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By Ewan Palmer
News Reporter
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Donald Trump has nearly finalized his picks for his next Cabinet, following a flurry of nominations over the weekend.
There have been more than 40 picks revealed in the 17 days since his first nomination, his campaign manager, Susie Wiles, as chief of staff.
Wiles' role is among those that do not require Senate confirmation, but many others now await approval. It is very rare for a president or president-elect's nominee to lead an executive department to be rejected. The last time that happened was 1989, when George H.W. Bush's pick for Defense Secretary, John G. Tower, lost a vote 47-53.
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Trump had also nominated former Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz as attorney general; however, under a congressional misconduct investigation, Gaetz withdrew his nomination, saying he feared he was "unfairly becoming a distraction" to the Trump-JD Vance transition team.
Below is the full list of Trump's Cabinet picks which need Senate confirmation.
Newsweek has contacted the Trump transition team for comment via email.
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Secretary of State: Marco Rubio
Rubio, a Florida senator, was once highly critical of Trump, and ran against him in the 2016 GOP presidential primary.
In a statement, Trump described Rubio as a "fearless warrior who will never back down to our adversaries."
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Attorney General: Pam Bondi
Bondi was named by Trump as his pick for attorney general hours after Gaetz withdrew his nomination for the role.
Bondi spent almost 20 years working as a prosecutor in Hillsborough County, Florida, before becoming the first ever attorney general of Florida in 2011. She later worked on Trump's defense team during his first impeachment trial.
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Defense Secretary: Pete Hegseth
The author and former Fox News host and military veteran was another surprise pick for Trump in a key Cabinet role due to his relative lack of experience.
Hegseth was commissioned as an infantry officer in the Army National Guard, serving in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as at Guantánamo Bay. He has two Bronze Stars.
His nomination has also been dogged by a 2017 sexual assault allegation, which Hegseth denied and which he was never charged over.
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Treasure Secretary: Scott Bessent
Bessent, the billionaire hedge-fund manager founder and CEO of Key Square Group, has been tapped to lead the Treasury and oversee the world's largest economy. He has previously defended Trump's import tariffs campaign promise.
"Scott is widely respected as one of the world's foremost International Investors and geopolitical and economic strategists. Scott's story is that of the American dream," Trump said in a statement.
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Homeland Security: Kristi Noem
Trump said the South Dakota governor will work closely with his "Border Czar" Tom Homan to secure the border and "guarantee that our American homeland is secure from our adversaries."
Noem, a staunch Trump ally, was on the shortlist for Trump's 2024 running mate.
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Interior Secretary: Doug Burgum
Trump has chosen the governor of North Dakota to join his next administration as secretary of the interior and chairman of the newly formed National Energy Council.
"Doug Burgum will protect our nation's natural resources, restore our fabulous oil and gas advantage, and make America, and its energy, dominant and great again," Trump said.
Burgum was another name bookmakers linked to Trump's 2024 ticket before Vance got the nod.
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Secretary of Agriculture: Brooke Rollins
Rollins' nomination was announced by Trump on Saturday. She is president and founder of the America First Policy Institute, a think tank set up by former staffers from Trump's first presidency.
Rollins had several roles in Trump's first administration, including director of the Domestic Policy Council.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, after she was nominated to be the next secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Rollins said, "It will be the honor of my life to fight for America's farmers and our Nation's agricultural communities."
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Secretary of Commerce: Howard Lutnick
Trump said the billionaire GOP donor would lead the administration's "tariff and trade agenda" after nominating him for the role of commerce secretary.
Lutnick, CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, was believed to be in the running for treasury secretary in Trump's next administration.
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Secretary of Labor: Lori Chavez-DeRemer
The Oregon congresswoman was named as Trump's pick for the next secretary of labor after she lost her House seat in the November 5 election to Democratic State Representative Janelle Bynum.
"Lori has worked tirelessly with both business and labor to build America's workforce, and support the hardworking men and women of America," Trump said in a statement.
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Health and Human Services Secretary: Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Another contentious pick from Trump is the vaccine skeptic to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
The president-elect wrote in a Truth Social post that Kennedy will restore the HHS to the "traditions of gold standard scientific research, and beacons of transparency, to end the chronic disease epidemic, and to Make America Great and Healthy Again!"
Kenned ran for president as an independent, but dropped out of the race in August and later endorsed Trump.
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Housing and Urban Development Secretary: Scott Turner
Turner is a former Texas state representative who also spent nine seasons in the NFL.
He previously served as executive director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council in the first Trump administration.
Turner was also the first Black person selected to be a member of Trump's Cabinet.
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Secretary of Transportation: Sean Duffy
Duffy is a former Wisconsin congressman and host of Fox Business' The Bottom Line. He left his role at the news network after he was tapped by Trump to lead the Department of Transportation, reported CNN.
Trump said Duffy will "prioritize excellence, competence, competitiveness and beauty when rebuilding America's highways, tunnels, bridges and airports" in his Cabinet role.
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Secretary of Education: Linda McMahon
McMahon is a former CEO of the World Wrestling Entertainment who co-chairs Trump's transition team.
Her pick to lead the Department of Education has also been scrutinized because of her perceived lack of necessary experience. McMahon was named in a lawsuit alleging she and her husband, Vince McMahon, allowed boys to be sexually abused by a WWE ringside announcer who died in 2012. The McMahons deny all wrongdoing.
