Politics

A running list of all the people Trump has picked to serve in his administration

Published

2 years ago

November 13, 2024

A running list of all the people Trump has picked to serve in his administration

President-elect Donald Trump has been rolling out staffing decisions for his incoming administration, naming some of his top allies to prominent positions in his Cabinet and beyond.

With a slew of dramatic changes expected in his second termTrump will rely on his band of loyalists to carry out his agenda. Here are all the staffing announcements Trump has made for his second term so far.

Susie Wiles, White House chief of staff

Wiles, who worked on all three of Trump’s presidential campaigns, will be the first woman to hold the position in the Oval Office. But it is a notoriously challenging role under Trump, who cycled through four chiefs of staff in his first term.

Wiles, the 67-year-old daughter of the late NFL legend Pat Summerall, is the only campaign manager to have lasted an entire Trump campaign, according to The New York Times.

Stephen Miller, deputy White House chief of staff for policy

Image: stephen miller politics political wave hand gesture smile — Former Senior White House Advisor Stephen Miller arrives for a campaign rally for former President Donald Trump at Lancaster Airport, in Lititz, Pa., on Nov. 3.Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

Trump is expected to announce Miller as his deputy chief of staff for policywhich would likely task an immigration hardliner to the job of implementing Trump’s mass deportation plan.

Trump’s team did not immediately respond to NBC News’ request for confirmation, but JD Vance, the vice president-elect, appeared to confirm BLN’s reporting of the news in a post on X on Monday.

Miller served as a senior White House adviser in the first Trump administration. He’s widely considered to be one of the chief architects of the first Trump administration’s Muslim travel banwhich sought to restrict U.S. travel and immigration from several countries with large Muslim populations.

Rep. Mike Waltz, national security adviser

Waltz, a Florida Republican, is a Trump loyalist who has echoed Trump’s complaint about a “woke” military. He is a member of the House Armed Services, Intelligence and Foreign Affairs Committees. He also served in the Defense Department during the George W. Bush administration and was a counter-terrorism adviser to then-Vice President Dick Cheney.

Waltz is widely seen as hawkish on China. A member of the House’s China Task Force, he has argued that the U.S. is not sufficiently prepared for a conflict in the Indo-Pacific region.

The highly influential role does not require Senate confirmation.

Tom Homan, border czar

Homan, a former acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement under Trump, will play a major role in carrying out the president-elect’s hardline immigration agenda.

Trump has repeatedly said on the campaign trail that he would enact “the largest deportation program in American history,” a plan that would pose monumental logistical, financial and personnel challenges. Trump told NBC News last week that there would be no “price tag” on his mass deportation plan.

Earlier this year, Homan said if Trump wins the election, he’d be on Trump’s “heels” and “run the biggest deportation operation this country’s ever seen.” Speaking to Fox News on Sunday, Homan — who was significantly involved in the first Trump administration’s family separation policy — said ICE would implement Trump’s deportation program in a “humane manner.”

Rep. Lee Zeldin, Environmental Protection Agency administrator

Rep. Lee Zeldin speaks at an election night event in New York on Nov. 8, 2022. — Rep. Lee Zeldin speaks at an election night event in New York in 2022.Julius Constantine Motal / NBC News

In a statement released on Nov. 11, Trump said he will appoint Zeldin, a New York Republican, to lead the EPA.

“He will ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions that will be enacted in a way to unleash the power of American businesses, while at the same time maintaining the highest environmental standards, including the cleanest air and water on the planet,” Trump said in his statement.

The president-elect has vowed to roll back President Joe Biden’s climate regulation policies, and he has said he will withdraw the U.S. from the Paris climate agreement. Zeldin has little experience with environmental regulationbut he has similarly criticized Biden’s climate policies and voted against the Paris accords in the House.

Rep. Elise Stefanik, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations

Stefanik, one of Trump’s staunchest allies in the House, will be nominated as United Nations ambassador.

As my colleague Hayes Brown has pointed out, the New York Republican has little diplomatic experience other than her vocal support for Israel in Congress. She has also criticized the U.N. over the organization’s opposition to Israel’s brutal military campaign in Gaza.

Mike Huckabee, U.S. ambassador to Israel

Mike Huckabee and Donald Trump. — Mike Huckabee and Donald Trump in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, on Oct. 29.Jabin Botsford / The Washington Post via Getty Images file

Trump announced on Tuesday that he will appoint Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas, as ambassador to Israel. “He loves Israel, and the people of Israel, and likewise, the people of Israel love him,” Trump said in a statement. “Mike will work tirelessly to bring about Peace in the Middle East!”

Huckabee has been a vocal defender of Israel’s war on Hamas. He has also advocated against a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, saying that Israel should “eradicate them.”

Steven Witkoff, special envoy to the Middle East

The 2024 Republican National Convention Steve Witkoff politics political — Steve Witkoff appears at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, on July 18.David Paul Morris / Bloomberg via Getty Images file

Trump picked Witkoff, a New York real estate investor and golf buddy of the president-electto serve as his special envoy to the Middle East.

