From retired marine corps Gen James Mattis leading the defense department to Steve Bannon as chief strategist, heres who Trump has appointed so far
The open question of how Donald Trump will govern is being filled in with names of men and four women, as of early December floated for inclusion in his cabinet and for cabinet-level posts. Trumps picks reveal a penchant for military brass, political outsiders, Wall Street titans and … white men. The picks do not betray a particular faith in the value of prior government experience. Heres the list so far:
Defense: James N Mattis
Mattis, 66, retired marine corps general. Led troops to combat in both Afghanistan and Iraq and rose to top military commands. Stepped down as commander of US central command in 2013. Hawkishness especially on Iran put him at odds with the Obama administration. Has called for a new security architecture for the Mideast built on sound policy Iran is a special case that must be dealt with as a threat to regional stability, nuclear and otherwise. Only three years out of active duty, would require a congressional waiver of a federal law requiring a seven-year cooling off period for defense. Nicknamed Mad Dog. Read further
Homeland security: John F Kelly
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Kelly, 66, retired marine corps general. After a 45-year military career, Kelly stepped down in January 2016 as commander of the US southern command, a role in which he was responsible for US military activities and relationships in Latin America and the Caribbean, including the controversial detention facility at Guantnamo Bay. Has warned about border security. His son Robert, a first lieutenant in the marines, was killed in combat in Afghanistan in 2010, making Kelly the most senior US officer to have lost a child in the war on terror. Read further
Jeb Bush (@JebBush)
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p lang=”en” dir=”ltr” class=”tweet-body”>General Kelly is a great choice to lead the Department of Homeland Security. https://t.co/mBgK6eQVpN
CIA director: Mike Pompeo
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Pompeo, 52, a third-term congressman from Kansas. After the Boston Marathon bombings in 2013, Pompeo falsely claimed that US Muslim organisations and religious leaders had not condemned terrorism. He called those at the CIA who participated in torture heroes, not pawns in some liberal game being played by the ACLU and [former intelligence committee chair] Senator [Dianne] Feinstein. Opponent of closing the detention facility at Guantnamo Bay, a vocal critic of the Iran nuclear deal and a supporter of NSA bulk data collection. Has called for the traitor Edward Snowden to be executed. Read further
Treasury: Steven Mnuchin
Attorney general: Jeff Sessions
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Sessions, 69, US senator from Alabama in his fourth term. Former US attorney, state attorney general. An immigration hardliner who was an early Trump adopter, becoming the first senator to back the eventual winner. Sessions last confirmation hearing, for a federal judgeship under Ronald Reagan in 1986, was derailed when former colleagues testified that he used the N-word, called a black assistant US attorney boy and joked that he thought the Ku Klux Klan were OK until I found out they smoked pot. Has emphasised law and order, seen by some liberals as a coded phrase for discriminatory policing of minorities. Read further
Labor: Andrew F Puzder
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Puzder, 66, restaurant executive operating fast-food chains including Carls Jr and Hardees. Vehement critic of government regulation and staunch opponent of minimum wage laws and the Fight for $15 movement. Blames Obamacare for increased labor costs and has diagnosed a government-mandated restaurant recession. Read further
Health and human services: Tom Price
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Price, 62, six-term Republican congressman from Georgia. Orthopedic surgeon staunchly opposed to Obamacare. Became chair of the House budget committee in 2015. Attempted in 2015 to defund Planned Parenthood through a budget maneuver. Seen as opponent of womens health programs. Described as having a 100% pro-life record. Read further
Housing and urban development: Ben Carson
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Carson, 65, retired pediatric neurosurgeon. His mother, one of 24 children, raised Carson and a brother in poverty in Detroit and then in Boston, occasionally relying on food stamps and other programs. Carson, a critic of government welfare, has called for private charities to shoulder welfare needs. Ran department of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins for 30 years but no government experience. A purveyor of bizarre conspiracy theories and a provocateur who compares abortion to slavery and same-sex marriage to pedophilia. His bestseller Gifted Hands was made into a movie starring Cuba Gooding Jr. Read further
Environmental protection agency: Scott Pruitt
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Pruitt, 48, Oklahoma state attorney general. A climate change denier and longtime enemy of the EPA, whose rule he has called unlawful and overreaching. Part of legal action waged by 28 states against the EPA to halt the Clean Power Plan, an effort by Barack Obamas administration to curb greenhouse gas emissions from coal-fired power plants. On the overwhelming scientific evidence that human activity is causing the planet to warm: That debate is far from settled, he said in May. Scientists continue to disagree about the degree and extent of global warming and its connection to the actions of mankind. Environmental groups say that Pruitt has been a puppet of the fossil fuel industry. Read further
Commerce: Wilbur Ross
Transportation: Elaine Chao
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Chao, 63, former secretary of labor and deputy secretary of transportation. Married to the senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell. Daughter of a shipping magnate, she made more than $1m from serving on the boards of News Corp, Wells Fargo, Ingersoll Rand and Vulcan Materials in 2015, public records show. Read further
US ambassador to the UN: Nikki Haley
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Haley, 44, governor of South Carolina. Youngest governor in the country, first woman and first Indian American to hold the job in the Palmetto state. Fluctuating popularity. Praised for signing legislation to remove the Confederate battle flag from the grounds of the state capitol and for leadership after 2015 mass shooting at a historic African American church in Charleston. Endorsed Marco Rubio in the Republican primaries and jabbed at Trump in a reply to the State of the Union address she delivered for the Republican party in January 2016. Read further
Education: Betsy DeVos
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DeVos, education secretary. Daughter-in-law of Richard DeVos, co-founder of marketing company Amway. The family has a net worth of $5.1bn, according to Forbes. Her lobbying for school vouchers has been criticised for undermining public sector schools (which critics note neither she nor her children attended). DeVoss brother is Erik Prince, the founder of Blackwater, a private security contractor notorious for its lucrative and deadly role in the Iraq war. Read further
Small business administration: Linda McMahon
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figcaption class=”caption” caption–img caption caption–img” itemprop=”description”> Linda McMahon. Photograph: UPI / Barcroft Images
McMahon, 68, entertainment executive. For decades ran the premier pro-wrestling league in the country, now called World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), with husband and founder Vince McMahon, whose net worth Forbes pins at about $1bn. Spent tens of millions of dollars on a couple of senate runs, only to be rejected by the voters of Connecticut. She donated millions to Trumps campaign and has given millions to his foundation, too.
Cabinet-level jobs not requiring confirmation
The following three positions do not require senate confirmation to fill.
National security adviser: Michael Flynn
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Flynn, 57, retired US amy general and former director of the defense intelligence agency. A close Trump adviser known for his scandalously broad-brush criticism of Islam and flirtation with conspiracy theories. A vocal critic of the Obama administration. Flynn has falsely claimed that Sharia law is spreading across the US and that the nation is in the midst of a world war with radical Islamists. Fear of Muslims is RATIONAL, he tweeted earlier this year. Son recently booted from the Trump transition team after tweeting credulously about fake news. Read further
Chief of staff: Reince Priebus
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