In the weeks leading up to President-elect Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration, which will take place on Monday, Jan. 20 2025, the media is filled with updates on the administrative “housekeeping” — most notably, the people that Trump has nominated for key positions in his new administration. While most of these nominations will go through smoothly, several key positions in Trump’s cabinet will have to be confirmed by the Senate. Despite holding a Republican majority in the Senate, Trump’s picks are expected to receive some push back from GOP leaders, leaving Americans wondering what means Trump may take to push his nominees through.
One of Trump’s earliest picks for a key post was former Republican Representative from Florida, Matt Gaetz. Gaetz resigned from Congress following an investigation from the House Ethics Committee and allegations surrounding a prior federal sex trafficking investigation. Upon his resignation, the investigation disbanded, and the same day Gaetz was nominated to be Trump’s new Attorney General, on track to be the nation’s chief federal law enforcement officer. Less than two weeks later, Gaetz withdrew from consideration in the face of widespread backlash and Trump emerged with a new nominee, former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, a longtime loyalist of Trump.
Other selections include Florida Senator Marco Rubio to Secretary of State. Rubio, who ran against Trump in the 2016 presidential primaries, previously called Trump a “con artist” with a dangerous work ethic. Their relationship improved during Trump’s presidency, with Rubio even suspected to have been a finalist for Vice Presidential nomination alongside JD Vance.
Trump also nominated Fox News co-host Pete Hegseth as his Defense Secretary, an Army National Guard veteran who served in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Hegseth would oversee a wide range of global crises, filling the post with little national security experience. Other nominations include hedge fund founder Scott Bessent as Treasury Secretary. Bessent would be the first openly gay person to fill the position in American history if confirmed. Army National Guard veteran Tulsi Gabbard has been selected to fill in as Director of National Intelligence.
Republican U.S. House Member Lori Chavez-DeRemer was nominated by Trump as the next Labor Secretary. The representative from Oregon has previously endorsed the “Protecting the Right to Organize” (PRO) Act protecting worker’s rights, one of few House Republicans to do so. A more controversial selection would be Robert F. Kennedy to Health and Human Services, a speculated anti-vaxxer now in charge of public health.
Trump also nominated Kristi Noem to lead Homeland Security, a former South Dakota governor who did not implement any state social distancing or shutdown mandates during the pandemic. Noem received criticism for her 2024 biography No Going Back, where Noem revealed that she shot and killed her “untrainable” 14 month-old dog. Linda McMahon, founder of the WWE and billionaire, was nominated to lead the Department of Education, an area of concern amid Trump’s threats to dismantle the department entirely.
Trump’s cabinet picks also include Charles Kushner, the father-in-law of his daughter Ivanka. Kushner, who Trump pardoned in 2020 for previous federal charges including falsifying tax returns and retaliating against a cooperating witness, would now serve as the Ambassador to France. Trump also selected Massad Boulos, father-in-law of Tiffany Trump, Trump’s youngest daughter, as a senior advisor on Arab and Middle Eastern affairs.
Trump’s nominations to key posts combine loyalists, wealthy associates and family members to spearhead his new administration.
sglisson@ramapo.edu
Featured photo courtesy of @mattgaetz, X
