Trump Cabinet picks: Latest developments, what to know after Susie Wiles named chief of staff
With President-elect Donald Trump headed back to the White House, he has a few months to build out his administration.
Trump has already named one of his senior campaign advisers as his chief of staff, while a litany of names have emerged as possibilities for attorney general.
Two people have been top of mind in the last few weeks of his campaign: Tech mogul Elon Musk, who donated more than $118 million to his Trump-backing PAC, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the independent presidential candidate who suspended his campaign to endorse Trump. Trump has said he plans to give Musk a new cost-cutting role in his administration and would let Kennedy, an anti-vaccine activist, "go wild on health."
With Republicans taking control of the Senate, Trump is likely to have an easier time getting his Cabinet nominees confirmed. Here is what we know about how his picks are shaping up:
Who could fill in as AG?
Following years of Trump accusing the Department of Justice of persecuting him, he must now pick an attorney general to lead the department. He will likely pick someone highly loyal to him, experts previously told Paste BN, and the following people are in consideration:
◾ Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, who is being considered most prominently.
◾ John Ratcliffe, Trump’s former Director of National Intelligence and a former GOP House member from Texas.
◾ Jeffrey Clark, a former assistant attorney general.
◾ U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump-appointed judge who dismissed charges that he mishandled classified documents after leaving the White House.
◾ Mike Davis, former counsel for nominations on the Senate Judiciary Committee.
◾ Mark Paoletta, former 10-year counsel to a House committee and a White House veteran.
◾ Stephen Miller, a senior adviser in Trump’s White House.
What we know about Trump's Cabinet so far:
◾ Chief of Staff: Trump named his senior campaign adviser Susie Wiles as his White House chief of staff, the first woman in history to hold the title. The Florida political consultant largely stays out of the spotlight but has been credited with helping Trump's political comeback.
In 2016, Trump also appointed his first chief of staff days after winning the election. The attorney general was named next, nine days after the election, and the final appointee was named the day before his inauguration, according to Politico.
What are the Cabinet positions?
The Cabinet advises the president on issues related to their respective offices.
These are the Cabinet positions from the 15 executive departments, which must be confirmed by the Senate:
◾ Secretary of State
◾ Secretary of Defense
◾ Attorney General
◾ Secretary of the Interior
◾ Secretary of Agriculture
◾ Secretary of Commerce
◾ Secretary of Labor
◾ Secretary of Health and Human Services
◾ Secretary of Transportation
◾ Secretary of Energy
◾ Secretary of Education
◾ Secretary of Veterans Affairs
◾ Secretary of Homeland Security
◾ Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
◾ Secretary of Treasury
The Cabinet and presidential advisers also include the vice president, the chief of staff, the ambassador to the United Nations, the director of National Intelligence, the U.S. trade representative, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, the head of the Office of Management and Budget, the head of the Council of Economic Advisors, the head of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, and the head of the Small Business Administration.
Contributing: Bart Jansen, Fernando Cervantes Jr., Riley Beggin, Michael Collins
Kinsey Crowley is a trending news reporter at Paste BN. Reach her at kcrowley@gannett.com, and follow her on X and TikTok @kinseycrowley.