Who are the top picks in Donald Trump’s White House that’ll deliver his second-term promises
Donald Trump can’t be an effective commander-in-chief without an army of loyal lieutenants to well, command.
Almost as soon as he won back the White House, the President-elect began assembling the key movers and shakers he needed to bring his campaign pledges to life.
Among his new Cabinet members, department heads, ambassadors, advisors and “czars” are seasoned politicians, and returning staff as well as billionaires, businessmen, media personalities and longtime friends – several of whom have never been elected to public office, many with controversial histories.
But those nominated to the top jobs all share one trait: fealty to the Don and his agenda.
We’ve taken a look at the key wheelers and dealers among the second Trump administration., those entrusted by the President to shape and deliver the radical change he wants from day one.
The immigration enforcers
The first item on President Trump’s to-do list after his inauguration is to mobilise an immigration crackdown, including what he says will be the largest mass deportation operation in US history. He’s assembled a squadron of hardline enforcers to make it happen.
Kristi Noem – Secretary of Homeland SecurityCamera IconSouth Dakota Republican Gov. Kristi Noem. Credit: Jack Dura/AP
If confirmed by the Senate, the two-term South Dakota governor and longtime Trump ally will lead the department charged with policing the US-Mexico border, disaster response and federal protection.
In naming Ms Noem, Mr Trump praised her staunch defence of the southern border, having been the first governor to deploy state troops to Texas in 2022 to deter alleged illegal crossings and drug trafficking.
She has accused Mexican cartels of hiding on Native American reservations in her home state, which tribal leaders denied and responded by banning her from setting foot on their lands.
Ms Noem was briefly considered to be Trump’s 2024 running mate before sparking outrage for revealing in her memoir that she shot and killed her dog for being “untrainable”. Social media branded her a #PuppyKiller, but Ms Noem said it proved she could make “difficult decisions”.
Tom Homan – Border Czar
Trump says there’s “nobody better at policing and controlling our borders” than his new border czar, Tom Homan.
The veteran immigration official and ex-policeman ran Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during Trump’s first term and will return to carry out the President’s mass deportation plan – starting with targeting criminals and possibly going as far as removing entire families.
Mr Homan drew criticism for defending Trump’s “zero tolerance” policy on border crossings during his first, which led to children being separated from their parents if they did not have documentation.
He had one warning for any Democrats or advocates who stand against the plan: “get the hell out of our way”.
Stephen Miller – White House deputy chief of staff for policy
Camera IconStephen Miller. Credit: Justin Merriman/Getty Images
The “architect” of Trump’s most hardline anti-immigration policies, including the 2017 Muslim ban, is set to play a role in the design of his second-act migration crackdown.
As senior advisor and speechwriter in the first Trump term, Mr Miller also crafted many of the president’s infamous speeches, including that made before rioters stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
In appearances at campaign rallies last year, he spurned“illegal aliens, criminal gangs and thugs who don’t belong in this country”, and has previously warned migration would lead to “Islamist terrorism” – a line the President-elect echoed after the New Orleans attack.
Foreign policy and defence: America vs The World
In the four years since Trump left the Oval Office, the world has only got more tense: wars rage on in the Middle East and Europe, and China continues to pose a major threat to order and the US’s global dominance.
Trump’s new top diplomats and foreign policy hawks inherit all of these challenges, plus a President who has threatened trade wars with allies, suggested annexing Canada to be the 51st US state, and proposed using force to gain control of Greenland and the Panama Canal.
Mark Rubio– Secretary of State
Camera IconSenator Marco Rubio, a Republican from Florida, speaks during the Republican National Convention. Credit: Hannah Beier/Bloomberg
The Florida senator and foreign policy “hawk” on China, Iran, Venezuela and Cuba, is a reformed Trump opponent with extensive foreign policy experience, including in the first Trump administration.
At his Senate confirmation hearing to be appointed the US’ top diplomat, Mr Rubio said China was “the most potent and dangerous near-peer adversary this nation has ever confronted”. He reiterated his belief to his colleagues that the US must push back on China’s influence more forcefully.
Although he is a longtime critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Mr Rubio has backed Trump’s reluctance to continue military support for Ukraine, agreeing that its war“needs to be brought to a conclusion”.
He did, however, defend NATO, despite Trump’s criticism of the alliance, but said: “Under President Trump, the top priority of the United States Department of State will be the United States.”
Michael Waltz — National Security Adviser
Camera IconU.S. Representative Michael Waltz. Credit: Michael Brochstein/Sipa USA
The decorated former special forces officer and Florida congressman has called China an “existential” threat and argued for the US to prepare for more conflict in the Pacific.
Mr Waltz was also one of the first members of Congress to call for the US to boycott the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing due to its involvement in the COVID-19 pandemic and its ongoing mistreatment of the Muslim Uyghur population.
As National Security Adviser, he would be at the forefront of national security crises, including the ongoing effort of providing weapons to Ukraine – he backs Trump’s decision to withdraw support – and escalating worries about the growing alliance between Russia and North Korea as well as conflicts in the Middle East – he was critical of the Biden administrations withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Pete Hegseth – Secretary of Defence
Camera IconSecretary of Defense-designate Pete Hegseth. Credit: Gordon Annabelle/CNP/ABACA/PA
Trump’s pick to lead the Pentagon and the world’s most powerful military – a former Fox News host and military veteran – was one of his most controversial, but the 47th President praised Pete Hegseth as a “Warrior for the Troops”.
Hegseth, 44, served in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay and later wrote a book that railed against the “warped, woke, and caustic policies of our current military” including diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
He faced sharp questions about his inexperience, allegations of misconduct – including public drunkenness and a sexual assault in 2017 (which he says was consensual) – and his opposition to women in combat at his Senate confirmation hearing. Immediate feedback suggests he will win the majority’s favour.
