Which of Trump's high-profile nominees will be making history?
As President-elect Donald Trump prepares for his second term, he has chosen a diverse group of long-time allies − some of whom have been controversial − for his cabinet and other high-ranking administration positions. This selection includes some historic firsts, following his win on Nov. 5.
Here are the nominees and top contenders for some of the key posts in Trump’s administration, who will oversee intelligence, diplomacy, trade and economic policymaking.
As is true for any cabinet nomination, Trump’s picks still need to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate before they can assume their posts in his administration.
Scott Bessent
Trump appointed 62-year-old Scott Bessent, a hedge fund manager and billionaire, to become the new Treasury secretary and advise the president on financial, economic and tax policy. He would be in charge of implementing key parts of the president-elect’s platform, including tax cuts and tariffs.
Bessent would also become the U.S.’s first openly gay Republican cabinet member confirmed by the Senate. He lives in South Carolina with his husband and two children.
Tulsi Gabbard
Former U.S. Representative Tulsi Gabbard has been nominated to serve as Trump’s director of national intelligence. The position would make her the top intelligence official in the country, responsible for overseeing the nation’s 18 intelligence agencies, and a key adviser to the president.
Gabbard has already broken barriers in her political career as the first Hindu member of the U.S. House of Representatives and the first American Samoan elected to Congress. If confirmed by the Senate, she will also become the first Pacific Islander to serve as director of national intelligence.
Karoline Leavitt
Karoline Leavitt, who served as national press secretary during Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, will be his White House press secretary. Previously, she worked as an assistant press secretary during Trump’s first term. She was also a spokeswoman for Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, a close ally of Trump who has been nominated to serve as ambassador to the United Nations.
Leavitt, 27, will become the first Generation Z person to hold the position of White House press secretary, and the youngest ever to do so.
Marco Rubio
Trump tapped U.S. Senator Marco Rubio as his secretary of state, putting the Florida-born politician on track to be the first Latino to serve as the top U.S. diplomat.
If approved by his fellow Senate colleagues, the Cuban American would be the president’s chief foreign affairs adviser, including guidance to ongoing proxy wars between Ukraine-Russia and Israel-Hamas.
He currently serves as vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee and as a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Elise Stefanik
Trump announced that Elise Stefanik, a Republican congresswoman and staunch Trump supporter, would be the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
Stefanik, 40, a U.S. representative from New York state and the House Republican conference chair, replaced then-Representative Liz Cheney of Wyoming in the GOP leadership after the party ousted her for criticizing Trump’s false claims of election fraud.
If confirmed by the Senate, Stefanik will become the youngest person to hold the position.
Susie Wiles
Trump’s senior campaign advisor, Susie Wiles, has been selected to be the next White House chief of staff. A Florida political consultant, she previously helped Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis win his first term in 2018 and aided Florida Sen. Rick Scott’s 2010 campaign.
Wiles will become the first woman to hold the title of White House chief of staff - a high-profile role that does not require Senate confirmation.
Paste BN’s Zac Anderson, Riley Beggin, Fernando Cervantes Jr., Michael Collins, Margie Cullen, David Jackson, Sudiksha Kochi, Savannah Kuchar, Erin Mansfield, Kathryn Palmer, James Powell, Tom Vanden Brook and Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy; Reuters contributed to this story.
Maya Homan is a 2024 election fellow at Paste BN who focuses on Georgia politics. She is @MayaHoman on X, formerly Twitter.