“Steve is a Highly Respected Leader in Business and Philanthropy, who has made every project and community he has been involved with stronger and more prosperous,” Trump said in a statement announcing his selection.

Witkoff, who is Jewish, helped recruit pro-Israel donors to Trump’s campaign. “I personally received and helped secure large Jewish donors,” he told The Bulwark in May, adding: “[A]nd I’m not talking four-figure donations. I’m talking six-figure and seven-figure donations.”

He is also co-chairing Trump’s inaugural committee alongside former Sen. Kelly Loeffler of Georgia, the Trump campaign has said.

John Ratcliffe, CIA director

Senate Intelligence Committee Holds Nomination Hearing For John L. Ratcliffe To Be Director Of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe — Then-Rep. John Ratcliffe, R-Texas, testifies before a Senate Intelligence Committee nomination hearing on Capitol Hill, on May. 5, 2020.Andrew Harnik / Pool via Getty Images file

Trump tapped Ratcliffewho served as the director of national intelligence during Trump’s first term, to serve as the head of the CIA in his second administration.

Critics accused Ratcliffe, a former congressman from Texas, of politicizing national intelligence during his time as the DNI.

He is currently a co-chair of the Center for American Security at the Trump-aligned group America First Policy Institute.

Pete Hegseth, Defense secretary

Pete Hegseth politics political — Fox News co-host Pete Hegseth in New York City on Aug. 9, 2019.John Lamparski / Getty Images file

Trump nominated Hegseth, a Fox News host and Army veteran, to lead the Defense Department.

“With Pete at the helm, America’s enemies are on notice — Our Military will be Great Again, and America will Never Back Down,” Trump said in a statement. He continued: “Nobody fights harder for the Troops, and Pete will be a courageous and patriotic champion of our ‘Peace through Strength’ policy.

The 44-year-old Minnesota native has falsely claimed Democrats created variants of the Covid-19 virus for political purposes.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Politics

US to reach $41T debt ceiling as soon as late winter, forecasters predict

Published

48 minutes ago

June 12, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

The Treasury Department could prevent a U.S. debt default for several months after that…
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Politics

The small-town voters deciding the UK’s future are demanding change, our focus group found

Published

2 hours ago

June 12, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

ASHTON-IN-MAKERFIELD, England — Voters in perhaps the most consequential special election ever held in Britain are angry, and they really want someone to feel their pain.

That’s the clear verdict from a special focus group by Public First for Blue Light News of voters in Makerfield, the former mining area in northwest England whose June 18 vote could determine the next prime minister.

Some in the group said Andy Burnham, the Labour candidate who is hot favorite to succeed party leader Keir Starmer as PM if he can get himself back into Parliament, might make a difference. But the overwhelming mood during the 90-minute conversation in the Golden Lion pub was one of deep cynicism and bitterness: Life in 2026 is unfair, miserably expensive, and only getting worse, they said.

The goal of Wednesday’s focus group was to get a deep understanding of life in Makerfield — and how voters there are thinking about next week’s by-election. The voters had a mix of political histories and leanings, with longtime Labour voters sitting with supporters of right-wing parties and people who were undecided. But all expressed remarkably similar concerns about the cost of living, immigration, public safety and frustration about an increasingly unequal society.

“These were not a group of people that were thrilled about anything that was going on in Westminster,” said Seb Wride, head of polling at Public First, who moderated the discussion.

Can Burnham overcome that deep disillusionment with the political system? Or will Nigel Farage’s hard right Reform UK party tap into the anger at “two tier” Britain and eject center-left Labour from a seat it has held for decades?

Here are the key takeaways from Blue Light News’s Makerfield focus group:

Starmer’s Labour Party has let them down

There was no love for Starmer — and some even felt there was no real difference between his two-year old government and the center-right Conservatives who held power for the previous 14 years. Not one of the nine people in the group said they thought he’d done a good job as prime minister.

And Labour’s party brand has been damaged as a result.

Tom, a father who is planning to vote Reform, said Labour had always claimed to stand for working-class people — but with the cost of daily essentials now punishingly high for everyone in the room and no relief in sight, “How are they for the working class anymore?”

Daily life is too expensive

The participants easily rattled off the exact prices they‘ve watched increase: The cost of living — from a fast-food meal to rent, to a family trip to the cinema — has risen rapidly and become unsustainable for many people in Makerfield, they said. Family holidays they could afford in the past, even for people working full time, are “just a dream” now, one person added.

Jenny, who is retired, said the cost of living has become “terrible.”

Paul, a father who works three jobs, often from 7:30 a.m. until 4 a.m. the next morning, is struggling, and feels let down. “No one should work 60 hours a week and not be able to have a nice life,” he said. “It’s a joke.”

Paul (right) said he works three jobs and feels let down.

They’re gloomy about politics

Few in the group could point to a political leader of the last 10 years who they felt had made a positive impact on their lives.

