All the president’s men…and three women: The who’s who of Trump 2.0

President-elect Donald Trump will start his second term less than three weeks from now, with a more clearly defined plan than the chaotic start to his first term.

He has announced his picks for each of the 15 cabinet positions as well as a significant number of other senior roles that require a seal of approval from the US Senate.

One common thread that runs through all the Trump nominees is their fierce loyalty to the president-elect—a reversal of sorts from Trump’s first term in office (2017-2021) when he had to rely on a large number of establishment Republicans for key roles.

Most of the nominees for important positions in the incoming administration have hitched their wagons to Trump supposedly because they lack any meaningful qualifications of their own.

Another distinct feature of the incoming administration is the collective wealth of its key members. Even after discounting the wealth of Elon Musk, the world’s richest man who will co-chair a taskforce on government efficiency, the incoming Trump cabinet is expected to be the wealthiest in history.

Trump’s expected cabinet will be worth around $10 billion. At least 14 billionaires are expected to serve in senior positions in the incoming administration. In contrast, the current cabinet of President Biden is collectively worth only $118 million.

Here are the men, and women, who will shepherd the administration of Trump 2.0.

Secretary of State

Trump has named Marco Rubio, the outgoing senator from Florida who turned from being a sworn opponent of the president-elect to a loyal ally, for the all-important position of secretary of state.

Rubio was previously on the list of potential vice presidents before Trump picked Ohio Republican JD Vance for the No. 2 position.

As the president’s chief foreign affairs adviser, the secretary of state is the highest-ranking member of the president’s cabinet. Rubio is known as a foreign policy hawk because of his hardline stance on China and Iran.

He has also been a vocal critic of the Democratic Party’s lax immigration policies, even though his parents immigrated from Cuba in 1956.

Attorney General

Pam Bondi, who worked as a lawyer for Trump when Congress first impeached him, has been nominated for the position of attorney general.

If approved by the Senate, Bondi will supervise all federal prosecutions by the 93 US attorneys to enforce federal laws across the country.

Having served as attorney general in Florida, the state of Trump’s permanent residence, she currently leads the legal arm of the America First Policy Institute, a right-leaning think tank.

As head of the justice department, she will be required to defend any legal challenges to Trump policies.

Secretary of Defence

Trump has nominated Pete Hegseth, a former Fox News host and a veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as secretary of defence.

He is a proponent of a non-interventionist “America First” foreign policy, in contrast to many of Trump’s picks for other top national security roles.

He has also been a vocal supporter of US vets accused of war crimes.

CIA Director

John Ratcliffe is Trump’s pick for the position of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) director.

A Congressman from Texas, he previously served as director of national intelligence in Trump’s first administration.

He has been listed as a “contributor” to Project 2025, a 922-page playbook of controversial policy proposals intended to guide the next conservative administration.

Ratcliffe grew close to Trump after he strongly defended the embattled president during impeachment hearings. He was also a part of Trump's defence team during his first impeachment.

Ambassador to the UN

Like many other members of the incoming Trump administration, the nominated ambassador to the UN, Elise Stefanik, has been an unconditional supporter of Trump.

A Republican representative from New York state in Congress, Stefanik has minimal experience in foreign policy and national security.

However, she is known as a strong critic of the UN because the international body has called out Israel for its actions in Palestine.

DOGE co-lead

Trump has named Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, to co-lead the taskforce to improve government efficiency.

Musk, the owner of automaker Tesla and rocket company SpaceX, poured $270 million in the November election to become the largest political donor in US history.

Critics have raised concerns about the multi-billionaire buying influence in the incoming Trump administration. His new role will allow Musk to influence how government spending is managed, potentially aligning federal policies with his business interests.

Biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, who turned into a strong Trump acolyte after competing against him for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, will co-lead the government efficiency taskforce.

Ramaswamy wants to abolish the Department of Education, the FBI and the Internal Revenue Service besides advocating for ending US military aid to Ukraine.

National Intelligence Director

Trump has announced the name of Tulsi Gabbard, a four-term Congresswoman who sought the Democratic Party’s nomination for president in 2020, for the position of Director, National Intelligence.

The DNI serves as the principal adviser to the president on all intelligence matters. All 18 US intelligence agencies, including the CIA, report directly to the DNI.

Gabbard, Hindu by religion, is a staunch Zionist. She cemented her Zionist credentials after October 7, 2023, by condemning Palestinian resistance group Hamas as a “terrorist organisation” that was out to commit the “genocide” of the Jewish population.

She dismissed pro-Palestinian college protesters calling for a Gaza ceasefire as “puppets” of a “radical” organisation.

Ambassador to Türkiye

Thomas J Barrack Jr, a private equity investor and the founder of Colony Capital LLC, has been nominated as the US ambassador to Türkiye.

He previously served as an outside adviser to the White House in Trump’s first term. He also chaired the committee that oversaw Trump’s 2017 inauguration and raised a record $100 million for the cause.

Secretary of Health and Human Services

Trump has asked Robert F. Kennedy Jr, a nephew of former US president John F. Kennedy, to serve as secretary of health and human services.

A seal of the Senate’s approval will put one of the nation's foremost vaccine sceptics in charge of its healthcare agencies.

Kennedy joined the Trump camp after ending his independent presidential bid three months before the November election.

Kennedy’s stance on fringe causes – like his support for raw milk – has unnerved the mainstream of the scientific community.

FBI Director

Trump’s choice for the position of Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) director is Kash Patel, son of Indian immigrants known for his distrust of the intelligence community.

Patel vowed last year to target members of the media and government officials during a second Trump administration, saying, “We will go out and find the conspirators not just in government, but in the media.”