Donald Trump has been elected the 47th president of the United States and is now set to compile a revolutionary White House cabinet of billionaires and MAGA allies.
Trump could begin the process of choosing a cabinet and selecting other high-ranking administration officials in the coming weeks.
But the Republican president-elect is also looking to create new positions, including a committee to audit the entire federal government which he has said would be headed by Tesla billionaire Elon Musk.
Trump, 78, has also promised to put rival-turned-endorser Robert F. Kennedy Jr in charge of the nation’s health agencies, but not in a job with the Department of Health and Human Services. The position would be that of a self-styled health-czar.
Fans are also urging Trump to give UFC boss Dana White a role in his administration after his shocking speech during the president-elect’s victory speech early Wednesday morning.
It is understood that Trump’s sons Eric Trump and Don Jr are playing a significant role in helping the president choose his second cabinet.
DailyMail.com takes a look at the top contenders for some of the key posts in Trump’s second administration…
Donald Trump, pictured early Wednesday morning, has been elected the 47th president of the United States and is now set to compile a revolutionary White House cabinet of billionaires and MAGA allies
Donald Trump is seen chatting it up with Elon Musk and Dana White at Mar-a-Lago’s election night party on Tuesday. Both Musk and White are expected to receive roles in his cabinet
SECRETARY OF STATE
ROBERT O’BRIEN
Robert O’Brien, pictured campaigning for Trump in October, is likely in the running for secretary of state or other top foreign policy and national security posts
Robert O’Brien, Trump’s fourth and final national security adviser during his first term, maintains a close relationship with Trump, and the two often speak on national security matters.
He is likely in the running for secretary of state or other top foreign policy and national security posts.
He has maintained close contacts with foreign leaders since Trump left office, having met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel in May.
His views are somewhat more hawkish than some of Trump’s advisers.
He has, for instance, been more supportive of military aid for Ukraine than many of his Republican contemporaries, and he is a proponent of banning TikTok in the United States.
BILL HAGERTY
Bill Hagerty, a US senator from Tennessee who worked on Trump’s 2016 transition effort, is considered a top contender for secretary of state. He is pictured at Trump campaign rally in Reading, Pennsylvania on Monday
A US senator from Tennessee who worked on Trump’s 2016 transition effort, Hagerty is considered a top contender for secretary of state.
He has maintained solid relations with essentially all factions of the Republican Party, and could likely be confirmed with ease in the Senate.
He served as US ambassador to Japan in the first Trump administration at a time when the president touted his warm relationship with then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Hagerty’s policies are broadly in line with those of Trump.
Earlier in the year, he voted against a major military aid package for Ukraine.
MARCO RUBIO
Marco Rubio, pictured speaking at a Trump rally on Monday, is also a top secretary of state contender whose policies hew closely to those of Trump
Marco Rubio, a US senator from Florida and 2016 Republican presidential candidate, is also a top secretary of state contender whose policies hew closely to those of Trump. Like Hagerty, he was a contender to be Trump’s 2024 running mate.
Rubio has long been involved in foreign affairs in the Senate, particularly as it relates to Latin America, and he has solid relationships throughout the party.
TREASURY SECRETARY
LARRY KUDLOW
Fox News personality Larry Kudlow, pictured in 2021, has an outside shot at becoming his treasury secretary and would likely have an opportunity to take a separate economics-focused position if he is interested
Fox News personality Larry Kudlow, who served as director of the National Economic Council for much of Trump’s first term, has an outside shot at becoming his treasury secretary and would likely have an opportunity to take a separate economics-focused position if he is interested.
While he is privately skeptical of broad tariffs, there is publicly little daylight between the policies Kudlow advocates and those of the president-elect.
JAMIE DIMON
JPMorgan Chase & Co CEO Jamie Dimon, pictured with his wife Judith Kent at a White House dinner honoring Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in April this year, is considered a strong candidate for treasury secretary, though it is far from clear that he would actually take the job
The chief executive officer of JPMorgan Chase & Co, Jamie Dimon is considered a strong candidate for treasury secretary, though it is far from clear that he would actually take the job.
Dimon is an opponent of what he describes as unnecessarily burdensome regulations that have been imposed by the Federal Reserve, the Securities and Exchange Commission and other agencies.
He would likely push for a broad rollback of those regulations should he join the administration.
The New York Times reported in October that Dimon privately preferred Harris for the presidency, and that he viewed then-President Trump’s actions around the Jan. 6 attack as close to disqualifying for public office.
SCOTT BESSENT
Longtime hedge fund investor Scott Bessent, who is a key economic adviser to Trump, is widely seen as a top candidate for treasury secretary. Bessent is pictured speaking at a Trump rally in Asheville, North Carolina in August
Scott Bessent, a key economic adviser to Trump, is widely seen as a top candidate for treasury secretary.
A longtime hedge fund investor who taught at Yale University for several years, Bessent has a warm relationship with the president-elect.
