As of Saturday, President-elect Donald Trump had already filled out his Cabinet picks ahead of his inauguration in January. Some have come as a surprise to people on both sides of the aisle.
In fact, waiting for new announcements has felt a bit like waiting for the results of the NFL draft.
One surprising appointment was Trump’s pick of Florida representative Matt Gaetz, who was being investigated by a House Ethics Committee over allegations of sexual misconduct, to be attorney general. Gaetz later withdrew his name from consideration and Trump made a new selection, former Florida attorney general Pam Bondi. A police report cited by the Associated Press also revealed sexual assault allegations against Trump’s Secretary of Defense pick, Pete Hegseth.
Other controversial picks include Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a vaccine skeptic and former independent presidential nominee, to lead the department of Health and Human Services and retired professional wrestler Linda McMahon as the head of the Department of Education.
What is the Cabinet?
According to the White House, the Cabinet is an advisory body made up of the heads of 15 executive departments. These positions are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate.
“The members of the Cabinet are often the President’s closest confidants,” the White House said. Additionally, they play a role in the line of succession. Following Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance comes Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and Senate President pro tempore. Then come the Cabinet officers in the order in which the departments were created, starting with the Secretary of State (currently Antony Blinken, expected to be current Florida Sen. Marco Rubio when Trump is in office).
Here’s the list of Trump’s selections for the key 15 Cabinet positions mentioned by the White House:
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE: Brooke A. Rollins of Texas, founder of the America First Policy Institute and America First Works, also a former member of Trump’s Economic Advisory Council in 2016
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE: Howard Lutnick, chairman and CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, and member of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum board of directors
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE: Pete Hegseth, combat veteran and FOX News host
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION: Linda McMahon, chair of the board at the America First Policy Institute.
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY: Chris Wright, founder and CEO of Liberty Energy
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES: Former environmental attorney Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY: South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem
DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT: Scott Turner, a National Football League veteran and former first executive director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council.
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR: North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE: Pam Bondi, former attorney general of Florida
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR: Congresswoman Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-Ore.)
DEPARTMENT OF STATE: Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.)
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION: Congressman Sean Duffy (R-Wisc.)
DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY: Scott Bessent, founder and CEO of Key Square Group
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS: Former Georgia congressman Doug Collins
What happens next?
CNN explained that presidents can also round out their Cabinets with more picks – President Joe Biden’s administration has 26 Cabinet members, for example. Some of these roles, like White House chief of staff, do not need Senate approval. Trump has selected political consultant Susie Wiles as his chief of staff.
As he made his Cabinet appointment announcements via Truth Social, Trump has been announcing other appointments as well. These include Lt. Col. Tulsi Gabbard, former congresswoman from Hawaii as the director of National Intelligence, Dr. Mehmet Oz as the director Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Dean John Sauer as solicitor general, Dr. Marty Makary to run the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Dr. Dave Weldon to head the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Dr. Jeanette Nesheiwat as surgeon general.
Trump made news earlier in the month with the announcement that he would create the new Department of Government Efficiency, lead by billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy. According to a post on Musk-owned social media site X, job inquires for positions in the department have already started coming in.
Prior to inauguration day on Jan. 20, oversight committees in the Senate are expected to conduct confirmation hearings for roles that require them, said CNN. However, it also said that “defeat of a nominee by a vote in the Senate is extremely rare.”
What do people think of Trump’s picks?
Results of a Harvard CAPS/Harris poll fielded on Nov. 13 and Nov. 14 showed that each of Trump’s appointments up until that point had a “in favor of” rating between 27% to 38%. Former U.S. representative Lee Zeldin of New York, tapped to serve as Environmental Protection Agency Administrator, was the lowest at 27% and Musk was the highest at 38%.