TV stars, tattooed people, several without any experience, some already contested, others a little more legitimate, Donald Trump's future team is already long and talked about a lot, even if most of these names have yet to be confirmed by the Senate. This won't happen until after the inauguration, on January 20, 2025, when Donald Trump takes office at noon.
Elon Musk will head a commission responsible for “Government Effectiveness”. The goal is to “slash federal spending, budgets and staffing levels as much as possible“, explains Guillaume Naudin, of RFI. “Elon Musk depends a lot on the federal budget, on subsidies for electric cars, so that's not where he's going to cut.“
In the Republican camp, it is Matt Gaetz, future Secretary of Justice, who is making people cringe. “He is a pawn that would allow Trump to drop all the lawsuits filed against him and which are suspended“, explains Frederic Arnould of -. “Donald Trump has always complained that Democrats are using justice against him, and Matt Gaetz would somehow become Donald Trump's minister of revenge.“
Marco Rubio, elected from Florida, and future Minister of Foreign Affairs, Secretary of State, Marco Rubio has more consensus. “He is a former rival of Donald Trump. He has a moderate Republican profile. He is the son of a Cuban emigrant and if he is appointed, he will be the first head of American diplomacy to speak Spanish fluently.“, explains Sonir Dridi, from RTBF. “He is a strong supporter of Israel and opposes Iran's growing nuclear program.“
At the head of the Pentagon, Donald Trump wants to place a former soldier Pete Hegseth, who is also a TV figure. Donald Trump likes familiar faces who look good on screen. He planned another to head the health insurance program, Mehmet Oz. With Robert Kennedy Junior at Health, they will form a strange duo, because the latter is particularly opposed to vaccines.
Donald Trump had warned that he was going to reward loyalists, recalls Sonia Dridi. “These nominations are mind-blowing. Robert Kennedy Junior does not have the capacity to be Minister of Health and questions scientific facts without providing proof.“
Mehmet Oz is a successful doctor”his career and media career, but his government skills are a bit questionable“, estimates Guillaume Naudin. “Many Democrats and Republicans grew up watching his shows, but in recent years he has been increasingly maligned“, adds Sonia Dridi.
Tulsi Gabbard, the former very pro-Putin democrat, will head intelligence. Tom Homan, presented as the future “border czar” by Donald Trump, wants to favor the massive expulsion plan. Finally, Linda McMahon will be in charge of Education. “She is a very old friend of Donald Trump. With her husband, they were at the origin of the development of wrestling in the 80s, throughout the world“, explains Guillaume Naudin. “Linda McMahon tried to get into politics, was twice defeated in the Senate in Connecticut, and ultimately served as Minister of Small Business in Trump's first term. So, here too, it’s a story of loyalty.“
The vice-president is in Hawaii and takes some distance from criticism of her campaign. Many Democrats believe that Kamala Harris' campaign money was not used as it should have been. “They wonder how she was able to burn a billion dollars during her 15 weeks of campaigning“, explains Sonia Dridi. “Some report a debt of 20 million dollars.“The Democrats are therefore looking for money to repay. Kamala Harris could still have a future within the race, because Joe Biden has regularly been blamed for his defeat.
“Washington d’ici” is a podcast from French-speaking public media. Twice a month, correspondents from franceinfo, RTBF, -, RTS and RFI decipher, in their own way, the very latest news from the campaign for the 2024 American presidential election. With Sébastien Paour (franceinfo), Jordan Davis (RTS), Frederic Arnould (-), Sonia Dridi (RTBF) and Guillaume Naudin (RFI). Director: Ariane Dufrane (RTBF) and Françoise Wallemacq (RTBF).
