Posted November 19, 2024 | by KimS | in 2024 Election, 2024 Presidential Election, Attorney General, Cabinet, DemDaily, Democratic Party, Donald Trump, Republican Scandal, Trump Administration

DemDaily: Trump’s Cabinet: The Contenders

November 19, 2024

President-Elect Donald Trump has wasted no time in announcing the first of his Cabinet nominees -- a stark reminder and shocking reality of the incoming administration.

Convened with his inner circle at his Mar-a-Lago resort, Trump is issuing swift announcements of White House staff and Cabinet nominees.

His very personal choices point wholly to the ultimate qualification of loyalty over country -- over above experience, controversy, and even criminal records.

The Cabinet includes the Vice President and the heads of 15 executive departments which are responsible for the day-to-day enforcement and administration of federal laws. Members of the Cabinet fall in the presidential line of succession and require Senate confirmation. There are also other "Cabinet-level" positions that are determined by the current administration.

The Cabinet includes the Vice President and the heads of 15 executive departments which are responsible for the day-to-day enforcement and administration of federal laws. Members of the Cabinet fall in the presidential line of succession and require Senate confirmation. There are also other "Cabinet-level" positions that are determined by the current administration.

Traditionally, the president-elect announces the bulk of his cabinet nominees between Thanksgiving and Christmas to prepare for the transition and confirmation hearings, which will begin immediately after the new Republican-controlled US Senate is sworn in on January 3, 2025.

The new GOP majority will attempt to ram Trump's designates through the process before the inauguration on January 20, 2025.

However, with a narrow 52-47 majority, the number of controversial nominees -- already among the President-elect's first choices -- could take months to confirm.

THE CABINET
* Secretary of State: Marco Rubio, Three-term US Senator from Florida and one of Trump's fiercest rivals in the 2016 Republican presidential primaries. Rubio, who sits on the Senate Intelligence Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is a notorious Warhawk known for an aggressive foreign policy approach, including harsh sanctions against Cuba.

* Secretary of the Treasury: TBD.

* Secretary of Defense: Pete Hegseth, Controversial Fox News Host and military veteran, known for his advocacy on behalf of former members of the military who have been convicted of war crimes. Among the far-right tattoos he boasts is one of the medieval crusader slogan “Deus Vult,” which translates to “I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.” A recently revealed sexual assault case from 2017 may derail his nomination.

* Attorney General: Matt Gaetz, former US Congressman from Florida. A longtime Trump champion and ultra-conservative rabble-rouser, Gaetz led the chaotic but successful January 2023 floor battle that delayed Kevin McCarthy's brief House Speakership.

Gaetz "was also reportedly the only one of Trump’s possible choices who was willing to go all-in on the president-elect’s plans for retribution against his political enemies." - MSNBC News

Gaetz "was also reportedly the only one of Trump’s possible choices who was willing to go all-in on the president-elect’s plans for retribution against his political enemies." - MSNBC News

Gaetz has been under investigation by the House Ethics Committee since 2021 for allegations of sexual trafficking, illicit drug use and accepting improper gifts. However, the Committee, scheduled to discuss the report's findings last Friday, lost jurisdiction over Gaetz as a sitting member of Congress when he resigned from the House on Thursday, November 14.

In light of Gaetz's AG nomination, there has been a bipartisan call for the release of the report. The deeply unpopular Gaetz may, in the end, fall to antagonists from within his own party.

* Secretary of the Interior: Doug Burgum, Governor of North Dakota, former presidential candidate and multimillionaire who is a vocal supporter of the fossil fuel industry. Trump announced that Burgum will also chair a new National Energy Council, which the president-elect in a written statement said will "oversee the path to U.S. ENERGY DOMINANCE."

* Secretary of Agriculture: TBD
* Secretary of Commerce: TBD
* Secretary of Labor: TBD

* Secretary of Health and Human Services: Robert F. Kennedy Jr., environmental attorney and 2024 independent candidate. ardent anti-vaccine activist and conspiracy theorist who questioned the origin of the COVID-19 virus. RFK Jr. is a member of the Democratic Kennedy family dynasty, which publicly denounced his views and decision to endorse Trump in August, calling the move a "betrayal."

