Zürcher Nachrichten - Who will staff Trump's government? A look at top contenders

EUR -
AED 3.826681
AFN 70.961758
ALL 98.138602
AMD 405.652886
ANG 1.877182
AOA 951.190259
ARS 1045.720247
AUD 1.602814
AWG 1.877897
AZN 1.775245
BAM 1.955573
BBD 2.102956
BDT 124.465544
BGN 1.955294
BHD 0.392554
BIF 3076.642669
BMD 1.041829
BND 1.403837
BOB 7.197164
BRL 6.043693
BSD 1.041579
BTN 87.914489
BWP 14.229347
BYN 3.408604
BYR 20419.848375
BZD 2.099456
CAD 1.456529
CDF 2991.091432
CHF 0.930957
CLF 0.036923
CLP 1018.83097
CNY 7.54601
CNH 7.562783
COP 4573.368835
CRC 530.538382
CUC 1.041829
CUP 27.608468
CVE 110.252195
CZK 25.343745
DJF 185.478458
DKK 7.457729
DOP 62.772709
DZD 139.835759
EGP 51.726992
ERN 15.627435
ETB 127.508391
FJD 2.371151
FKP 0.822333
GBP 0.831435
GEL 2.855018
GGP 0.822333
GHS 16.456089
GIP 0.822333
GMD 73.970229
GNF 8977.957272
GTQ 8.040066
GYD 217.904692
HKD 8.110066
HNL 26.320943
HRK 7.431636
HTG 136.72412
HUF 411.522823
IDR 16610.452733
ILS 3.856892
IMP 0.822333
INR 87.968134
IQD 1364.44153
IRR 43834.955489
ISK 145.523076
JEP 0.822333
JMD 165.930728
JOD 0.738765
JPY 161.244275
KES 134.884334
KGS 90.122166
KHR 4193.512952
KMF 492.268155
KPW 937.645704
KRW 1463.259646
KWD 0.320727
KYD 0.867999
KZT 520.059599
LAK 22878.342838
LBP 93271.167197
LKR 303.144792
LRD 187.998165
LSL 18.795317
LTL 3.076251
LVL 0.630192
LYD 5.086409
MAD 10.478083
MDL 18.997794
MGA 4861.435378
MKD 61.522855
MMK 3383.819949
MNT 3540.134882
MOP 8.35093
MRU 41.443187
MUR 48.810083
MVR 16.10707
MWK 1806.090235
MXN 21.283008
MYR 4.654932
MZN 66.583684
NAD 18.795317
NGN 1767.675143
NIO 38.325549
NOK 11.53576
NPR 140.663663
NZD 1.785942
OMR 0.400943
PAB 1.041579
PEN 3.949541
PGK 4.193513
PHP 61.404399
PKR 289.239507
PLN 4.337676
PYG 8131.055634
QAR 3.798559
RON 4.978071
RSD 116.991412
RUB 108.671879
RWF 1421.834864
SAR 3.911473
SBD 8.734231
SCR 14.272055
SDG 626.663972
SEK 11.497837
SGD 1.402931
SHP 0.822333
SLE 23.68116
SLL 21846.638123
SOS 595.230868
SRD 36.978718
STD 21563.75683
SVC 9.113941
SYP 2617.626467
SZL 18.788818
THB 35.922648
TJS 11.092512
TMT 3.646401
TND 3.309016
TOP 2.440072
TRY 35.9978
TTD 7.074178
TWD 33.946439
TZS 2770.578216
UAH 43.089995
UGX 3848.553017
USD 1.041829
UYU 44.294855
UZS 13362.448044
VES 48.506662
VND 26482.251319
VUV 123.688032
WST 2.90836
XAF 655.880824
XAG 0.033274
XAU 0.000384
XCD 2.815595
XDR 0.792308
XOF 655.880824
XPF 119.331742
YER 260.379151
ZAR 18.915093
ZMK 9377.71492
ZMW 28.772658
ZWL 335.468513
  • RELX

    0.9900

    46.75

    +2.12%

  • GSK

    0.2600

    33.96

    +0.77%

  • RIO

    -0.2200

    62.35

    -0.35%

  • AZN

    1.3700

    65.63

    +2.09%

  • RBGPF

    59.2400

    59.24

    +100%

  • NGG

    1.0296

    63.11

    +1.63%

  • RYCEF

    -0.0100

    6.79

    -0.15%

  • BTI

    0.4000

    37.38

    +1.07%

  • BP

    0.2000

    29.72

    +0.67%

  • CMSC

    0.0320

    24.672

    +0.13%

  • SCS

    0.2300

    13.27

    +1.73%

  • BCC

    3.4200

    143.78

    +2.38%

  • VOD

    0.1323

    8.73

    +1.52%

  • CMSD

    0.0150

    24.46

    +0.06%

  • BCE

    0.0900

    26.77

    +0.34%

  • JRI

    -0.0200

    13.21

    -0.15%

Who will staff Trump's government? A look at top contenders
Who will staff Trump's government? A look at top contenders / Photo: Jim WATSON - AFP

