Donald Trump has been elected as the 47th President of the United States by defeating the candidate of the Democratic Party, Kamala Harris. With this, he will serve as the President of the United States for the second time. He will be sworn in on January 20. However, in the meantime, discussions have started on who can be the possible faces in various offices in the new administration of Trump.
Donald Trump will begin the process of selecting his Cabinet and senior administration officials in the coming weeks. Below are the top candidates for key positions in defense, intelligence, diplomacy, trade, immigration and economic policymaking. Some of these candidates may be considered for more than one post.
Scott Besant may serve as finance minister in Trump's new administration. He is a key economic adviser to Trump. Besant, who has taught at Yale University for several years, is considered one of the leading candidates for finance minister. But John Paulson can also come to this position. Paulson, a US billionaire and one of the top donors to Trump's fund, is keen to serve in the position, people close to him said.
Larry Kudlow is another person in the list of people who can become the finance minister in the new administration of the United States. Fox Business Network personality Larry Kudlow is among the possible candidates for US Treasury Secretary in President-elect Donald Trump's second term. While Kudlow has the opportunity to serve as director of the National Economic Council during Trump's first term, he could also move to another economic-focused post if he chooses.
Robert Lighthizer, who served as Trump's trade representative, is also being discussed as a possible Treasury secretary. Although Henry Besant and John Paulson are the most likely candidates for the post of Finance Minister, the possibility of Lighthizer also cannot be completely ruled out. He can return to his old duties again if he wants. In addition, Howard Lutnick, vice chairman of Trump's transition team and chief executive of financial institution Cantor Fitzgerald, is also in the running for finance secretary.
Richard Grenell may be the US National Security Advisor in Trump's new administration. Grenell is one of Trump's closest foreign policy advisers. During Trump's first term, he served as Acting Director of National Intelligence and US Ambassador to Germany. Grenell was present for private talks during Trump's meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last September.
Robert O'Brien is one of the three possible candidates for US Secretary of State. During the first term of Donald Trump, he served as the National Security Advisor of the United States. He has a close relationship with Trump. Another candidate considered for the position is Bill Haggerty. Tennessee Senator Bill Haggerty worked on Trump's 2016 election campaign and administration formation process. He served as the US ambassador to Japan early in the Trump administration. In addition, Florida US Senator and 2016 Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio is also being considered as a potential candidate for Secretary of State.
Mike Waltz, a former military officer and current Florida congressman, is one of the names discussed as the new US defense secretary. Mike Pompeo, who served as CIA director and secretary of state in Trump's first term, is considered one of the top candidates for the post of defense secretary. However, he may be held in other positions in national security, intelligence or diplomatic fields. The name of Tom Cotton, a former army officer who studied at Harvard College and Harvard Law School and the current senator of Arkansas, is also being considered for the position of defense minister.
Keith Kellogg is among the four possible candidates for the post of national security and interior ministry of the new administration of Trump, and may get responsibility for a position related to national security. Retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg was the National Security Council chief of staff under the previous Trump administration.
Tom Homan could be a possible Interior Secretary or Homeland Security Secretary in the new administration. He served as acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for about a year and a half during Trump's first term. In addition, Chad Wolf's name is also discussed as a possible minister for this position. Chad Wolf served as acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security for nearly 14 months during the first term of the Trump administration. Another candidate for the post is Mark Green, a former Army flight surgeon and current House Homeland Security Committee chairman.