While Bessent has long favored the laissez-faire policies that were popular in the pre-Trump Republican Party, he has also praised Trump’s use of tariffs as a negotiating tool.
He has praised the president-elect’s economic philosophy, which rests on a skepticism of both regulations and international trade.
JOHN PAULSON
John Paulson, a billionaire hedge fund manager and major Trump donor, is another top contender for treasury secretary. He is pictured with his wife Alina de Almeida, Melania Trump and Donald Trump on April 6, 2024 in Palm Beach, Florida
John Paulson, a billionaire hedge fund manager and major Trump donor, is another top contender for treasury secretary. The longtime financier has told associates he would be interested in the job.
A longtime proponent of tax cuts and deregulation, Paulson’s profile is broadly similar to that of other potential members of Trump’s economic team.
He has publicly supported targeted tariffs as a tool to ensure U.S. national security and combat unfair trade practices abroad.
One high-profile fundraiser hosted by Paulson in April raked in over $50million for the former president.
ROBERT LIGHTHIZER
A loyalist who served as Trump’s U.S. trade representative for essentially the then-president’s entire term, Robert Lighthizer will almost certainly be invited back. He is seen in 2019 shaking hands with then-Chinese Vice Premier Liu He
A loyalist who served as Trump’s U.S. trade representative for essentially the then-president’s entire term, Robert Lighthizer will almost certainly be invited back.
Though Bessent and Paulson likely have a better shot at becoming treasury secretary, Lighthizer has an outside chance, and he might be able to reprise his old role if he’s interested.
Like Trump, Lighthizer is a trade skeptic and a firm believer in tariffs.
He was one of the leading figures in Trump’s trade war with China and the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, with Mexico and Canada during Trump’s first term.longtime financier has told associates he would be interested in the job.
OFFICE OF GOVERNMENT EFFICIENCY
ELON MUSK
Trump has vowed to establish an independent government efficiency panel that would audit the entire federal government and be headed by Elon Musk, pictured campaigning for Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania on October 5, 2024
Elon Musk brought one of his eleven children with him to Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday evening
Trump has vowed to establish an independent government efficiency panel that would audit the entire federal government, an idea suggested by Elon Musk.
He has not detailed how the body would function. The government already has watchdogs such as the Office of Management and Budget, and investigators general at federal agencies.
But Trump has said the Tesla and SpaceX billionaire would head the commission.
Musk was one of the biggest donors to Republican Party causes over this election campaign, and joined the former president’s watch party at his home in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, on Tuesday evening.
Trump said he would seek to decimate what he terms the “deep state” – career federal employees he says are clandestinely pursuing their own agendas – through an executive order that would reclassify thousands of workers to enable them to be fired. That would likely be challenged in court.
He would crack down on federal whistleblowers, who are typically shielded by law, and would institute an independent body to “monitor” U.S. intelligence agencies.
SELF-STYLED HEALTH CZAR
ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR
Trump, 78, has also promised to put rival-turned-endorser Robert F. Kennedy Jr in charge of the nation’s health agencies. Kennedy is pictured at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago’s election night party
Trump rival-turned-endorser Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will also get a role in the new cabinet.
‘The key, which President Trump has promised me, is control of the public health agencies, which is HHS and its sub-agencies, CDC, FDA, NIH and a few others,’ RFK Jr. said on a Zoom call with supporters.
Kennedy said the weekend before the election that Trump had ‘promised him’ control of the ‘public health agencies’.
One of his first policies, Kennedy said, would be to advise all public water systems in the U.S. to remove fluoride from its water.
At his rallies, Trump has touted Kennedy’s focus on healthy food and said he would let the former independent presidential candidate ‘go wild’ with his oversight.
PREESS SECRETARY
DANA WHITE
MAGA fans have called on UFC boss Dana White to become the new combative White House press secretary after he basically commandeered the microphone during Trump’s victory speech and delivered a speech of his own (pictured)
MAGA fans have called on UFC boss Dana White to become the new combative White House press secretary after he basically commandeered the microphone during Trump’s victory speech and delivered a speech of his own.
White, 55, a long time friend and ally of Donald Trump, delivered a high-energy speech on Tuesday night as he joined family on stage to celebrate.
‘This is what happens when the machine comes after you, what you’ve seen over the last several years, this is what it looks like,’ White said, in reference to the hostile coverage Trump’s campaign has received from the mainstream media and Democrats.
He also took the opportunity to call out several YouTubers and podcast stars.
‘I want to thank some people real quick. I want to thank the Nelk Boys, Adin Ross, Theo Von, Bussin’ With The Boys, and last but not least, the mighty and powerful Joe Rogan.’
While Trump invited the UFC boss to the stage to speak, many criticized the way he went about addressing the crowd.
Some critics slated White’s speech as inappropriate for such a historic moment, but others commented the fight mogul worth $500milllion would be perfect in a senior role in the new Trump administration.
SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY
TOM HOMAN
Tom Homan, who served as the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement for a year and a half during Trump’s first term, is a contender for secretary of homeland security. He is pictured with Trump during a law enforcement roundtable on sanctuary cities in the Roosevelt Room at the White House on Tuesday, March 20, 2018
Tom Homan, who served as the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement for a year and a half during Trump’s first term, is a contender for secretary of homeland security.
Trump made cracking down on illegal immigration the central element of his campaign, promising mass deportations.
Trump frequently praised Homan during the campaign, and Homan often hit the trail to rally supporters.
During Trump’s first term, Homan was a leading advocate of the administration’s controversial child separation policy, during which children of immigrants who had entered the country illegally were detained separately from their parents.
CHAD WOLF
Wolf, who served as Trump’s acting secretary of homeland security for roughly 14 months during his first presidency, may have a shot at heading back to DHS.
Wolf loyally carried out Trump’s hardline immigration policies, and he deployed federal agents to Portland, Oregon, to control protests during the riots that followed the murder of George Floyd, a Black man, by a white police officer. He may have some strikes against him.
He resigned on Jan. 11, 2021, just days after the Jan. 6 attack on the US Capitol.
Trump has expressed misgivings about bringing back those who resigned in the final days of his term. Wolf, however, cited the legal controversy around his appointment as DHS secretary – rather than the Capitol attack – when he stepped down.
Multiple judges ruled that his appointment by Trump, which effectively circumvented the Senate, was illegal.
MARK GREEN
A former Army flight surgeon and the current chair of the House Homeland Security Committee, Green is considered by some Trump allies in Washington as a contender for the top job at DHS. His supporters describe him a Trump loyalist and immigration hardliner who also has significant legislative experience. Green was nominated by Trump during his first term to serve as secretary of the Army, but he withdrew his name as past statements, which were widely seen as transphobic and Islamophobic, drew more scrutiny.
SECRETARY OF DEFENSE
MIKE WALTZ
A former Army Green Beret who is currently a U.S. congressman from Florida, Waltz has established himself as one of the foremost China hawks in the House of Representatives. Among the various China-related bills he has co-sponsored are measures designed to lessen U.S. reliance on critical minerals mined in China.
Waltz is on speaking terms with Trump and is widely considered to be a serious contender for secretary of defense.
MIKE POMPEO
Pompeo, who served as CIA director and secretary of state during Trump’s first term, is considered a top contender for secretary of defense but could land in various slots involving national security, intelligence or diplomacy. While he flirted with a Republican primary challenge against Trump, Pompeo never pulled the trigger, and he is now back on friendly terms with the president-elect after a period of awkwardness. He stands out as possibly the fiercest defender of Ukraine among Trump’s close allies, a position that puts him at odds with most high-ranking figures in his potential boss’s camp.
TOM COTTON
A Harvard College and Harvard Law School-educated Army officer-turned-U.S. senator from Arkansas, Cotton is well-liked among Trump donors and is a serious contender for secretary of defense. Like Hagerty, he emerged as a dark-horse contender to be Trump’s running mate in the final weeks of the vice presidential selection process in June and July.
Cotton represents the shrunken hawkish wing of the Republican Party, having consistently supported military aid for Ukraine.
ATTORNEY GENERAL
JOHN RATCLIFFE
A former congressman and prosecutor who served as director of national intelligence during Trump’s last year in office, Ratcliffe is seen as a potential attorney general, though he could also take a separate national security or intelligence position. The president-elect’s allies view Ratcliffe as a hardcore Trump loyalist who could likely win Senate confirmation. Still, during his time as director of national intelligence, Ratcliffe often contradicted the assessments of career civil servants, drawing criticism from Democrats who said he politicized the role.
MIKE LEE
A U.S. senator from Utah, Lee is widely seen as another top candidate for attorney general. Though the former prosecutor declined to vote for Trump during the 2016 election, he later become an unwavering ally, and he has become something of an intellectual hero among some factions of Trumpworld. Lee was a key figure in attempts by Trump and his allies to overturn his 2020 election loss to Democrat Joe Biden, and has spread unfounded conspiracy theories about the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.
WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF
BROOKE ROLLINS
The former acting director of Trump’s Domestic Policy Council, Rollins is also a contender for chief of staff.
Trump has a close personal relationship with Rollins, and often compliments her in private settings.
She was generally considered one of Trump’s more moderate advisers while in office. Among other policies she supported during Trump’s first term were criminal justice reforms that lessened prison sentences for some relatively minor offenses.
SUSIE WILES
One of Trump’s two co-campaign managers, Wiles is seen as the odds-on favorite to be Trump’s White House chief of staff. While the specifics of her political views are somewhat unclear, she is credited with running a successful and efficient campaign. Supporters hope she would instill a sense of order and discipline that was often lacking during Trump’s first term, when he cycled through a number of chiefs of staff.