Thursday 26 / December / 2024
US president-elect Donald Trumpis gradually building his next administration, with three key appointments now made.
While the counting of votes from his presidential victory continues, Trump is poised to draw a mandate to govern from both a requisite Electoral College victory and also the popular vote.
With the reformation of the Republican Party in his image, it's expected Trump loyalists will occupy most administrative positions in his second term.
Susie Wiles will be Donald Trump's chief of staff
Trump's first cabinet appointment is 67-year-old Republican strategist Susie Wiles. The Floridian is highly regarded among the party and was co-chair of his third run for office. She will become Trump's chief of staff and is the first woman to hold the post.
The chief of staff oversees the White House operations and manages the president's policy agenda. In effect, the key adviser across all policy issues.
Wiles has worked in the background to push her candidates forward throughout her career. Like many 'back roomers,' she has shunned the limelight, earning her the nickname "ice baby" from the US president-elect, presumably in reference to this reputation and her tendency to eschew public appearances.
Her reputation is formidable. She's been widely credited for holding the famously off-leash Trump to his most disciplined campaign. With little detail on how she might run the White House, it would be fair to presume she'll apply similar discipline as chief of staff.
Wiles has long been in Florida-based Trump's orbit, having also run his Florida campaign in 2016 and 2020, and Rick Scott's successful 2010 Florida gubernatorial campaign. Scott is now favored to become Senate majority leader after his re-election in Florida's senatorial race.
Firebrand advisor Miller named in Trump's core team
Trump's former speechwriter and senior adviser, Stephen Miller, will return to the White House under the second administration as deputy chief of staff for policy.
Miller is a hard-right Republican and is considered one of the strongest proponents of Trump's anti-immigration stance. Among his previous policy endeavors were advocating for the US-Mexico border wall, several controversial deportation policies and Trump's ban on migrants from some Muslim-majority countries. He has spent the last four years as a conservative civil liberties advocate but made appearances on the campaign trail with Trump.
CNN first reported Miller's selection on Monday, with Vice President-elect JD Vance congratulating Miller on the social media platform X.
Tom Homan will be Donald Trump's new 'border czar'
The term 'border czar' was weaponized by the Trump campaign against Kamala Harris when President Joe Biden put her in control of the United States' southern border but has now been used to crown one of Trump's first non-cabinet appointments.
Tom Homan was an acting director of federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the first Trump administration and is to be its new border czar.
At the Republican National Convention in July, Homan proclaimed undocumented migrants should "start packing [their bags] now" should Trump win the presidency. His hardline stance will be integral to enacting Trump's promise to send undocumented migrants back to their home countries — described during the campaign as "the largest deportation operation in American history."
While the Trump campaign touted figures of 25 million undocumented migrants in America, government reporting and independent analysis estimate there's about half that number. The cost of enacting such a program has also been widely criticized. The American Immigration Council puts the bill at $315 billion (€293 billion) in total, with $88 billion for a single year of operation.
Elise Stefanik reportedly offered UN ambassadorship
House Republican Elise Stefanik has reportedly accepted an offer from Donald Trump to be his UN ambassador.
Stefanik has served for a decade as a New York congresswoman and chairs the House Republican Conference. She has been a long-standing supporter of Trump, including defending him during both of his impeachments in the House and supporting his agenda three out of four times in House votes.
As UN Ambassador, she would replace career diplomat Linda Thomas-Greenfield, who currently leads the US mission. The position was restored to the cabinet under the Biden administration.
Musk and Kennedy are in, but in what capacity?
Trump is known for rewarding loyalty. Such dedication was nowhere visible than from tech billionaire Elon Musk, who contributed more than $133 million to the campaign and Robert F. Kennedy, who abandoned his own independent tilt to endorse Trump's Republican ticket.
Unsurprisingly, Trump cited both Elon Musk and Robert F. Kennedy Jr in his victory speech.
Previously Trump has said Musk would lead a federal efficiency commission to cut government spending and bureaucracy, but any role remains unclear due to his extensive private business interests. Even if Musk sits outside the administration, it seems certain policy directives will reward him or at least protect his SpaceX, Telsa and the social media platform, X, companies.
Kennedy is a former environmental lawyer and particularly well known for his controversial alternative takes on established health science, including his outspoken opposition to vaccines.
Kennedy hasn't been appointed to any positions yet, but Trump has indicated he'll have the blessing to "go wild" on health. In the leadup to the election, Kennedy indicated his desire to overhaul US Department of Agriculture policy and compel local authorities to stop fluoridating water supplies.
He is a member of the Democrat Kennedy dynasty, the son of former New York senator Robert F. Kennedy, and nephew of President John F. Kennedy — both of whom were assassinated.