* Secretary of Housing and Urban Development: TBD

* Secretary of Transportation: Sean Duffy, former Congressman, sports commentator, and reality television personality and Fox News contributor who is currently a co-host of The Bottom Line on Fox Business. Duffy (R) represented Wisconsin's 7th congressional district from 2011 to 2019.

:* Secretary of Energy: Chris Wright, oil industry executive and CEO of Liberty Energy, major campaign donor. Wright, who has expressed skepticism about climate change science, would help lead the Trump administration's promise to roll back climate change policies and clean energy spending implemented by President Joe Biden.

* Secretary of Education: TBD

* Secretary of Veterans Affairs: Doug Collins, former Georgia Congressman and Air Force Chaplain who served in Iraq. A staunch Trump ally, Collins has vowed to "fight tirelessly to streamline and cut regulations in the VA, root out corruption, and ensure every veteran receives the benefits they've earned."

* Secretary of Homeland Security: Kristi Noem, South Dakota Governor and hardline conservative governor, who sent the state's National Guard to the southern border. Noem also drew national attention for boasting of killing an unruly puppy in her recent book.

Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE): Trump announced November 12 that billionaire 'First Buddy" Elon Musk and tech entrepreneur and former GOP presidential primary contender Vivek Ramaswamy would co-lead the newly created commission. DOGE, said Trump, "will pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies." DOGE is a clear conflict of interest for Musk, given that his companies have millions of dollars in contracts with the US federal government.

Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE): Trump announced November 12 that billionaire 'First Buddy" Elon Musk and tech entrepreneur and former GOP presidential primary contender Vivek Ramaswamy would co-lead the newly created commission. DOGE, said Trump, "will pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies." DOGE is a clear conflict of interest for Musk, given that his companies have millions of dollars in contracts with the US federal government.

CABINET-LEVEL NOMINEES
* Chief of Staff: Susie Wiles, Trump's senior campaign adviser
* National Security Advisor: Michael Waltz, Florida Congressman, Army Colonel known for his hawkish stance, particularly on China and Iran.
* Ambassador to the United Nations: Elise Stefanik, conservative New York Congresswoman, Chair of the House Republican Conference
* US Trade Representative: TBD
* Director, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA): John Ratcliffe, a former member of Congress from Texas, who served in Trump's first term as Director of National Intelligence.

* Director, National Intelligence: Tulsi Gabbard, US Army Reservist and former four-term Congresswoman (D) from Hawaii, known for her strong stand against Islamic terrorism in the Middle East and her controversial positions on Syria. A candidate in 2020 Democratic presidential primary, Gabbard later turned against the party, joining the GOP as a vocal Trump advocate.
* Director, Office of Management and Budget (OMB): TBD

* Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): Lee Zeldin, former New York Congressman, expected to support Trump's campaign promise to attack key environmental protections that include US government attempts to mitigate the effects of climate change.
* Administrator, Small Business Administration (SBA): TBD
* Chair, Council of Economic Advisors: TBD
* Science Advisor to the President & Director, Office of Science and Technology Policy: TBD

Other Notable Nominations
* Chair, Federal Communications Commission: Brendan Carr, currently the top Republican on the FCC, was the author of a chapter on the FCC in the conservative Project 2025 planning document, in which he argued that the agency should regulate the largest tech companies, such as Apple, Meta, Google and Microsoft. He is also reportedly a supporter of Musk's efforts to earn subsidiaries for broadband internet service.

* “Border Czar”: Thomas Homan, who headed ICE during Trump’s first term, who has pledged to “run the biggest deportation operation this country’s ever seen,” delivering on Trump’s campaign promise to deport 15 to 20 million people.

More to come ...

There are more than 4,000 Presidential or "political" appointees, approximately 1,340 of which require Senate approval, including Cabinet secretaries, agency directors and ambassadors.

There are more than 4,000 Presidential or "political" appointees, approximately 1,340 of which require Senate approval, including Cabinet secretaries, agency directors and ambassadors.

DemList will keep you informed.

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