Trump’s Kitchen Cabinet

Almost immediately after Trump won the 2024 presidential election, he began deciding on potential appointees for cabinet positions. However, in a very Trumpian fashion, his picks almost immediately began stirring up controversy. Even many Republicans were shocked and outraged at how extreme Trump’s picks were. He has tapped people like Matt Gaetz (who has since withdrawn from consideration), a congressman who is currently being investigated for sexual misconduct, and RFK Jr., a vaccine skeptic turned failed presidential candidate, to lead some of the largest and most significant government agencies. Evidently, Trump’s nominees are routinely lacking in qualifications and appear only to have been selected for their loyalty to the President or prior media fame. 

However, there is still one roadblock remaining for Trump: many of these nominees require Senate approval. Even though Republicans have won control of the Senate, many seem hesitant to approve some of Trump’s most extreme picks. 

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Trump’s Key Nominees:

• Tulsi Gabbard – Director of National Intelligence

Age: 43 years old

Past experience related to the role: Gabbard used to represent Hawaii as a Democrat in the House of Representatives. She was in the Hawaii Army National Guard and had been deployed in Iraq. 

Connection with Trump: Gabbard is an outspoken supporter of Trump, the Republican Party, and authoritarians like Putin. 

Goals if confirmed by Senate: Gabbard will advise Trump on national security. As the head of the agency, Gabbard can also assist with Trump’s plans of removing corrupt members of the agency during his next term. 

• Matt Gaetz – Attorney General (Previous Nominee)

Age: 42 years old 

Past experience related to the role: Gaetz graduated with a law degree and passed the Florida bar exam in 2008. He has previously served as an attorney and was also one of Florida’s representatives in the House of Representatives. He is best known for wanting to remove Kevin McCarthy, the former Speaker of the House. 

Connection with Trump: He was previously a vocal opponent of Trump but has recently changed to be one of his strongest supporters.

Goals if confirmed by Senate: Gaetz will help support Trump’s proposed policies, especially with regards to depoliticizing the department. 

• Pete Hegseth – Defense Secretary

Age: 44 years old

Past experience related to the role: He was a veteran and ran the Concerned Veterans for America—a political group that supported veteran participation in politics. 

Connection with Trump: He was a Fox News host for 8 years and is an avid supporter of Trump. He was an occasional advisor to the former president Trump during his previous term and encouraged Trump to pardon three soldiers accused or convicted of war crimes.

Goals if confirmed by Senate: He plans to require the same physical standards for all combatants and has suggested firing the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. 

• Thomas Homan – Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement

Age: 62 years old

Past experience related to the role: Homan is the former acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and he has worked on the issue under Obama and Trump. 

Goals: Homan will not need Senate confirmation, as he has had the role in the past. He has stated he will oversee the largest deportation in American history. 

• Mike Huckabee – Ambassador to Israel

Age: 69 years old

Past experience related to the role: He is the former governor of Arkansas. 

Connection with Trump: He is a long-time Republican and has supported Trump in the past. 

Goals if confirmed by Senate: Huckabee will act as the main speaking person for the United States to Israel. As an ardent supporter of Israel, he does not consider Palestine a valid nation. 

• Elon Musk & Vivek Ramaswamy – Department of Government Efficiency

Age: Musk is 53 years old, and Ramaswamy is 39 years old. 

Past experience: Musk has no experience in governance, but he is most well known for being the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX. Ramaswamy previously ran for the Republican nomination in the 2024 presidential election but also has limited experience with government.

Connection with Trump: Both candidates are staunch Trump supporters. Musk has often praised Trump on social media, while Ramaswamy endorsed Trump after dropping out of the Republican primary.

Goals if confirmed by Senate: Both nominees are aiming to cut down on supposed government excess and improve government efficiency. 

• Kristi Noem – Homeland Security Secretary

Age: 52 years old

Past experience: Noem previously served as a representative in the House for South Dakota and is currently serving as South Dakota’s governor. 

Connection with Trump: Noem endorsed Trump in the 2024 Republican primaries and was on the shortlist to be his running mate.

Goals if confirmed by Senate: The Department of Homeland Security is a key part of Trump’s policy proposals. Noem will help Trump carry out his proposed ‘mass deportations’ of immigrants. 

• Marco Rubio – Secretary of State

Age: 53 years old 

Past experience related to the role: Rubio has served in the Florida House of Representatives and is currently a senator from Florida.

Connection with Trump: Rubio initially ran against Trump in the 2016 Republican Primary, but he has since said that he ‘[supports] just about everything Trump sa[ys] and d[oes]’ (Sentinel). Rubio is one of the most conservative senators and shares many of Trump’s political beliefs.

Goals if confirmed by Senate: The Secretary of State is the top advisor to the President on US foreign policy. Rubio will have to deal with the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict along with the current war between Israel and Hamas. 

• Susan Wiles – White House Chief of Staff

Age: 67

Past experience related to the role: Wiles is a “long-time Florida political operative and fundraiser”  and worked on past campaigns for prominent Republicans (NBC News).

Connection with Trump: Wiles was part of many of Trump’s past campaigns, being co-chair for the 2024 presidential election and Florida director for the 2016 and 2020 elections. 

Goals if confirmed by Senate: ????

It is unclear if Trump’s nominees will have the expertise required to lead some of the largest government agencies. Whether these nominees will even be confirmed by the Senate, given that many Senators have already expressed concerns over approving Trump’s picks, is another mystery Trump’s cabinet picks are reminiscent of Andrew Jackson’s ‘Kitchen Cabinet,’ where officials were chosen not based on credentials but rather on party loyalty and fame. It will be interesting to see whether the Senate confirms these nominees and how our nation will change once these individuals take office.

Sources 

Chiwaya, Nigel, et al. “Trumpworld 2.0: Who Is Joining the Trump Administration?” NBCNews.Com, NBCUniversal News Group, 15 Nov. 2024, www.nbcnews.com/specials/trumps-white-house-cabinet-appointments-tracker-selections/.

“Do the Donald Trump Dance Takes US Sport by Storm.” Free Malaysia Today, 19 Nov. 2024, www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/leisure/2024/11/19/do-the-donald-trump-dance-takes-us-sport-by-storm/. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

Kinnard, Meg, and David Klepper. “5 Things to Know about Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s Choice for Director of National Intelligence.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, 14 Nov. 2024, www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/5-things-to-know-about-tulsi-gabbard-trumps-choice-for-director-of-national-intelligence.

Man, Anthony. “That Sigh of Relief You’re Hearing from Marco Rubio? Trump Just Endorsed Him for Re-Election.” Sun Sentinel, Sun Sentinel, 9 Apr. 2021, www.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/elections/fl-ne-donald-trump-endorse-marco-rubio-20210409-tvyv2njcpzanzan7qzs7cdafvy-story.html.

Margolis, Andrea. “Trump Appoints Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence: ‘Fearless Spirit.’” Fox News, FOX News Network, 13 Nov. 2024, www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-appoints-tulsi-gabbard-director-national-intelligence-fearless-spirit.

Washington Post Staff. “Tracking Trump’s Picks for His Cabinet and Administration.” The Washington Post, The Washington Post, 20 Nov. 2024, www.washingtonpost.com/politics/interactive/trump-administration-appointees/.