Ahead of his inauguration as United States president in January, Donald Trump has already started announcing his picks for cabinet, as well as other high-ranking government officials and key policy advisers.
Some of of Trump’s appointees are seasoned politicians, such as Florida senator Marco Rubio and former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee.
Several others — including the and Fox News host Pete Hegseth — have never been elected to public office.
And on Friday, Trump announced that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. would be secretary of health and human services in his administration.
Here’s who’s made the cut so far and why, unlike in Australia, those who lead departments that help to shape US policy aren’t elected members of parliament.
The US cabinet and what its members do
The cabinet, a body that advises the US president, consists of the vice president and heads of the 15 executive departments, which are the:
- Secretary of state
- Secretary of the treasury
- Secretary of defence
- Attorney-general
- Secretary of interior
- Secretary of agriculture
- Secretary of commerce
- Secretary of labor
- Secretary of health and human services
- Secretary of housing and urban development
- Secretary of transportation
- Secretary of energy
- Secretary of education
- Secretary of veterans affairs
- Secretary of homeland security
After the president and vice president, they are the highest-ranking officials in the executive branch of the US government — and often the commander-in-chief’s closest confidants.
Like the vice president, cabinet secretaries are also included in the presidential line of succession.
The president can also elevate other high-ranking government officials to the level of cabinet — but they aren’t included in the line of succession.
Examples in the Biden administration include the White House chief of staff, the US ambassador to the United Nations, and the director of national intelligence.
How are US cabinet members selected?
While Australia’s prime minister can only select their cabinet from members of the government elected to the Senate and House of Representatives, there are few restrictions on who the US president can appoint to their cabinet.
No one in the US is allowed to serve in both the executive and legislative branches of government at the same time.
If a senator or member of the House of Representatives is chosen for a cabinet position, they have to resign from Congress.
The president’s immediate family members are also off limits.
People born outside the US or who are under the age of 35 are allowed to serve in cabinet but can’t be included in the presidential line of succession.
Cabinet and cabinet-level appointees must pass a thorough Federal Bureau of Investigation background check, and almost all of them need to be approved by the Senate.
Given that Republicans will hold a majority in the Senate next year, it’s unlikely that Trump will face much, if any, opposition to his picks.
Trump’s picks for cabinet and other key roles
Rather than choosing experienced professionals, Trump has largely opted to appoint people who are loyal to him and will help deliver his agenda.
Despite having never served as an elected official, Fox News host and military veteran Pete Hegseth has been nominated by Trump for secretary of defence.
The role would see the political commentator and former executive director of advocacy groups, including Concerned Veterans for America and Vets for Freedom, lead the world’s most powerful military.
Hegseth volunteered to be put on active National Guard duty to protect Joe Biden’s inauguration in 2021 but was barred along with 11 others because they were found to have links to right-wing militia groups or had posted extremist views online.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who some have criticsed as being a vaccine sceptic, ran for president in 2024 as an independent before dropping out and endorsing Trump in exchange for a role in his administration. He has been picked as secretary of health and human services.
He disputes the anti-vaccine tag, saying he wants more rigorous testing of vaccines instead. However, he chaired the Children’s Health Defence, a nonprofit organisation that focuses on anti-vaccine messaging.
RFK Jr is the nephew of Democratic president John F Kennedy Jr and son of former attorney-general Robert F Kennedy, both of whom were assassinated in the 1960s.
The president-elect previously said he would let Kennedy “go wild” with health and food policy, alarming many experts.
President-elect Donald Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr in August. Trump has picked RFK Jr to lead health and human services in his cabinet. Source: AAP / Evan Vucci/AP
Trump’s selection of congressman Matt Gaetz as attorney-general post stirred instant controversy.
A pro-Trump firebrand in Congress, Gaetz is subject to a House ethics probe into alleged sex trafficking. The justice department, which he would head, announced last year that it would not bring charges in the same case after a lengthy inquiry.
If approved by the Senate, Marco Rubio would be the first Latino to serve as secretary of state — the country’s foreign minister.
Trump tapped the Florida senator as top diplomat, aiming to intensify the US power struggle with China. Rubio has said China “doesn’t just seek to be the most powerful nation in the world, they seek to reorient the world”.
He is a fervent supporter of Israel and a longtime critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Congressman and former special forces officer Mike Waltz is Trump’s choice for national security adviser, a top White House foreign policy position. Waltz is critical of both China — which he calls an “existential” threat — and Russia, but backs winding down support for Ukraine.
Longtime Trump loyalist and South Dakota governor Kristi Noem would play a key role in any Trump effort to restrict immigration and deport undocumented migrants as secretary of homeland security.
Noem became infamous earlier this year for , saying it showcased her ability to make tough choices.
As ‘border czar’, veteran immigration official Tom Homan will be tasked with fulfilling Trump’s promise of the mass deportation of undocumented migrants. and Heritage Foundation fellow will be taking charge of the country’s “southern border, the northern border, all maritime, and aviation security”.
Former Hawaii congresswoman and Iraq war veteran Tulsi Gabbard is Trump’s pick for director of national intelligence, a role that involves overseeing the coordination of 18 intelligence agencies.
After unsuccessfully seeking the Democratic 2020 presidential nomination, she left the party in 2022, before campaigning for and endorsing Trump in 2024. Gabbard has long held isolationist foreign policy views and has made comments supportive of US adversaries, including Russia.
Director of National Intelligence at the tumultuous end of Trump’s first term, John Ratcliffe, has been tapped as the next director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
Ratcliffe is close to the former president and defended him during his first impeachment trial for allegedly blackmailing Ukraine’s president. But he’s seen as somewhat of an institutionalist and a relatively safe pair of hands at the CIA.
The world’s richest man, , alongside another wealthy Trump ally, Vivek Ramaswamy.
Musk has said he will aim to cut $US 2 trillion ($3.1 trillion) from the government’s $US 7 trillion ($10.8 trillion) budget — but hasn’t explained where these savings will come from.
There’s also been no explanation of how the Tesla, SpaceX, and Starlink chief executive would navigate conflicts of interest arising from his position as a major US government contractor.
, making her the first woman to hold the influential role. Known by some as the “Ice Maiden”, she was instrumental in Trump’s re-election.
New York congresswoman . She’s a vocal Trump ally and pro-Israel stalwart.
Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee will serve as the US ambassador to Israel. Trump says the Christian pastor-turned-politician “loves Israel, and the people of Israel, and likewise, the people of Israel love him”.
With reporting by Agence France-Presse