Who will staff Trump's government? A look at top contenders

President-elect Donald Trump is already working on filling key cabinet jobs as well as thousands of federal positions, with the first selections expected in the "days and weeks ahead," his transition team said Thursday.

Text size:

Linda McMahon, a former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment, and Howard Lutnick, the founder of the brokerage firm Cantor Fitzgerald, are leading the process.

"There are some people that will be returning (from Trump's first term)," senior Trump aide Jason Miller told Fox Business on Wednesday. "And they’ll be some new people joining the mix."

AFP looks at some of the Trump allies in the running:

- Chief of staff -

Trump churned through chiefs of staff during his first term in office. The longest serving figure, former general John Kelly, even recently described his former boss as a fascist.

Susie Wiles, his most senior election campaign aide, is seen as a likely fit.

She was called on to stage by Trump during his victory speech and has been tipped as the top candidate for Oval Office gatekeeper.

"We call her the 'ice baby'... Susie likes to stay in the background," Trump said of the steely 67-year-old Florida native.

- Attorney General -

Given Trump's radical agenda for mass deportations of illegal immigrants and his ongoing legal problems, the person named as attorney general will hold one of the most sensitive and challenging jobs.

Republican Senators Mike Lee, Eric Schmitt and John Ratcliffe, Trump's former director of national intelligence, were reported by The Washington Post on Wednesday to be under consideration.

- Secretary of State -

The next top US diplomat will play a key role in implementing Trump's "America first" foreign policy, likely to see major shifts in US alliances and forcing Ukraine into negotiations with Russia.

Ric Grenell, an abrasive former ambassador to Germany who also served as acting director of national intelligence under Trump, is seen as a contender.

"If you want to avoid war, you better have a son of a bitch as the secretary of state," he said in a March episode of the "Self Centered" podcast.

The openly gay arch-loyalist, who sought to overturn Trump's 2020 election loss, appeared with Trump during a meeting with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in September.

He could also slot into the crucial National Security Advisor role, with Florida Senator Marco Rubio, a finalist to become Trump's running mate, being mentioned by many as potentially secretary of state.

"I always am interested in serving this country," Rubio told CNN on Wednesday.

- Defense Secretary and CIA director -

America's foreign allies will be closely following the nominations for these two vital positions.

Kash Patel, the son of Indian immigrants and author of a book about the so-called "deep state", has been mentioned as a future CIA chief, as has ultra-conservative Texas Senator Ratcliffe.

Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton, who called for troops to be used against Black Lives Matters protesters in 2020, has ruled himself out as defense secretary, Axios reported on Wednesday.

Former secretary of state and CIA director Mike Pompeo was namechecked by Trump at one of his final rallies on Monday.

- Treasury Secretary -

Billionaire hedge fund manager Scott Bessent, a key donor and advisor, is viewed as a top candidate to be the next treasury secretary in charge of pushing through Trump's agenda of low taxes, low regulation and high tariffs.

John Paulson, another billionaire hedge fund manager and advisor, is also in the running for a top economic portfolio, as is Trump transition co-chair Lutnick.

- "DOGE" -

Trump surrogate and Tesla boss Elon Musk is expected to lead a new "Department of Government Efficiency," targeting $2 trillion in cuts from the federal government's $7 trillion budget -- although no one has explained how such drastic cuts would be made.

The world's richest man has pledged to bring his "hardcore" management style to Washington, while promising "fair and humane" transitions for sacked federal workers.

- Others -

Robert Kennedy Jr., nephew of former president John F. Kennedy and a longtime conspiracy theorist, has been promised a "big role" by Trump after ending his own candidacy to endorse the Republican.

Trump has teased wide-ranging roles for RFK, including allowing the vaccine skeptic to "go wild on health."

It remains to be seen if Trump will promote family members into roles as a aides and advisors, but first-term stalwarts Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner have stepped back from politics for family and business reasons.

Former Democratic Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard will be expecting a reward for lining up behind Trump, while former Fox News host and Trump confidante Tucker Carlson might also be eying a spot.

A.Ferraro--NZN