Soon back in the White House, Donald Trump does not want to make the same mistakes as in 2016. The 47e President of the United States surrounded himself with a different bodyguard to conquer power. It is “stronger and more impactful” according to Steve Bannon, the former eminence grise of the businessman. Pierre Guerlain, retired professor of American studies, is less enthusiastic: “Trump chooses the people who work with him very poorly. During his first presidency, Mike Pompeo (Secretary of State) and John Bolton (adviser) turned against him. I think it will continue.”
Running mate JD Vance
One of the faces of this new galaxy is the next vice president, JD Vance. It is an understatement to say that he was not among Donald Trump's initial supporters. In 2016, he called her “a cultural heroine only capable of bringing a brief sense of satisfaction to her voters.” The lawyer even wondered about the possibility that the billionaire would transform into “American Hitler”. Then JD Vance changed his mind. He deleted his old, sometimes harsh, criticisms on social media. The former soldier then managed to attract the attention of Donald Trump to support him for the Republican primary for the Ohio senatorial in 2022.
At 40, he will become the third youngest vice president in the history of the United States. At the same time, Donald Trump will be the oldest American leader ever inducted. “We have no idea what relationships they will have and whether JD Vance will succeed in influencing the president,” underlines Pierre Guerlain, retired professor of American studies. Perfectly aligned with his boss's migratory and economic positions, his running mate appears more to the right on other subjects. In particular abortion, against which he spoke out against certain exceptions, such as in cases of incest or rape. JD Vance is also one of the figures of the “new American right”. A current coming from young conservatives who want to give a more radical direction to Donald Trump's isolationist and anti-immigration movement.
Elon Musk, the star entrepreneur who is angry with the Democrats
But the new star of the Trumpian galaxy is indeed the founder of Tesla. Elon Musk spared no effort to enable Donald Trump to be elected. He spent more than $110 million on the campaign and used his social network X (formerly Twitter) to promote the Republican candidate. “In his new team, one thing that really changes is people like Elon Musk who have turned against the Democrats,” points out Pierre Guerlain. Indeed, the creator of SpaceX seems to have deep resentment towards Joe Biden since he refused to invite him to an electric car summit at the White House in 2021, under the pretext that Tesla factories were not unionized , and for falsely claiming that General Motors had invented the electric car.
The entrepreneur should inherit a “government efficiency commission.” She will be responsible for conducting a “comprehensive financial and performance audit of the entire federal government.” But also to make “recommendations for drastic reforms” to save “trillions of dollars”. His first goal would be to cut $2 trillion from the federal budget, currently at $7 trillion.
Robert Kennedy Jr to the Ministry of Health?
The third figure is Robert Kennedy Jr, nephew of former President John Fitzgerald Kennedy. Donald Trump pledged to give him an “important role” after he withdrew from the presidential race in his favor. The former independent candidate – once considered the “third man” of the campaign – could be named health minister.
He wants to attack the lobbies and the thirteen federal agencies. According to The Washington Post, Robert Kennedy Jr has already developed plans to “clean up corruption and conflict within agencies” and “end the chronic disease epidemic.” Founder of the anti-vax association Children's Health Defense, the lawyer specializing in environmental law assured that he had no intention of calling vaccination into question. On stage Wednesday morning, Donald Trump promised that Robert Kennedy Jr. would “restore America to health.”
Robert Lighthizer, potential future Treasury Secretary
Who knows Robert Lighthizer? If his name is less known than the last three personalities, his influence on Donald Trump is considerable. This 77-year-old lawyer was his Trade Representative from 2017 to 2021. He got closer to Donald Trump during his crossing of the desert. Coming to live in Palm Beach, he became his neighbor. Le Monde reveals that this nostalgic for the Reagan era could become Secretary of the Treasury. Robert Lighthizer wants a balanced trade balance and could himself carry out the increases in customs duties promised by Donald Trump.
This economic specialist sees the creation of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and China's accession in 2021 as the cause of America's misfortunes. In his book, he calls for almost complete decoupling from China. He advocates a devaluation of the dollar and the establishment of a mechanism to compensate for the non-existent VAT in the United States, which he likens to a European tax on imports.
Susie Wiles to lead Trump's cabinet?
On the stage, Wednesday, it was towards her that Donald Trump turned after having mentioned the role of JD Vance. This discreet woman is the one who led the billionaire's victorious campaign. After her fundamental role in recent months, Susie Wiles could well occupy the valuable position of chief of staff at the White House. “She earned the trust of Donald Trump, who appreciated her willingness to help him after he left the White House, and she is widely respected by the campaign team and members of Congress,” reports Politico.
“His lifespan may be limited in the White House. During his last term, Trump had four chiefs of staff in the space of four years,” says Pierre Guerlain. “The president wants a person who manages everything, he delegates a lot of skills to people he knows little. As soon as things go badly, Trump thinks he's in his old television show and he fires them,” continues the specialist in American politics.
Grenell, Cotton, Miller…
A few names are circulating for other positions at the White House. That of Richard Grenell is mentioned for the function of national security advisor or head of diplomacy. He served as U.S. ambassador to Germany from 2018 to 2020 before being named director of national intelligence. Donald Trump calls him his “envoy”. Susan Rice, Barack Obama's former national security adviser, called him “one of the meanest and most dishonest people I have ever met.”
The other is Tom Cotton's. Senator from Arkansas, whose name was mentioned to be Donald Trump's running mate, could ultimately lead the Pentagon. He was an early supporter of the Republican and advised him during his final term. Another survivor from 2016 could make a return: Stephen Miller. Former special adviser to Donald Trump, he is one of the most fervent opponents of China and has long defended the expulsion of millions of migrants who came illegally. “Donald Trump's entire program on immigration is marked with the stamp of Stephen Miller,” assures René Lindstädt, specialist in American politics at the University of Birmingham.
What about the Trump family?
When Donald Trump took the stage in Palm Beach on Wednesday, the whole family was there. During his first term, Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner exercised considerable influence. They then disappeared from the political scene after the assault on the Capitol. Since then, Lara Trump, the president's daughter-in-law, has taken over. She became co-chair of the Republican National Committee, a very important organ of the Republican Party. “Donald Trump has a very nepotistic practice of power. His family will return to service,” predicts Pierre Guerlain.
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