President-elect Donald Trump has gone largely silent on social media since securing another term, but he and his team are in the first stages of building his second administration.
At rallies and during media interviews throughout the campaign, Trump floated a number of lawmakers and other conservatives for various positions. He seemed to be interested in the live audiences’ reactions to some of the names.
He developed relationships with some of the lawmakers while still in office, and others seemed to drift closer to his inner-circle after he left the White House and began planning his political comeback.
One GOP lawmaker seemingly out of the running: Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, who reportedly has removed himself from consideration. The Army veteran, a member of the Armed Services and Intelligence committees, had been mentioned as a potential Defense secretary.
Here’s a look at the lawmakers and others who are in, almost certainly in and reportedly under consideration to be a part of Trump’s second West Wing staff and Cabinet.
Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y.
Stefanik is a House GOP leadership team member and a staunch backer of the incoming president.
A member of the Armed Services and Intelligence committees, Stefanik has repeatedly criticized the United Nations on allegations it is anti-semetic, referring, for example, to the U.N. Palestinian refugee agency, known colloquially as the UNRWA, as a “cesspool of antisemitism.”
Picking her for the senior diplomatic role would support experts’ assessment of a return to Trump’s “America first” worldview.
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla.
The vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, and a senior Foreign Relations Committee member, was on the shortlist to be Trump’s running mate.
Once a Trump rival, whom then-candidate Trump during the 2016 GOP primary mocked as “Lil’ Marco,” Rubio has become a Trump ally.
He reportedly could be in the running for secretary of State, but he also is familiar with the intelligence community. That could make him a candidate for CIA director or national intelligence director.
Another plus: Sitting senators typically enjoy smooth confirmation processes — and a top administration job could further boost a future Rubio presidential bid.
Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn.
Haggerty has landed on several committees that could make him a candidate for secretary of State, Treasury or Commerce. He is a member of Banking, House and Urban Affairs; Foreign Relations; and Appropriations.
He is a known entity inside Trump world, having served as U.S. ambassador to Japan during Trump’s first term. Like Rubio, confirmation likely would not be an issue.
Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo.
Schmitt reportedly is being looked at as Trump’s potential attorney general.
That typically independent post will be center stage as Democrats and Trump-opposing Republicans watch whether the president-elect uses the Justice Department to target his political enemies and the prosecutors that indicted him.
Schmitt was Missouri’s attorney general before becoming a senator, and seems to be well-liked in Trump world. Trump often clashed with another senator-turned-AG, Jeff Sessions of Alabama, during his first term. Sessions’ replacement, William P. Barr, eventually left the administration after multiple disputes with his boss.
Susie Wiles
Trump campaign manager Susie Wiles will serve as White House chief of staff when President-elect Donald Trump returns to power on Jan. 20, his transition office announced Thursday night. Wiles has been a political power player for decades, having also worked for Trump’s successful 2016 presidential campaign. She also has worked for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
“Susie Wiles just helped me achieve one of the greatest political victories in American history, and was an integral part of both my 2016 and 2020 successful campaigns,” Trump said in a statement. “Susie is tough, smart, innovative, and is universally admired and respected.
It gives Trump a claim that outgoing President Joe Biden cannot make by putting a woman in the top West Wing job after Biden had a number of such firsts, including Karine Jean-Pierre as the first Black press secretary.
Stephen Miller
The former Trump White House domestic policy adviser is expected to return to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in a similar role.
Miller was a chief architect of some of the 45th president’s most hard-line immigration policies, and is widely expected to again own that portfolio.
Trump repeatedly vowed to implement the largest mass deportation program in U.S. history. It likely will fall to Miller to oversee the design and execution of the program, which Trump has said could include active-duty military troops, National Guard forces and federal and local law enforcement personnel.
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