The results are in and former President Donald Trump was declared the winner of the 2024 presidential election Wednesday, defeating his Democratic opponent and Vice President Kamala Harris with 277 electoral votes.
Experts claim the former Republican president’s victory could have “huge implications” for the country’s trade policy, climate change, American taxes and illegal immigration, among other things.
As Trump and his vice president, Cincinnati native JD Vance, prepare to sit in the Oval Office, the 78-year-old will begin the process of choosing a Cabinet and other administration officials in the coming weeks following the election victory.
Here are some of the top contenders Trump could appoint to his Cabinet.
Potential treasury secretary
The secretary of the treasury is responsible for formulating and recommending domestic and international financial, economic and tax policy, according to the U.S. Department of Treasury.
-
Jamie Dimon: He was considered in the running for this position, however, the JPMorgan Chase CEO has no plans to join Trump’s administration, a source told Reuters Wednesday.
-
Scott Bessent: Bessent, who is a key economic adviser to Trump, has been seen as a top candidate for secretary, Politico reports. He is a longtime hedge fund investor who taught at Yale University for several years.
-
John Paulson: The American billionaire is a hedge fund manager who leads Paulson & Co., a New York-based investment management firm he founded in 1994. The Hill reports Trump has floated Paulson “as a pick to lead the agency.”
-
Larry Kudlow: Kudlow is the financial news commentator for Fox Business and served as director of the National Economic Council during the Trump administration from 2018 to 2021. Kudlow was a “major face” of the White House’s economic response to COVID-19 and served on an outside group to promote Trump’s policies and prepare for a second administration, Politico reports.
-
Robert Lighthizer: The attorney and government official served as the United States trade representative during the first Trump administration. Lighthizer helped oversee Trump’s aggressive use of tariffs and efforts to deal with China, Canada and Mexico, putting him in the mix of names, according to The Hill.
Potential national security adviser
The national security adviser essentially serves as the principal adviser to the president on all national security issues.
-
Richard Grenell: He is the former acting director of National Intelligence of the United States. Grenell is among Trump’s closest foreign policy advisers and is “considered a top contender for national security adviser,” Reuters reports. This role does not require Senate confirmation.
Potential secretary of state
This role serves as the president’s chief foreign affairs adviser. The secretary carries out the president’s foreign policies through the State Department and the Foreign Service of the United States.
-
Robert O’Brien: He served as the 27th United States national security adviser from 2019 to 2021. According to The Hill, O’Brien is considered a “serious candidate to lead the State Department or to take on another senior role in a second Trump administration.”
-
Bill Hagerty: The Republican politician is a businessman and diplomat serving as the junior senator from Tennessee since 2021. He is among the Republicans who turned to the MAGA movement after Trump won the presidency in 2016, serving as the former president’s ambassador to Japan before running for Senate in 2020, Politico reports.
-
Marco Rubio: The Florida politician and lawyer has served as the senior senator for the Sunshine State since 2011. The Hill reports Rubio would have “no trouble getting confirmed by his Senate colleagues” after he was a finalist to be Trump’s running mate.
Potential defense secretary
The secretary of defense oversees the Defense Department and acts as the principal defense policymaker and adviser.
-
Tom Cotton: The Republican politician, attorney and former Army officer has been serving as the junior senator from Arkansas since 2015. He’s among the list of names being floated as the potential nominee, despite drawing criticism in 2020 for penning an op-ed “in which he advocated for deploying the military to quell protests after the killing of George Floyd,” The Hill reports.
-
Mike Waltz: Waltz is a politician and a colonel in the Army serving as the U.S. representative for Florida’s 6th Congressional District. The Hill said Waltz joins Cotton on the list of nominees due to their military background.
-
Mike Pompeo: The politician served in the Trump administration as director of the Central Intelligence Agency from 2017 to 2018 and the 70th United States secretary of state from 2018 to 2021. According to The Hill, Trump could appoint the West Point graduate given his background serving the Trump administration.
Potential candidates for national security posts
The national security posts work to protect the country’s national security systems and citizens.
-
Keith Kellogg: Kellogg is a former U.S. government official and a retired lieutenant general in the Army. Reuters said Kellogg “has Trump’s ear” and is a contender for several national security-related positions.
-
Kash Patel: The attorney served as a National Security Council official, senior adviser to the acting director of National Intelligence, and chief of staff to the acting United States secretary of defense during the Trump presidency. According to Reuters, some Trump allies would like to see Patel appointed CIA director.
Potential homeland security secretary
According to Homeland Security, the Office of Secretary oversees the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) efforts to counter terrorism and enhance security, secure and manage borders while facilitating trade and travel, and enforce and administer immigration laws.
-
Tom Homan: Having spent his career in immigration enforcement − holding senior positions in Immigration and Customs Enforcement during both the Obama and Trump administrations − and being Trump’s former acting director of immigration enforcement, Politico reports Homan is in contention for the role.
-
Chad Wolf: The former government official and lobbyist was named the secretary of Homeland Security in November 2019, but his appointment was later ruled unlawful in November 2020. Since his departure, Wolf has defended Trump and criticized Biden’s immigration policies, according to Politico.
-
Mark Green: He is a politician, physician and retired U.S. Army officer who has served as the U.S. representative for Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District since 2019. Reuters said Green is considered by some Trump allies in D.C. as a “contender for the top job at DHS.”
Potential attorney general
The attorney general is the head of the Department of Justice and chief law enforcement officer of the federal government. The AG represents the United States in legal matters, advises the president and the heads of the executive departments of the government, and occasionally appears in person before the Supreme Court, according to the White House.
-
John Ratcliffe: The attorney served as the director of National Intelligence from 2020 to 2021. He also previously served as the U.S. representative for Texas’s 4th Congressional District from 2015 to 2020. He was regarded as one of the most conservative members during his time in Congress. Politico reports Ratcliffe has a strong chance of earning the job following his performance during the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
-
Mike Lee: The lawyer, who comes from a prominent Utah political family, serves as the senior senator from the state, a seat he’s held since 2011. Lee was initially a “Trump skeptic,” but has become “one of Trump’s most prominent allies in the Senate,” according to Politico. The former president interviewed Lee in 2018 about joining Samuel Alito on the Supreme Court, so it wouldn’t be surprising if he were a candidate.
Potential chief of staff
The Office of the Chief of Staff is responsible for managing and overseeing all policy development, daily operations and staff activities for the president.
-
Susie Wiles: Wiles, a political consultant, has served as a senior adviser to Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign since April. Reuters said she could be picked after being “credited for running a successful and efficient campaign,” as supporters hope she would “instill a sense of order and discipline that was often lacking during Trump’s first term.”
-
Brooke Rollins: Rollins is an attorney, who previously served as the acting director of the United States Domestic Policy Council under Trump. Rollins’ key role in passing the First Step Act, Trump’s signature criminal justice bill, could help her find a place in his cabinet, according to Politico.
The second inauguration of Trump as the 47th president will be held Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington, D.C.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Who will Trump appoint to his Cabinet? Top contenders
