United States President-elect Donald Trump has moved quickly to fill roles in his incoming administration, naming loyalists to several key posts within days of his election victory and signalling his desire to have some seated without a Senate confirmation process.
The staffing picks are the subject of intense speculation and scrutiny, with Trump vowing his second administration will oversee a radical shake-up of the federal government.
Trump chooses security adviser and ambassador to Israel
On Tuesday, Trump confirmed his pick of Mike Waltz, a former US special forces officer, for the influential role of national security adviser.
Trump described the Republican congressman as “a nationally recognized leader in national security” and “an expert on the threats posed by China, Russia, Iran, and global terrorism.”
Waltz has publicly framed China as an “existential” threat to the United States and is harshly critical of Russia’s government.
Trump also said he will nominate former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee to be the US ambassador to Israel.
Huckabee, an evangelical Christian, is a staunch supporter of Israel and defender of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, considered illegal by most of the international community.
Mike Huckabee prior to laying a brick at a new housing complex in a West Bank settlement in 2018. Source: AAP, AP / Oded Balilty
“He loves Israel, and the people of Israel, and likewise, the people of Israel love him. Mike will work tirelessly to bring about Peace in the Middle East!” Trump said in a statement.
Huckabee, 69, has criticised President Joe Biden for pressuring Israel to moderate its conduct in the Gaza war.
What other appointments has Trump confirmed?
Trump will not be inaugurated until January. Shortly after he won the US election, he announced he had appointed as his White House chief of staff.
The 78-year-old Republican said on Sunday while US media reported he would nominate New York congresswoman Elise Stefanik, a vocal ally, as United Nations (UN) ambassador.
Stephen Miller, another fierce critic of illegal immigration who served in Trump’s first administration, will be deputy chief of staff.
Homan’s hardline immigration stance makes him a loyal hand in carrying out the incoming president’s deportation promises, while Stefanik, who has voiced strong support for Israel, will represent the administration as the UN grapples with the ongoing wars in Gaza and Lebanon.
Stefanik’s nomination would need approval by the Senate, but Trump is hoping to bypass Congress by making appointments while the chamber is in recess.
He has turned the issue into a loyalty test, insisting that any Republican seeking to be the leader of the Senate “must agree” to recess appointments.
Elise Stefanik has been a staunch defender of Israel. Source: AP / Evan Vucci
Homan, a former acting director of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, holds strident views on immigration, as does Miller, who served as Trump’s senior adviser and speechwriter during his first term.
Curbing illegal immigration served as one of Trump’s central campaign promises as he pledged to launch the largest deportation operation of undocumented migrants in US history beginning on day one.
Who is rumoured to be in line?
Trump is expected to select US senator Marco Rubio to be his secretary of state.
The senator has, in past years, advocated for a muscular foreign policy with respect to US geopolitical foes, including China, Iran and Cuba.
Over the last several years he has softened some of his stances to align more closely with Trump’s views. The president-elect accuses past US presidents of leading the country into costly and futile wars and has pushed for a more restrained foreign policy.
Trump is also believed to have chosen South Dakota governor Kristi Noem to serve as the next homeland security secretary, two sources familiar with the decision said on Tuesday.
Noem, 52, once seen as a possible running mate for Trump, is currently serving her second four-year term as South Dakota’s governor.
She rose to national prominence after refusing to impose a statewide mask mandate during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Department of Homeland Security is responsible for everything from border protection and immigration to disaster response and the US Secret Service.
