As the Trump administration prepares for the transition into power, Donald Trump has been assembling his team over the course of the recent weeks. These cabinet positions include a wide variety of people and personalities, some facing more backlash than others. The following is a brief overview of the top four cabinet positions in the line of succession, and the people that will be shaping our nation’s policies for the next four years.
Secretary of State
Florida Senator Marco Rubio is set to be the Secretary of State for the administration. The son of Cuban immigrants, he made a bid for president in 2016 and strongly opposed Donald Trump, although they have evidently resolved their conflicts. He is vice chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and a member of the Committee on Foreign Relations, and has remained staunchly anti-China, a sentiment that Trump carried through his presidential campaign. Rubio was under consideration for the VP pick before being passed up for JD Vance. He remained a close ally to Trump, helping him to land the role of the fourth in line to the presidency.
Secretary of Treasury
A Democrat donor-turned-Trump supporter, Scott Bessent received the nomination for the Secretary of Treasury. A former hedge fund manager, he was previously employed by Geoge Soros and only recently inducted into Trump’s inner circle. His proposed “3-3-3” plan entails a 3% economic growth, reducing the budget deficit to 3% of the gross domestic product and increasing domestic oil production by three million barrels a day. Furthermore, he backs Trump’s controversial tariff proposal, stating it’s “a good bargaining chip,” and approves of the tax cuts that the campaign promised.
Secretary of Defense
A highly controversial pick, Pete Hegseth was nominated for Secretary of Defense. A major in the US Army, he is most well known for his position as a host on “Fox and Friends.” His controversial defense of military crimes is attested by people who know him for his deployments to Guantanamo Bay, Afghanistan, and Iraq. Further, he has stated that he is against women in active combat, a stance that has received substantial backlash. A police report about Hesgeth was recently released, stating that he sexually assaulted a woman at a 2017 Republican women’s event. The 22-page document has called into question his nomination; Hegseth denies the allegations, claiming that their encounter was consensual.
Attorney General
Matt Gaetz, a representative from Florida, was Trump’s original nominee for Attorney General. However, this changed after the ongoing report from the Ethics committee came to a conclusion that did not bode well for Gaetz. The report details a history of sexual misconduct by Gaetz including a relationship with a 17-year-old girl and violations of sex trafficking laws. This led him to turn down his Attorney General nomination, as well as step down from Congress two days before the report was set to be published. Because of this, Congress does not have the jurisdiction to continue investigating him, and it’s unclear if they will release their existing findings.
In his place, Trump has selected Pam Bondi to serve in Gaetz’s place. Bondi is a former Florida attorney general and part of Trump’s defense during his first impeachment. He took to Truth Social to post that “Pam will refocus the DOJ to its intended purpose of fighting Crime, and Making America Safe Again.” Bondi has been a consistent Trump ally, having worked with him against the opioid crisis during his first term, and is currently a partner at Ballard lobbying firm.
As the never-ending news cycle continues to churn, new developments regarding president-elect Trump’s future cabinet will doubtless arise.
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