He was a senior adviser in the first Trump administration and director of speechwriting in the White House. This is an important advisory role outside the cabinet.
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Dan Scavino Jr., 48, has been chosen as assistant to the president and deputy chief of staff. He returns after serving in a similar role during Trump’s first term and will take on an advisory role.
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James Blair has been selected as assistant to the president and deputy chief of staff for legislative, political and public affairs. This is not a government position.
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Taylor Budowich was chosen as assistant to the president and deputy chief of staff for communications and personnel, a non-Cabinet role.
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Lee Zeldin, 44, has been chosen to lead the Environmental Protection Agency. He is a former New York congressman and officer in the United States Army Reserve. The EPA administrator is not in the cabinet, but is seen as having a cabinet-level role.
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Kristi Noem, 52, has been selected as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. She is the governor of South Dakota and has been described as a “loyalist” who will be key to his domestic agenda.
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Pete Hegseth, 44, has been selected as defense secretary. He is an Army veteran and a popular media personality as co-host of “Fox & Friends Weekends”.
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William McGinley was chosen as White House counsel. He is an experienced Republican attorney who previously served as White House Cabinet Secretary in the first Trump administration and also served as outside counsel for election integrity to the Republican National Committee and as general counsel for the Republican Senate campaign arm, the National Republican Senatorial Committee .
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John Ratcliff, 59, has been selected as CIA director. A former congressman from Texas, he returns to this new role after serving as Director of National Intelligence in the first Trump administration.
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Mike Huckabee, 69, has been selected as US ambassador to Israel. He is the former governor of Arkansas, a Baptist minister and a strong defender of Israel. His daughter Sarah Huckabee previously served as Trump’s press secretary during his first administration.
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Elon Musk, 53, has been chosen to serve alongside Vivek Ramaswamy as leaders of the Department of Government Efficiency – nicknamed DOGE, which is also the name of a cryptocurrency Musk has promoted. Musk is a billionaire businessman and innovator, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX and owner of social media platform X (formerly Twitter).
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Vivek Ramaswamy, 39, was chosen to serve alongside Elon Musk as leaders of the Department of Government Efficiency. He is an entrepreneur who founded Roivant Sciences, a pharmaceutical company, and also opposed Trump for the Republican Party nomination before abandoning his support.
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Tulsi Gabbard, 43, has been selected as director of National Intelligence. She is a military veteran, former Hawaii congresswoman and ran in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary. She left the Democratic Party in 2022 to become an independent before joining the Republican Party this year.
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Matt Gaetz, 42, has been picked as his attorney general, who heads the Justice Department.
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Florida Senator Marco Rubio, 53, is running for Secretary of State. He serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is the ranking Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee and has extensive foreign policy experience.
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Robert F. Kennedy, 70, has been selected to head the Department of Health and Human Services. Also known as RFK Jr., he is an environmental attorney, anti-vaccine activist, founder of Waterkeeper Alliance, and was named one of Time Magazine’s ‘Heroes for the Planet’ for his success in helping Riverkeeper lead the battle to restore the Hudson River. He also ran for office in the recent 2024 presidential election as an independent before ultimately throwing his support behind Trump.
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Doug Collins, 58, was picked to lead Veterans Affairs. He is a former Georgia congressman and Baptist minister who served in the Navy and Air Force Reserves. He also wrote a book about Trump’s first impeachment, which argued that Democrats impeached him in part to take revenge for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 defeat.
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Doug Burgum, 68, has been selected as Secretary of the Interior. He is a wealthy software executive and governor of North Dakota.
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Steven Witkoff, 67, has been appointed special envoy to the Middle East. He is a real estate investor and campaign donor. This is not a government position.
What positions does the President’s Cabinet in the White House consist of?
The president may make his choices for the fifteen cabinet positions and the Senate must approve them by a majority vote. These roles also follow an order of succession to the presidency of the United States:
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Vice President of the United States -J.D. Vance
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Ministry of Foreign Affairs -Marco Rubio
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Ministry of Finance
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Ministry of Defense -Pete Hegseth
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Ministry of Justice -Matt Gaetz
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Ministry of the Interior -Doug Burgum
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Ministry of Agriculture
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Department of Health and Human Services -Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
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Department of Housing and Urban Development
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Ministry of Transport
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Department of Veterans Affairs -Doug Collins
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Department of Homeland Security -Kristi Noem
The following positions have cabinet rank status:
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White House Chief of Staff -Susie Wiles
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Environmental Protection Agency -Lee Zeldin
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Office of Management and Budget
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United States Trade Representative
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United States Ambassador to the United Nations -Elise Stefanik
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Council of Economic Advisors
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Small Business Administration
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Director of National Intelligence -Tulsi Gabbard
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Office of Science and Technology Policy
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Donald Trump Cabinet update: Who are the candidates for White House roles so far?
