Trump indicates security, foreign policy agenda with new administration picks
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US President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday announced new members of his incoming administration.
WASHINGTON (Agencies) - US President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday announced new members of his incoming administration including loyalist Representative Mike Waltz who will serve as national security adviser and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee who will take the role of ambassador to Israel.
Donald Trump has begun the process of choosing a cabinet and selecting other high-ranking administration officials following his presidential election victory.
Here are the early picks and top contenders for some of the key posts overseeing defence, diplomacy, immigration and the environment.
PETE HESGETH, DEFENSE SECRETARY
Trump said on Tuesday he has picked Fox News Channel host Pete Hegseth to be secretary of defense, tapping an outsider who has railed against diversity in the military.
"Pete is tough, smart and a true believer in America First," Trump said in a statement. "With Pete at the helm, America's enemies are on notice - Our Military will be Great Again, and America will Never Back Down."
Hegseth is an Army National Guard veteran and according to his website served in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Hegseth has said he left the Army in 2021 after being deemed an extremist by an Army that didn't want him anymore. "The feeling was mutual -- I didn't want this Army anymore either," Hegseth said in his book "The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free."
JOHN RATCLIFFE, CIA DIRECTOR
Trump said on Tuesday he had picked John Ratcliffe, a close ally who was director of national intelligence at the end of his first term, to serve as director of the Central Intelligence Agency.
Ratcliffe served as the nation's top spy from late May 2020 until Trump left office in January 2021. More recently, he was co-chair of the Center for American Security, a think tank advocating Trump positions, and advised the former Republican president on national security policy during his 2024 campaign.
"I look forward to John being the first person ever to serve in both of our Nation’s highest Intelligence positions. He will be a fearless fighter for the Constitutional Rights of all Americans, while ensuring the Highest Levels of National Security, and PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH," Trump said in a statement announcing the nomination.
Ratcliffe, a former member of the House of Representatives, promised at his confirmation hearing to be DNI in May 2020 that he would provide "objective and timely intelligence" in the position. He also said he would closely monitor other issues like Iran's military, North Korea's nuclear weapons program and foreign interference in the US election.
When Ratcliffe was confirmed as DNI in 2020 by the Republican-majority Senate, all Democratic senators voted against his nomination, citing his lack of experience and partisanship.
MIKE WALTZ, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER
Trump on Tuesday said he had picked for national security adviser Republican US Representative Mike Waltz, a retired Army Green Beret who has been a leading critic of China.
Waltz, a 50-year-old Trump loyalist who also served in the National Guard as a colonel, has criticised Chinese activity in the Asia-Pacific and has voiced the need for the US to be ready for a potential conflict in the region.
The national security adviser is a powerful role, which does not require Senate confirmation. Waltz will be responsible for briefing Trump on key national security issues and coordinating with different agencies.
While slamming the Biden administration for a disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, Waltz has publicly praised Trump's foreign policy views.
MIKE HUCKABEE, AMBASSADOR TO ISRAEL
Trump said on Tuesday he is going to nominate former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee to be the US ambassador to Israel.
Huckabee, an evangelical Christian, is a staunch supporter of Israel and defender of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, considered illegal by most of the international community.
"He loves Israel, and the people of Israel, and likewise, the people of Israel love him. Mike will work tirelessly to bring about Peace in the Middle East!" Trump said in a statement.
Huckabee, 69, has criticised President Joe Biden for pressuring Israel to moderate its conduct of the Gaza war.
"If a person is pro-Israel, how can you be pro-Biden because the Biden administration has made it very clear they will make concessions to Hamas," Huckabee said in an interview in March on News Nation.
Huckabee's daughter, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, is the current governor of Arkansas. She served as Trump's White House press secretary from 2017 to 2019.
KRISTI NOEM, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY
Trump has chosen South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem to serve as the next homeland security secretary, two sources familiar with the decision said on Tuesday.
Noem, 52, once seen as a possible running mate for Trump, is currently serving her second four-year term as South Dakota's governor. She rose to national prominence after refusing to impose a statewide mask mandate during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Department of Homeland Security is responsible for everything from border protection and immigration to disaster response and the US Secret Service.
Trump's campaign and Noem's office did not immediately respond to requests for comments.
MARCO RUBIO, SECRETARY OF STATE
Trump is expected to tap US Senator Marco Rubio to be his secretary of state, sources said on Monday, putting the Florida-born politician on track to be the first Latino to serve as the United States' top diplomat.
Rubio, 53, was arguably the most hawkish option on Trump's shortlist for secretary of state. The senator has in past years advocated for a muscular foreign policy with respect to US geopolitical foes, including China, Iran and Cuba.
Over the last several years he has softened some of his stances to align more closely with Trump's views. The president-elect accuses past US presidents of leading the US into costly and futile wars and has pushed for a more restrained foreign policy.
SUSIE WILES, CHIEF OF STAFF
Trump announced last week that Wiles, one of his two campaign managers, will be his White House chief of staff.
While the specifics of her political views are somewhat unclear, Wiles, 67, is credited with running a successful and efficient campaign. Supporters hope she will instill a sense of order and discipline that was often lacking during Trump's first four-year term, when he cycled through a number of chiefs of staff.
TOM HOMAN, 'BORDER CZAR'
Trump announced on Sunday night that Homan, the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement during Trump's first administration, will be in charge of the country's borders.
Trump made cracking down on people in the country illegally a central element of his campaign, promising mass deportations.
Homan, 62, said on Monday he would prioritise deporting immigrants in the US illegally who posed safety and security threats as well as those working at job sites.
Trump, in a post on his Truth Social platform, said Homan will be "in charge of our nation's borders ('The Border Czar'), including, but not limited to, the Southern Border, the Northern Border, all Maritime, and Aviation Security", including the deportation of immigrants in the US illegally.
ELISE STEFANIK, UN AMBASSADOR
Trump announced on Monday that Stefanik, a Republican congresswoman and staunch Trump supporter, would be his ambassador to the United Nations.
Stefanik, 40, a US representative from New York state and House Republican conference chair, took a leadership position in the House of Representatives in 2021 when she was elected to replace then-Representative Liz Cheney, who was ousted for criticising Trump's false claims of election fraud.
"I am honoured to nominate Chairwoman Elise Stefanik to serve in my Cabinet as US Ambassador to the United Nations," Trump said in a statement. "Elise is an incredibly strong, tough, and smart America First fighter."
Stefanik will arrive at the UN after bold promises by Trump to end the Russia-Ukraine war and Israel's war in Gaza.
LEE ZELDIN, EPA ADMINISTRATOR
Trump announced on Monday he had appointed former congressman Lee Zeldin of New York state as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, and Zeldin said he had accepted the role.
Zeldin, 44, a staunch Trump ally, served in Congress from 2015 to 2023. In 2022, he lost the New York governor's race to Democratic incumbent Kathy Hochul.
Trump has promised to overhaul US energy policy, with the aim of maximising the country's already record-high oil and gas production by rolling back regulations and speeding up permitting.
As head of the EPA, Zeldin will play a key role in implementing those policies.