McMahon led the Small Business Administration during Trump's first presidency.
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Secretary of Energy: Chris Wright
Trump nominated Wright to join his administration as both United States secretary of energy, and member of the newly formed Council of National Energy.
Wright is the founder, CEO and chairman of Board of Liberty Energy and has worked in the nuclear, solar, geothermal, oil and gas industries.
Secretary of Veterans Affairs: Doug Collins
Collins is a former Georgia congressman and military veteran who served in Iraq. He currently serves as a chaplain in the United States Air Force Reserve Command.
"Doug will be a great advocate for our active duty service members, veterans, and military families to ensure they have the support they need," Trump said.
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Director of National Intelligence: Tulsi Gabbard
Gabbard is a former Democrat who ran for president in 2020. The four-term Hawaii congresswoman is a veteran with three deployments to war zones in the Middle East and Africa.
Her nomination to serve as director of national intelligence has been criticized over allegations she has helped spread Russian propaganda.
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Environmental Protection Agency Administrator: Lee Zeldin
Zeldin is a former New York congressman who lost the 2022 governor's race to Kathy Hochul.
In a statement, Zeldin said it will be an "honor" to join Trump's Cabinet as EPA administrator. "We will restore U.S. energy dominance, revitalize our auto industry to bring back American jobs, and make the U.S. the global leader of AI. We will do so while protecting access to clean air and water," Zeldin said.
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U.N. Ambassador: Elise Stefanik
The New York congresswoman served on the House Armed Services Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
She is a staunch defender of Trump, and was said to be among the shortlist for his vice presidential picks. Stefanik previously served as White House domestic policy adviser under President George W. Bush.
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Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought
Vought, who previously served in Trump's Cabinet as director of the Office of Management and Budget, is in line for the same role again in 2025.
Vought was heavily involved in crafting Project 2025, The Heritage Foundation's 922-page document outlining how a potential Republican administration could overhaul the federal government.
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CIA Director: John Ratcliffe
Trump choosing John Ratcliffe to serve as CIA director in his new administration was seen as one of the more straightforward nominations.
Ratcliffe served as director of national intelligence for the final months of Trump's first term in office.
The former Texas congressman was also heavily critical of the investigations into alleged Russian interference on behalf of Trump's 2016 election campaign.
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U.S. Ambassador to NATO: Matthew Whitaker
Whitaker served as acting attorney general during Trump's first term, as well as an attorney in Iowa.
He took the role of acting attorney general after Trump fired Jeff Sessions in 2018. He was eventually replaced by William Barr in February 2019.
"Matt is a strong warrior and loyal patriot, who will ensure the United States' interests are advanced and defended," Trump said. "Matt will strengthen relationships with our NATO allies, and stand firm in the face of threats to peace and stability—he will put AMERICA FIRST."
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Surgeon general: Dr. Janette Nesheiwat
Nesheiwat is a family medicine doctor and former Fox News contributor who has now been tapped to be the next surgeon general.
"Dr. Nesheiwat is a fierce advocate and strong communicator for preventive medicine and public health," Trump said in a statement. "She is committed to ensuring that Americans have access to affordable, quality healthcare, and believes in empowering individuals to take charge of their health to live longer, healthier lives."
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Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Dave Weldon
Weldon is a medical doctor and former Florida congressman. He has previously been a critic of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), including its vaccine program.
Trump said in a statement that Weldon would "restore the CDC to its true purpose" as director.
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FDA Commissioner: Marty Makary
Makary is a Johns Hopkins surgeon who will work under nominated Health Secretary Kennedy in his role leading the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) next year.
In 2021, Makary wrote an opinion piece for The Hill attacking the FDA for pausing the rollout of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine amid concerns over rare cases of blood clots.
"From the start of the COVID pandemic, the FDA has had missteps," he wrote. "We need better medical leadership."
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Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator: Dr. Mehmet Oz
Mehmet Oz is another television personality that Trump has picked for a role in his next Cabinet.
Oz is best known for The Dr. Oz Show, which ran from 2009 to 2022. He also unsuccessfully ran for the Pennsylvania Senate seat against John Fetterman in 2022.
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Trump is still to nominate his picks for trade representative chair of the Council of Economic Advisers, administrator of Small Business Administration, and director of the Office of Science and Technology.
Other Trump White House roles
- White House Chief of Staff: Susie Wiles
- White House Communications Director: Steven Cheung
- White House Press Secretary: Karoline Leavitt
- "Border czar": Tom Homan
- Department of Government Efficiency: Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy
- National Security Adviser: Michael Waltz
- White House Counsel: William McGinley
- Solicitor General: Dean John Sauer
- Federal Communications Commission Chairman: Brendan Carr
- Deputy Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Counterterrorism: Sebastian Gorka
- U.S. Ambassador to Israel: Mike Huckabee
- U.S. Ambassador to Canada: Pete Hoekstra
- U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York: Jay Clayton
- Deputy Chief of Staff: Dan Scavino
- Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Homeland Security Adviser: Stephen Miller
- Deputy Chief of Staff for Legislative, Political and Public Affairs: James Blair
- Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications and Personnel: Taylor Budowich
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