Trump’s Cabinet, White House staff picks: Who’s been nominated so far

President-elect Donald Trump continued his key administration and Cabinet announcements on Tuesday, naming Dr. Mehmet Oz to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.  

Even before taking office, Trump is challenging the Senate, in particular, to dare defy him over the nominations of Matt Gaetz, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and other controversial choices for his Cabinet and administration positions. Cabinet appointments require Senate approval. 

Here’s a look at the people named so far:

Cabinet

Secretary of Education: Linda McMahon

Trump nominated Linda McMahon for education secretary on Tuesday. 

McMahon led the Small Business Administration during Trump’s initial term from 2017 to 2019 and twice ran unsuccessfully as a Republican for the U.S. Senate in Connecticut.

McMahon served on the Connecticut Board of Education for a year starting in 2009 and has spent years on the board of trustees for Sacred Heart University in Connecticut. She’s seen as a relative unknown in education circles, though she has expressed support for charter schools and school choice.

"Linda will use her decades of Leadership experience, and deep understanding of both Education and Business, to empower the next Generation of American Students and Workers, and make America Number One in Education in the World," Trump said in a statement.

In nominating McMahon, Trump is rewarding a loyal backer of his movement who, along with Lutnick, has also helped lead his transition team. She was with him Tuesday as he attended a launch of SpaceX's Starship craft in Texas.

Secretary of State: Marco Rubio

Trump named Florida Sen. Marco Rubio to be secretary of state, making the critic-turned-ally his choice for top diplomat. 

Rubio, 53, is a noted hawk on China, Cuba and Iran, and was a finalist to be Trump's running mate on the Republican ticket last summer. Rubio is the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. 

"He will be a strong Advocate for our Nation, a true friend to our Allies, and a fearless Warrior who will never back down to our adversaries," Trump said of Rubio in a statement.

Attorney General: Matt Gaetz

Trump said Wednesday he will nominate Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz to serve as his attorney general, naming a loyalist in the role of the nation's top prosecutor. 

In selecting Gaetz, 42, Trump passed over some of the more established lawyers whose names had been mentioned as being contenders for the job. 

"Matt will end Weaponized Government, protect our Borders, dismantle Criminal Organizations and Restore Americans' badly-shattered Faith and Confidence in the Justice Department," Trump said in a statement. 

Gaetz resigned from Congress Wednesday night. The House Ethics Committee has been investigating an allegation that Gaetz paid for sex with a 17-year-old, though that probe effectively ended when he resigned. Gaetz has denied any wrongdoing.

Director of National Intelligence: Tulsi Gabbard

Former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard has been tapped by Trump to be director of national intelligence, another example of Trump prizing loyalty over experience. 

Gabbard, 43, was a Democratic House member who unsuccessfully sought the party's 2020 presidential nomination before leaving the party in 2022. She endorsed Trump in August and campaigned often with him this fall, and she's been accused of echoing Russian propaganda. 

"I know Tulsi will bring the fearless spirit that has defined her illustrious career to our Intelligence Community," Trump said in a statement. 

Gabbard, who has served in the Army National Guard for more than two decades, deploying to Iraq and Kuwait, would come to the role as an outsider compared to her predecessor. The current director, Avril Haines, was confirmed by the Senate in 2021 following several years in a number of top national security and intelligence positions.

Defense Secretary: Pete Hegseth

Pete Hegseth, 44, is a co-host of FOX News Channel’s "FOX & Friends Weekend" and has been a contributor with the network since 2014. He developed a friendship with Trump, who made regular appearances on the show. 

Hegseth served in the Army National Guard from 2002 to 2021, deploying to Iraq in 2005 and Afghanistan in 2011. He has two Bronze Stars. However, Hegseth lacks senior military and national security experience. If confirmed by the Senate, he would inherit the top job during a series of global crises — ranging from Russia’s war in Ukraine and the ongoing attacks in the Middle East by Iranian proxies to the push for a cease-fire between Israel, Hamas and Hezbollah and escalating worries about the growing alliance between Russia and North Korea. 

Hegseth is also the author of "The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free," published earlier this year.

Commerce Secretary: Howard Lutnick

Howard Lutnick heads up the brokerage and investment bank Cantor Fitzgerald and is a cryptocurrency enthusiast. He is co-chair of Trump's transition operation, charged along with Linda McMahon, a former wrestling executive who previously led Trump’s Small Business Administration, with helping the president-elect build a Cabinet for his second administration. 

As commerce secretary, Lutnick would play a key role in carrying out Trump's plans to raise and enforce tariffs. He would oversee a sprawling Cabinet department whose oversight ranges from funding new computer chip factories and imposing trade restrictions to releasing economic data and monitoring the weather.

