Trump's cabinet picks shaping up ahead of his second term at White House

By Servet Gunerigok

WASHINGTON (AA) – As Donald Trump prepares to assume office as the 47th president of the US, he has begun naming members of his cabinet and close advisory team.

Trump, whose second term will officially begin on Jan. 20, 2025, has announced three key cabinet appointments so far and is expected to fill additional positions in the coming weeks.

In his cabinet, which will include a total of 25 members, excluding Vice President-elect JD Vance, the following appointments have been announced:

*Susie Wiles - White House Chief of Staff

Wiles served as Trump's presidential campaign manager, having previously worked on his 2016 campaign. The chief of staff pick was the first administration post Trump announced after his election victory.

*Elise Stefanik - US Permanent Representative to the UN

The staunchly pro-Israel representative from upstate New York is the fourth-highest ranking Republican in the House of Representatives, where she chairs the Republican Conference. A graduate of Harvard University, Stefanik has been a rising star among Trump's allies after refashioning herself from a moderate Republican to a MAGA stalwart.

*Lee Zeldin - Head of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Trump has tapped former Republican Representative Lee Zeldin to lead the agency, describing him as a "true fighter for America First policies" who wields a "very strong legal background."

*Mike Waltz - National Security adviser

Congressman Mike Waltz from Florida is a retired Army National Guard officer and war veteran and former White House and Pentagon policy advisor. He is the first Green Beret to be elected to Congress.

Media reports said that Senator Marco Rubio may be nominated as secretary of state and Kristi Noem as secretary of Homeland Security. These nominations have yet to be officially confirmed.

*Senator Marco Rubio - Secretary of State

Rubio, first elected to the Senate in 2010, is known for his hardline stance on Cuba, Iran and China. Recently, however, he has aligned more closely with Trump’s foreign policy, echoing the president-elect’s calls for an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine. Rubio, a staunch supporter of Israel, has consistently adopted hardline positions.

*Kristi Noem - Secretary of Homeland Security

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, who previously served as a representative from the state, if confirmed would be responsible for leading a large agency that includes US Customs and Border Protection, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the US Secret Service.

Meanwhile, Tom Homan, former acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), is expected to oversee border security with full authority to manage border control and deportation procedures of illegal migrants.

- Cabinet roles and approval process

The US president’s cabinet, excluding the vice president, is composed of 15 department heads who assume office following a presidential nomination and Senate confirmation.

These departments are the Department of State, Department of Treasury, Department of Defense, Department of Justice, Department of Interior, Department of Agriculture, Department of Commerce, Department of Labor, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Department of Transportation, Department of Energy, Department of Education, Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Homeland Security.

The cabinet includes the White House Chief of Staff, the US Ambassador to the United Nations, the Director of National Intelligence and the US Trade Representative as well as the heads of the Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Management and Budget, Council of Economic Advisers, Office of Science and Technology Policy and Small Business Administration.

In addition to these main departments, there are 10 other cabinet-level positions with advisory or secondary roles, the number of which can vary at the president’s discretion.

With the exception of the Chief of Staff, all nominees for these cabinet-level roles must be confirmed by the Senate.

When Trump took office on Jan. 20, 2017 after winning the 2016 election, he faced delays in the confirmation process for many of his cabinet nominees due to a Democrat-controlled Senate at the time.