At the hearing, he reiterated his support for Israel and “its existential war in Gaza”.
Steve Witkoff — Special envoy to the Middle East
Camera IconSteve Witkoff arrives at a campaign rally. Credit: Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP
Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East is off to a flying start, playing a key role in Israel and Hamas striking a ceasefire deal, despite having no diplomatic training, days out from the inauguration.
Billionaire Jewish-American real estate developer Steve Witkoff reportedly put the sword to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to hash out the deal on Saturday, rousing the stubborn leader from Shabbat to finish the job.
Mr Witkoff and Trump have been friends for more than 40 years, and the pair were on golfing together when a second attempt on the then Republican nominee’s life was thwarted last year. Billionaire property
Economy: Tariffs and trade
Trump’s promise to impose tariffs on imports to America from Canada, Mexico and China shows the President is not afraid to start a trade war in the name of achieving his bigger objectives.
Unlike his other key picks, the two men chosen in the top jobs to deliver his economic agenda represent some of the most experienced players in his administration.
Scott Bessent – Treasury Secretary
Camera IconUnited States Secretary of the Treasury-Designate Scott Bessent. Credit: Mattie Neretin – CNP/Mattie Neretin – CNP/Sipa USA
The veteran financier and hedge fund founder is singing directly from the conservative economic hymnbook, spouting support for budget cuts, deregulation and increased investment in US oil production.
He previously worked for billionaire investor George Soros, a prominent donor to liberal causes, in the 1990s before shifting toward conservative politics. If he is confirmed, Mr Bessent will be the first openly gay Cabinet member of a Republican administration.
Mr Trump said his Treasury pick would support the policies “that will drive US Competitiveness and stop unfair trade imbalances”. This includes tariffs, which Mr Bessent sees as a negotiating tool as well as revenue source.
Howard Lutnick – Secretary of Commerce
Camera IconSecretary of Commerce nominee Howard Lutnick. Credit: Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Imag
The billionaire chairman and chief executive of Cantor Fitzgerald — a company he rebuilt after losing 658 employees in the 9/11 terror attack on the World Trade Centre — was a major donor to Trump’s re-election campaign.
For his campaign contributions, Mr Lutnick was appointed co-chair of Trump’s transition team and tasked with filling thousands of job openings in the new administration.
He has also been a vocal supporter of Trump’s economic plans, including tariffs, deregulating cryptocurrencies and eliminating income tax.
If confirmed to commerce secretary, Mr Lutnick would “lead out tariff and trade agenda” Trump says.
But Mr Lutnick is likely to face questions in his confirmation process about his finances and potential conflicts of interest, as his companies are involved in nearly every sector of the US economy.
Loyal legal eagle: Pam Bondi for Attorney-General
Camera IconPam Bondi, nominee for Attorney General. Credit: Anadolu/Getty Images
Donald Trump needs an attorney-general willing to let him fulfil his promise to use the Justice Department, which charged him in two separate criminal cases, to seek revenge on his political enemies.
After his first pick for the job withdrew from consideration, the President looked to the defence team of his first impeachment trial to find his second choice, Pam Bondi.
Florida’s former attorney-general has been a fixture in Trump’s orbit for years and a regular defender of the President-elect in the media amid his legal troubles.
But in a Senate Judiciary Committee grilling ahead of the inauguration, she insisted politics would play no part in her decision-making as the US’s chief federal law enforcement officer.
She said “no one should be prosecuted for political purposes”, but refused to rule out investigations into Trump’s adversaries, including whether she would drop a case if ordered to by the President.
In 2020, Bondi supported Trump’s efforts to challenge his election loss to Joe Biden, but could not directly answer the Senate committee’s questions on the matter.
Drain the swampElon Musk & Vivek Ramaswamy – Department of Government Efficiencies
Camera IconElon Musk & Vivek Ramaswamy. Credit: AAP
It appears second-term President Trump is looking to make good on his first-term pledge to “drain the swamp” with his new efficiency advisors Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy.
In announcing the special-made DOGE, Mr Trump said the pair will serve in an advisory capacity to “dismantle government bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures and restructure federal agencies”.
Musk had no experience or apparent interest in politics before he became Trump’s #1 fan and poured hundreds of millions of dollars into his reelection campaign. However, he has long been an opponent to perceived government overregulation and known for his aggressive cost-cutting tactics.
His teammate, Mr Ramaswamy, on the other hand, ran for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination (he dropped out after leading the futile race for months to support the former president). The multimillionaire has advocated for aggressive cuts to the federal government, including mass firings and eliminating entire agencies and departments.
Musk has proposed cutting “at least $2 trillion” from the $6.75 trillion federal budget – a power that lies with Congress – and suggested bringing new technology to make government smaller, more effective and more efficient.
Make America Healthy Again Robert F Kennedy Jr — Health and Human Services
Camera IconRobert F. Kennedy Jr, President-Elect Donald Trump’s pick to be Secretary of Health and Human Services. Credit: Aaron Schwartz/Sipa USA
A lawyer, environmentalist, and notorious vaccine sceptic from the US’ most famous Democratic family is set to take the reins of the US federal health agencies.
In his victory speech, Trump said he wanted Kennedy to “go wild” on health and food policy, and to “make America healthy again”.
Kennedy, who dropped out of the presidential race to endorse the Trump-Vance ticket, has been one of the biggest proponents of disinformation on the efficacy of vaccines and other health information – including the use of fluoride in drinking water. He was also found to spread conspiracies about the COVID-19 pandemic.
Although, he has picked up some support for his crusade against additives in American food and push for greater scrutiny on the nation’s food system.
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