Homeland Security Secretary: Kristi Noem

Noem

Kristi Noem is a well-known conservative who used her two terms leading South Dakota to vault to a prominent position in Republican politics. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Noem did not order restrictions that other states had issued and instead declared her state "open for business." Trump held a fireworks rally at Mount Rushmore in July 2020 in one of the first large gatherings of the pandemic. 

More recently, Noem faced sharp criticism for telling a story in her memoir about shooting and killing her dog. 

She is set to lead a department crucial to the president-elect’s hardline immigration agenda as well as other missions. Homeland Security oversees natural disaster response, the U.S. Secret Service and Transportation Security Administration agents who work at airports.

CIA Director: John Ratcliffe

John Ratcliffe was director of national intelligence during the final year and a half of Trump’s first term, leading the U.S. government’s spy agencies during the coronavirus pandemic. 

His past experience in intelligence makes him a more traditional pick for the job, which requires Senate confirmation, than some rumored loyalists pushed by some of Trump’s supporters.

Health and Human Services Secretary: Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an anti-vaccine advocate has been tapped by Trump as his pick for secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.  

Kennedy, 70, was a former Democrat who ran as an independent in this year’s presidential race, abandoned his bid after striking a deal to give Trump his endorsement with a promise to have a role in health policy in the administration. 

He and Trump have since become good friends, with Kennedy frequently receiving loud applause at Trump's rallies. 

Transportation Secretary: Sean Duffy

Sean Duffy is a former House member from Wisconsin who was one of Trump's most visible defenders on cable news. Duffy served in the House for nearly nine years, sitting on the Financial Services Committee and chairing the subcommittee on insurance and housing. He left Congress in 2019 for a TV career and has been the host of "The Bottom Line" on FOX Business. 

Before entering politics, Duffy was a reality TV star on MTV, where he met his wife, "FOX and Friends Weekend" co-host Rachel Campos-Duffy. They have nine children.

Veterans Affairs Secretary: Doug Collins

Doug Collins is a former Republican congressman from Georgia who gained recognition for defending Trump during his first impeachment trial, which centered on U.S. assistance for Ukraine. Trump was impeached for urging Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden in 2019 during the Democratic presidential nomination, but he was acquitted by the Senate. 

Collins has also served in the armed forces himself and is currently a chaplain in the United States Air Force Reserve Command.

Interior Secretary: Doug Burgum

The governor of North Dakota, once little-known outside his state, is a former Republican presidential primary contender who endorsed Trump and then spent months traveling to drum up support for Trump after dropping out of the race. 

Burgum was a serious contender to be Trump’s vice presidential choice this summer. The two-term governor was seen as a possible pick because of his executive experience and business savvy. Burgum also has close ties to deep-pocketed energy industry CEOs.

Energy Secretary: Chris Wright

A campaign donor and CEO of Denver-based Liberty Energy, Write is a vocal advocate of oil and gas development, including fracking — a key pillar of Trump’s quest to achieve U.S. "energy dominance" in the global market. 

Chris Wright also has been one of the industry’s loudest voices against efforts to fight climate change. He said the climate movement around the world is "collapsing under its own weight." The Energy Department is responsible for advancing energy, environmental and nuclear security of the United States. 

Wright also won support from influential conservatives, including oil and gas tycoon Harold Hamm. Hamm, executive chairman of Oklahoma-based Continental Resources, a major shale oil company, is a longtime Trump supporter and adviser who played a key role on energy issues in Trump’s first term.

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator: Lee Zeldin

Lee Zeldin was tapped by Trump to be the Environmental Protection Agency administrator but does not appear to have any experience in environmental issues. 

Zeldin is a longtime supporter of the former president. The 44-year-old former U.S. House member from New York wrote on X, "We will restore US energy dominance, revitalize our auto industry to bring back American jobs, and make the US the global leader of AI." 

"We will do so while protecting access to clean air and water," he added.

Which Cabinet positions are left? 

• Secretary of the Treasury
• Secretary of Agriculture
• Secretary of Labor
• Secretary of Housing and Urban Development

White House staff

• Chief of Staff: Susie Wiles
• National Security Adviser: Mike Waltz
• "Border Czar": Tom Homan
• Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy: Stephen Miller
• Deputy Chief of Staff: Dan Scavino
• Deputy Chief of Staff: James Blair
• Deputy Chief of Staff: Taylor Budowich
• White House Press Secretary: Karoline Leavitt
• White House Counsel: William McGinley

Ambassadors and envoys

• Ambassador to NATO: Matthew Whitaker
• Special envoy to the Middle East: Steven Witkoff
• Ambassador to Israel: Mike Huckabee
• Ambassador to the United Nations: Elise Stefanik
• Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services: Dr. Mehmet Oz