As the 2024 United States Election came to a close, Americans revealed that they wanted Donald Trump over Kamala Harris for President. Now that Trump’s officially the president-elect, he’s already started to appoint his second administration. Lord help us all.
In what will go down as a dark day, Donald Trump won the race for the presidency. And while the world has reacted in various ways to this unsettling outcome, Trump himself has hit the ground running.
Prior to his election there were plenty of fears over what a second Trump term could entail, which were only worsened by the looming presence of the controversial Project 2025 plans outlined by some of Trump’s followers.
And while here in Australia it may feel like we won’t be too impacted by Trump’s second term, who the president-elect chooses as for his second administration could have major effects in the US — and worldwide.
Additionally, US political analysts have expressed concern that should Trump solely staff his cabinet with people who are loyal to him, rather than their role, it could be a recipe for disaster.
So, who has Donald Trump chosen to be in his second administration, and who’s been rumoured to be part of the team of “Yes Men”? Let’s dive in.
Who has Donald Trump appointed in his second administration?
In total, there are typically 26 roles to fill in the President of the United States cabinet, with some room for moving positions between the offices. These roles are:
- Vice President
- White House Chief Of Staff
- Attorney General
- Secretary of the Treasury
- Secretary of State
- Secretary of Defence
- Secretary of the Interior
- Secretary of Commerce
- Secretary of Health and Human Services
- Secretary of Transportation
- Secretary of Education
- Secretary of Agriculture
- Secretary of Labor
- Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
- Secretary of Energy
- Secretary of Veterans Affairs
- Secretary of Homeland Security
- Ambassador to the United Nations
- Administrator of the Small Business Administration
- Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency
- Director of the Office of Management and Budget
- Director of the CIA
- Director of National Intelligence
- United States Trade Representative
- Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers
- Science Advisor to the President
At the time of writing, only five of these roles have been officially filled. So who are the confirmed roles and their appointees?
Vice President – JD Vance
Naturally, this appointment comes as no surprise, considering JD Vance was announced as Trump’s running mate back in July.
At first, Vance was a controversial pick for VP, considering his vocal disapproval of Trump in 2016. However, it looks like the pair worked it out on the remix because now the Hillbilly Elegy author is about to become the second most powerful person in the US.
Though he may look like a typical 40-year-old conservative white guy, Vance is actually a win for diversity for two reasons:
- He is the first VP to have facial hair in almost a century.
- And he’s the first VP to be plagued by rumours he had sex with a couch.
Chief Of Staff – Susie Wiles
In the first post-election appointment to his cabinet, Trump selected Susie Wiles for the role of Chief of Staff, AKA the person who oversees daily operations in the White House.
Wiles is known for being one of the masterminds behind the Trump 2024 campaign, and was thanked by the president-elect in his victory speech.
“Susie likes to stay sort of in the back. Let me tell you, the ice maiden. We call her the ice maiden,” Trump said.
Earning her “Ice Maiden” nickname for her cool composure, Wiles has worked for Republican leaders for decades. She previously helped former President Ronald Reagan get elected in 1980, and also Ron Desantis in his Florida elections.
Wiles is the first woman to be appointed as Chief of Staff, and is the fifth person to hold the position in a Trump administration. And something tells me she won’t be the last.
UN Ambassador – Elise Stefanik
One loyallist to score the position of UN Ambassador is New York Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, who is known for being a vocal supporter of Trump’s January 6 insurrection.
“I am honoured to nominate Chairwoman Elise Stefanik to serve in my Cabinet as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations,” Trump said.
“Elise is an incredibly strong, tough, and smart America First fighter.”
Born in 1984, Stefanik was the youngest woman to become a congresswoman when she was elected in 2014. She has been a vocal follower of Trump, denouncing his impeachments and supporting his claims the 2020 election was rigged.
Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency – Lee Zeldin
On November 11, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency was announced as Lee Zeldin.
“It is an honour to join President Trump’s Cabinet as EPA Administrator,” wrote Zeldin in a post on X, where he promised to “restore US energy dominance” and make America the “global leader of AI”.
It is an honor to join President Trump’s Cabinet as EPA Administrator.
— Lee Zeldin (@leezeldin) November 11, 2024
We will restore US energy dominance, revitalize our auto industry to bring back American jobs, and make the US the global leader of AI. We will do so while protecting access to clean air and water. https://t.co/G5xMtYatns
And if you’re concerned that Zeldin is just be another Trump croney who won’t say no to a single thing the president-elect wants, here’s what he had to say about the upcoming presidential term:
“I have a feeling that we’re on the verge of what could be the greatest four years, we’ve ever seen of any president in the White House.”
Homeland Security Secretary – Kristi Noem
South Dakota Governor and proud dog-shooter Kristi Noem was announced on November 12 as a member of Trump’s second administration, in the cabinet position of Secretary of Homeland Security.
This position should be fitting for Noem given how good she is at securing her own homeland, as she bragged in her 2024 memoir No Going Back that she once shot one of her own puppies for killing her livestock.
Kristi Noem for Homeland Security Director?
— Protect Kamala Harris ✊ (@DisavowTrump20) November 12, 2024
RETWEET if you stand with dogs against Kristi Noem! pic.twitter.com/2ys5m2sWP4
Noem ran a hard campaign back in the early days of the presidential race to try and score herself the role of VP. However, once this colourful segment of her book gained massive media scrutiny, her name was quietly scratched off the list.
Co-Leads Of The Department Of Government Efficiency – Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy
Trump has tapped his billionaire bestie/lizard man Elon Musk and former Republican presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy to lead a new “Department of Government Efficiency”.
While the department is not an official part of the government, it will “provide advice and guidance from outside of government”. Trump said in a statement that the point of the department is “to drive large scale structural reform, and create an entrepreneurial approach to Government never seen before”.
Trump likened the Musk-Ramaswamy effort to the Manhattan Project, which famously produced the atomic bomb. What could possibly go wrong?!
A devoted follower of Trump for years now, Musks’s support for the Republican president-elect becoming more and more prominent during the recent election as he attended events and ran ground-game campaigns.
“This will send shockwaves through the system, and anyone involved in Government waste, which is a lot of people!” Musk said in the statement.
As for Ramaswamy, he’s the 38-year-old biotech entrepreneur who threw his hat into the Republican presidential ring before getting knocked out by Trump and must just happy to be involved.
There is no word yet on how this new department will be funded.
Who is rumoured to be part of Trump’s second administration?
There are many names rumoured to be part of Trump’s “extremist” second cabinet, with fears that this time around he will staff the administration with loyalists who will give him free reign and unprecedented power.
On November 12 it was reported that Trump had decided on to appoint Republican congressman Mike Waltz as his Director of National Intelligence, however this is yet to be confirmed by the White House.
Another major contender for a big role that has people concerned is former independent candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr, who pulled out of the presidential race to endorse Trump in August.
RFK Jr. is known for his anti-vaccination beliefs, pushing of various medical conspiracies, and the fact that he had a literal worm in his brain.
In the last week of his campaign, Trump flagged that he would let RJK Jr. “go wild” on various government departments, including medicine and health.
Trump says he will let Robert Kennedy Jr. go wild on health, food, and medicine.
— FreeThinkerFitness (@FreeThinkerFit) October 28, 2024
“I'm gonna let him go wild on health. I'm gonna let him go wild on the food. I'm gonna let him go wild on medicines.” pic.twitter.com/JN7GXr4W9Y
For now we’ll just have to (anxiously) wait and see.
Lead Image: Getty
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