Meet the new Trump administration staffers who will shape key US policies starting in 2025

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Meet the new Trump administration staffers who will shape key US policies starting in 2025 ^Featured

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Meet the new Trump administration staffers who will shape key US policies starting in 2025.

President-elect Donald Trump is announcing his picks for key positions in his administration.
They include Scott Bessent to lead the Treasury and Howard Lutnick for Commerce Secretary.
Here's a running list of those Trump has tapped for his next four years in the White House.

President-elect Donald Trump has been staffing his next administration since winning another four years in the White House.

The former and future president refused to talk in detail about potential appointees during the campaign, leaving plenty of room for speculation about his eventual choices.

His picks include Scott Bessent to lead the Treasury, Howard Lutnick as Commerce Secretary, and Kevin Hassett to lead the National Economic Council.

He also announced that Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy would run a new department, called the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.

Here's a running list of Trump's staff picks, who will determine everything from his daily schedule to the ins and outs of finance, defense, and education.

Pete Hegseth©John Lamparski/Getty Images

Pete Hegseth, who has been an anchor at Fox News for eight years, was nominated by Trump to serve as Secretary of Defense.

The role will require a confirmation vote through the Republican-controlled Senate to be approved.

An Army veteran with two Bronze Stars as well as a Combat Infantryman's Badge, Hegseth served tours in Guantánamo Bay, Iraq, and Afghanistan. He has been a vocal supporter of Trump.

"Pete is tough, smart and a true believer in America First. With Pete at the helm, America's enemies are on notice - Our Military will be Great Again, and America will Never Back Down," Trump said in a statement announcing his appointment.

Pam Bondi

Pam Bondi©Matt Slocum/AP

Trump picked Pam Bondi, a former Florida attorney general, to lead the Justice Department hours after Matt Gaetz, his first choice, withdrew from consideration. Gaetz said his nomination was "unfairly becoming a distraction" as sex-trafficking allegations continued to dog him.

Announcing Bondi, the president-elect said in a statement that she would ensure that the DOJ is not "weaponized against me and other Republicans."

Bondi is a longtime Trump ally who served on the legal defense team of the president-elect's first impeachment trial in 2020. She was also Florida's first female attorney general serving from 2011 to 2019.

Disclosure filings showed that Bondi was a registered lobbyist, representing Amazon, General Motors, Uber, Fidelity National, Carnival North America, Major League Baseball, and foreign interests.

Kristi Noem

Kristi Noem©Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem is Trump's choice to be the next secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.

If confirmed by the Senate, Noem will lead US Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the US Secret Service — in sum, she will be in charge of a $60 billion budget, The Washington Post reported. She will play a crucial role in implementing Trump's hard-line immigration plans.

Noem, a former representative, has maintained a good relationship with Trump. During his first term, she once greeted him in her home state with a four-foot replica of Mount Rushmore — with his face added.

In a statement, Noem said she was "honored and humbled" to be selected as the Secretary of Homeland Security.

"I look forward to working with Border Czar Tom Homan to make America SAFE again," Noem said. "With Donald Trump, we will secure the Border, and restore safety to American communities so that families will again have the opportunity to pursue The American Dream."

The governor was floated as a potential running mate for Trump, but she prompted controversy by including an anecdote in her book about shooting and killing her dog, Cricket.

Elise Stefanik

Elise Stefanik©Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Trump nominated Rep. Elise Stefanik of upstate New York to fill the role of UN ambassador — his first Cabinet pick. She is the fourth-ranking Republican in the House and was a loyal Trump surrogate during the campaign.

Stefanik, the 40-year-old chair of the House Republican Conference, cemented her status as a Trump ally during his 2019 impeachment hearings. She's a vocal supporter of Israel and took a leading role in the congressional hearings that led multiple top university presidents to resign over their handling of protests against the war in Gaza.

However, Stefanik lacks significant foreign policy and national security experience, Maggie Haberman wrote in the Times.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.©Mario Tama/Getty Images

Trump announced he was nominating former presidential nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, on November 14.

"I am thrilled to announce Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as The United States Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS)," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "For too long, Americans have been crushed by the industrial food complex and drug companies who have engaged in deception, misinformation, and disinformation when it comes to Public Health.

The president-elect previously vowed to let Kennedy "go wild on health."

Kennedy, 70, supports removing fluoride from water supplies and is a well-known vaccine sceptic. He has said that he wants to fire some nutritionists at the health agency and overhaul federal food regulations. His eclectic views occasionally cut across party lines — his desire to cut ultra-processed food from school lunches, for example, was an Obama-era priority as well.

Kennedy dropped out of the presidential race and endorsed the president-elect in August, which sources said was an effort to secure a job in the administration. The two have since spearheaded a "Make America Healthy Again" campaign.

The head of HHS requires Senate approval and Kennedy could have an upward battle ahead of him, Semafor reports.

Chris Wright

Chris Wright©Andy Cross/Denver Post via Getty Images

Trump has nominated campaign donor and Liberty Energy CEO Chris Wright to be Energy Secretary.

