Donald Trump is reportedly relying on a group of well-known conservative voices, including influencers such as Charlie Kirk and Vivek Ramaswamy, to provide input on potential cabinet and other leadership positions.
At Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, the president-elect has met privately with the conservative influencers as well as other trusted advisers like Elon Musk, Donald Trump Jr., Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Tulsi Gabbard to shape his new administration, Politico reported.
Having learned his lesson from the chaotic revolving door of officials during his first administration, Trump is tapping individuals who are likely to remain loyal to him.
Kirk, and other Trump allies, are largely responsible for sitting in on meetings and providing their opinion on the president-elect’s choices, four people familiar with the matter told Politico.
Kirk co-founded Turning Point U.S.A., an organization that recruits and supports young conservatives on high school and college campuses. He has risen to prominence for promoting and supporting Trump-aligned policies and conspiracy theories.
He’s spread misinformation about Covid-19, mass voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election, climate change, women’s reproductive health, critical race theory and more.
Much of Kirk’s work is focused on disputing liberal education.
Under the first Trump administration, Kirk chaired the short-lived 1776 Commission which was created partly in response to the New York Times “1619 Project” to stifle revisionist history teachings.
Kirk elevated Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign by visiting schools across the country and hosting pro-Trump events targeted at Gen-Z voters. The president-elect ultimately performed well with Gen-Z men.
After winning the election on Wednesday, Trump reportedly called Kirk. The conservative influence has been a longtime member of president-elect’s inner circle, having developed a friendship with Trump Jr. during the 2016 election.
Kirk’s influence now appears to be growing, and he is part of the exclusive group of people who get to advise Trump on critical decisions.
Others include Steve Witkoff, one of Trump’s longtime friends who is co-chairing his official inaugural committee.
So far, Trump has tapped his campaign manager, Susie Wiles as his Chief of Staff, New York congresswoman Elise Stefanik as U.N. ambassador and former New York congressman Lee Zeldin as Secretary of Environmental Protection Agency.