Peter, who usually votes Conservative, praised David Cameron’s decision to call a referendum on Brexit 10 years ago. A couple of participants went further back — almost 20 years — to name Tony Blair, who ushered in a Labour government in 1997 after almost two decades of Conservative control, as the last PM who delivered for them.

But most had little confidence that any of today’s politicians would make a difference.

“No government is going to change it,” said Paul. “They’re all crooks, mate. Biggest gangsters in the world.”

Bob, who is in his 90s, added: “I’ve not met a bloody good one yet to be honest.”

They’re very upset about immigration

Farage’s Reform UK is surging ahead in national polls and local elections across the country and is in with a chance of taking Makerfield from Labour. Tackling immigration is his signature policy, and it is clearly a huge concern to participants in the Blue Light News group.

The three-letter acronym they kept coming back to was “HMOs.” It stands for Houses in Multiple Occupation — and that means by migrants, in the perception of the focus group.

The concern, the Makerfield voters said, is that landlords and developers are turning homes into residences not for existing local families to live in but for newly arrived immigrants — who are not related to each other — to share. They fear that pushes up rent prices for people who have been living in the area for many years and changes the nature of their community, which is 95 percent made up of people from a “White British” background.

Participants also said they believed many illegal migrants were overwhelming the local health service, making it harder for taxpaying residents to get medical care.

Farage is winning converts who want change

With their anger at the status quo — and demand for a change in their lives and the country’s direction — several focus group participants said they’re increasingly looking to Reform UK.

“I’ve always voted Labour. This is the first time I’m not voting Labour, I’m voting Reform,” said Tom, who is married with two children and works full-time. “They are pushing big on immigration, which is one of our biggest factors.” Reform is not perfect, he said, “it’s more how bad the country’s got over the years with Labour in charge. There needs to be change.”

Dan, another local father who works but struggles to make his money last, said he’d also be switching from Labour to Reform: “I think the country just needs a bit of a shakeup, even if it’s just for one term.”

Reform UK Leader Nigel Farage speaks at a press conference for the Reform candidate Robert Kenyon ahead of the Makerfield by-election.

Crime is a big worry

Crime and disorder seems to be rising up their agenda. A knife attack in the street in Belfast this week, which sparked protests and violent disorder, was at the top of many participants’ minds. They raised fears about crime locally, too, including “feral kids” who harass people in the streets and lead some residents to feel unsafe while out with their families.

There are now fewer police on the streets and they don’t tend to care much about incidents in the constituency’s biggest town, Ashton-in-Makerfield, participants said.

Life isn’t fair in “two-tier” Britain

For the right in British politics, it is now an article of faith that the country is suffering from a “two tier” system in which ordinary Brits miss out, often thanks to politically correct decisions that police and others take to satisfy equality laws.

Farage and Conservative Leader Kemi Badenoch have both seized on high-profile cases in recent days to make this point, and in Blue Light News’s focus group, it had clearly landed — even among some who are going to vote Labour.

The participants in the focus group represented a mix of backgrounds and political identities.

“We need to come up with a better system that makes it fair for everybody. It is a two-tier system here,” said Peter, the local butcher, who is switching this time from the Conservatives to vote for Labour’s Burnham.

Many in the group agreed that the problem was not just policing, but also a wider sense of unfairness — that places like London and even Manchester get all the money and attention, leaving towns like Ashton to struggle.

“A lot of the politics, like Andy has said, has been Londonised. We need somebody from up north,” Peter said.

Traffic jams and warehouses

Alongside immigration from overseas, the changing nature of the area and its “close-knit” local community was a worry for many in the group. In particular, they raised concerns that plans to build hundreds of new homes and five “super unit” warehouses would lead to a huge increase in traffic that the already clogged road network would be unable to handle.

The green landscape around Ashton is highly prized, and several people in the group said they did not want fields to be built on, turning their area into another endless suburb like Liverpool or Manchester.

Andy Burnham stands in front of supporters during the launch of his campaign as Labour’s candidate for the Makerfield by-election.

‘Andy cares’

Burnham’s record as Mayor of Greater Manchester, the broader area, was seen as a big plus, even by people who were not likely to vote for him.

Participants in the group readily named his achievements at improving local transport infrastructure and hiring more police. Two even said they had in the past gone directly to Burnham with problems they or their families were facing and he had fixed them.

Most of all, there was a sense that Burnham, who grew up nearby and previously represented people in the area in parliament, understands their lives. Bob, Peter, Emma and Mandy all said they were planning to vote for Burnham next week.

“He just comes over as if he cares and as if he wants to sort the country out,” said Mandy, who works part-time as a cleaner and merchandizer. “I just think he seems to be a more down-to-earth person who is looking out for people. He seems more genuine.”

Having someone from the North as prime minister would also help their area, several participants said. “We need better leadership,” added Peter. “We need somebody who cares and I do feel like Andy cares.”