The position, which manages the country's nuclear weapons program and carries out energy policy, requires a Senate vote to confirm.

The fracking company's chief executive was also appointed to the newly formed Council of National Energy, led by Gov. Doug Burgum of North Dakota.

The council, per a statement from Trump, "will oversee the path to US ENERGY DOMINANCE by cutting red tape, enhancing private sector investments across all sectors of the Economy, and by focusing on INNOVATION over longstanding, but totally unnecessary, regulation."

John Ratcliffe

John Ratcliffe©Andrew Harnik-Pool/Getty Images

John Ratcliffe, the former director of national intelligence, is Trump's choice to head the Central Intelligence Agency in his second administration.

As director of national intelligence, Ratcliffe declassified unverified Russian intelligence concerning Hillary Clinton and her presidential campaign, alleging the campaign approved a plan to "stir up a scandal" against Trump, drawing criticism that Ratcliffe used the intelligence community to help Trump politically, CNN reported at the time.

Trump praised Ratcliffe's loyalty in his announcement, describing him as "a warrior for Truth and Honesty with the American Public."

Prior to his stint as the director of national intelligence in Trump's first term, Ratcliffe served in Congress for over five years, representing Texas' 4th congressional district. During that time, he was a member of the House Intelligence and Judiciary Committees and the Cybersecurity Chairman of the Homeland Security Committee.

Sean Duffy

Sean Duffy©Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call

Trump tapped former Wisconsin Rep. Sean Duffy for Secretary of Transportation.

Duffy, 53, is the latest Fox News contributor to join the president-elect's administration. The former prosecutor served in Congress for eight years until 2019. He currently co-hosts "The Bottom Line" on Fox Business Network. Before his time in government, Duffy appeared on the MTV reality series "The Real World."

"During his time in Congress, Sean was a respected voice and communicator in the Republican Conference, advocating for Fiscal Responsibility, Economic Growth, and Rural Development," Trump wrote in a Truth Social announcement on November 18.

Trump said Duffy will prioritize "Excellence, Competence, Competitiveness and Beauty when rebuilding America's highways, tunnels, bridges and airports."

Elon Musk had previously advocated for businessman and former Uber exec Emil Michael in the role, posting on X that Michael "would be effective."

Former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii

Trump has nominated Tulsi Gabbard, a 43-year-old one-time Democratic presidential nominee turned MAGA loyalist, as director of national intelligence. A former congresswoman from Hawaii and Army veteran, Gabbard is yet another example of the president-elect stocking his Cabinet with loyalists.

"As a former Candidate for the Democratic Presidential Nomination, she has broad support in both Parties - She is now a proud Republican! I know Tulsi will bring the fearless spirit that has defined her illustrious career to our Intelligence Community, championing our Constitutional Rights, and securing Peace through Strength," Trump said in a statement.

Gabbard is a former congresswoman from Hawaii and Army veteran but does not have direct experience working in the intelligence community, other than her time on House committees, the Associated Press reported. She supported Sen. Bernie Sanders' 2016 bid for the presidency and ran for the Democratic nomination herself in 2020. Despite previously criticizing Trump, she endorsed him this election and is a member of his transition team.

Doug Burgum

Trump also tapped Gov. Doug Burgum of North Dakota for Secretary of the Interior.

Trump indicated his intention to nominate Burgum while attending a gala for the America First Policy Institute on November 15. Burgum was also in attendance.

"I won't tell you his name, it might be something like Burgum. Burgum," Trump told gala attendees.

"Actually, he's going to head the Department of Interior, and he's going to be fantastic," the president-elect said.

If confirmed, Burgum will lead the Interior Department, which manages more than 500 million acres of federal and tribal land.

"We're going to do things with energy and with land, Interior, that is going to be incredible," Trump said.

Trump had reportedly considered Burgum as a running mate, alongside other candidates like Vance and Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida. Trump eventually picked Vance for his VP, and has since nominated Rubio for Secretary of State.

In July, Burgum told CNN's Kaitlan Collins 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.

Lee Zeldin

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 global leader of AI. We will do so while protecting access to clean air and water," Zeldin, a four-term Republican congressman from Long Island, wrote in a post on X on November 11.

In a separate statement, Trump said he'd known Zeldin for years and trusted he would "ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions that will be enacted in a way to unleash the power of American business, while at the same time maintaining the highest environmental standards."

During his time in the House, Zeldin repeatedly voted against clean water legislation and clean air legislation, the Times reported. Nonetheless, he had a more bipartisan record when it came to climate than many other Republicans.

Some individuals close to Trump's transition team were taken aback by the selection, as Zeldin hasn't demonstrated a lot of interest in the EPA.

In 2022, Zeldin ran for governor of New York and put up an impressive fight. He has remained close with President-elect Trump and appeared at Mar-a-Lago multiple times during the 2024 campaign.

Trump has promised to "drill, baby, drill" for fossil fuels, cancel some EPA rules, and roll back some of President Joe Biden's climate agenda.