President-elect Donald Trump has moved quickly to name loyal aides and allies to key posts in his new administration, as the transition to a second Trump term begins.
Here’s a running list of who he’s inviting to join him in the White House:
Advertisement
Susie Wiles, White House Chief Of Staff
Wiles, the manager of Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, is expected to become the first woman to serve as White House chief of staff when Trump takes office on Jan. 20. Wiles is a longtime Washington confidant and worked on the presidential campaigns of Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. She has largely avoided the spotlight, but has been a long-standing figure in Trump’s inner circle, a rarity for the president-elect.
“Susie is tough, smart, innovative and is universally admired and respected,” Trump said last week. “I have no doubt that she will make our country proud.”
Trump calls Wiles the “ice maiden.”
Stephen Miller, White House Deputy Chief Of Staff For Policy
Miller has been by Trump’s side since the president-elect’s first bid for office and has long been considered one of his most influential aides. He’s an architect of Trump’s immigration policies and said on the campaign trail that he would “send the illegals back home.”
Advertisement
So far, Miller has spoken the most about the next administration’s plans to unleash a massive deportation program targeting the nation’s undocumented immigrants. He said in September the plan would be “an undertaking that would be greater than any national infrastructure project we’ve done to date.”
Sen. Marco Rubio, Secretary Of State
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio (R), a key campaign surrogate for the former president, will reportedly be nominated as the next secretary of state. In the role, the lawmaker would be responsible for handling the complicated task of guiding the U.S. through twin international crises: the widening war between Israel and Hamas and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Rep. Elise Stefanik, Ambassador To The United Nations
Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) is a loyal ally to the president-elect and serves as the House Republican Conference chair. But she has little foreign policy experience, presenting concerns about Trump’s decision to nominate her for a role facing off against the ambassadors of antagonistic nations like Russia and China.
Advertisement
She would succeed U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, a career diplomat and former assistant secretary of state for Africa.
Tom Homan, ‘Border Czar’
Trump tapped Tom Homan, a former acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, to be his “border czar” and enact his sweeping plans to tackle undocumented immigration. The president-elect said Homan would be in charge “of all deportation of illegal aliens back to their country of origin.”
Homan recently told Democratic governors planning to obstruct those efforts to “get the hell out of the way,” warning of unnamed consequences if they don’t.
Advertisement
Lee Zeldin, EPA Administrator
Trump announced he will nominate former Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.) to serve as the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, saying the onetime House member would work to pass “fair and swift deregulatory decisions.” Zeldin does not seem to have much experience with environmental issues.
The former lawmaker has promised to deliver on Trump’s key campaign pledges, including the restoration of “U.S. energy dominance” and the American auto industry.
Rep. Mike Waltz, National Security Adviser
Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.), a retired Army National Guard officer and war veteran, has reportedly been asked to be Trump’s national security adviser. He is considered a hawk on China and urged the U.S. to boycott the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
Waltz has been a member of several House committees related to national security.