While the billionaire has not yet left his bags at the White House, the elected Republican candidate has already started to appoint loyalists to key positions in his future government. Le Figaro takes stock.
While Donald Trump has not yet been inaugurated 47e President of the United States, the 78-year-old elected Republican is progressing in the formation of his future administration. The one who is preparing to once again drop off his bags at the White House has already appointed loyalists to key positions in his future government.
The billionaire also demanded that they be able to assume their functions by avoiding a laborious confirmation process in the Senate. To do this, he plans to use a clause that allows the president to make temporary appointments when the Senate is not in session.
Le Figaro takes stock of the newly appointed advisors.
Elise Stefanik, United States Ambassador to the UN
Elise Stefanik, a 40-year-old New York state representative, has been chosen for the post of U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. “Elise is an America First fighter, incredibly strong, tenacious and intelligent”justified Donald Trump. Elise Stefanik confirmed she was accepting the position and said she “honored” in a statement to New York Post.
Elected to Congress in 2014 at just 30 years old, Elise Stefanik initially established herself as a moderate voice. Her constituency anchored in the Republican camp, she gradually asserted herself as pro-Donald Trump. She rose to national prominence for her brash defense of the president during his first impeachment proceedings in 2019, then refusing to certify the presidential election won in 2020 by Joe Biden. If she chaired the Republican conference of the House of Representatives, “she has only limited experience in foreign policy and national security”note the New York Times .
Elise Stefanik is a staunch supporter of Israel. The 40-year-old played an important role in the congressional hearings that led to the resignations of several university presidents over their handling of campus unrest following the October 7 attack and the war that followed in Gaza. In December 2023, she notably questioned – in a video that went viral on social networks – Claudine Gay, the president of Harvard University, in an extremely tense manner, about pro-Palestinian slogans heard on campus. Claudine Gay subsequently resigned.
In mid-October, Elise Stefanik also accused the UN of “languishing in anti-Semitism”. Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, congratulated Elise Stefanik on her appointment. “At a time when hatred and lies fill the halls of the UN, your resolute moral clarity is more necessary than ever”he wrote.
In American political life, the post of United States Ambassador to the United Nations often serves as a springboard to higher positions, as evidenced by the careers of Madeleine Albright, who was then Secretary of State under Bill Clinton, Susan Rice, who was National Security Advisor under Barack Obama, or George Bush Sr., who became president.
Tom Homan, head of border control and immigration
Donald Trump also entrusted the burning issue of immigration control at the borders to Tom Homan, a hard-liner. The position he will occupy is also called “border tsar”. The new president made this announcement on Truth Social: “I have known Tom for a long time, and no one is more competent than him to monitor and control our borders.”
Tom Homan will also be “responsible for all expulsions of illegal aliens to their countries of origin”specified Donald Trump. To do this, the politician warned last month in the program “60 Minutes” on the CBS channel, of the return of large-scale police raids on construction sites in order to arrest unauthorized workers. A process abandoned by the Biden administration.
Tom Homan was appointed acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement in 2017 and has experience in immigration enforcement. The 62-year-old also served as a police officer, a U.S. Border Patrol agent and a special agent with the former Immigration and Naturalization Service.
Stephen Miller, Deputy Head of Policy
As deputy head of policy for his new administration, Donald Trump chose his longtime adviser Stephen Miller, also a hard-line supporter of immigration. “This is another fantastic choice from the president”rejoiced Vice President-elect JD Vance on X.
Stephen Miller served as Trump’s senior advisor during his first term and played a central role in many of his policy decisions, “notably its decision to separate thousands of immigrant families as part of a deterrence program in 2018”reminds Associated Press .
Between Trump’s two terms, Miller served as president of America First Legal, an organization of former Trump advisers designed as a conservative version of the American Civil Liberties Union, a major association whose mission is to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in the country by the Constitution and laws of the United States.
Susie Wiles, White House Secretary General
The 45th and soon to be 47th American president has also decided to appoint a woman, Susie Wiles, to lead his cabinet. A first in the history of the country. This behind-the-scenes regular is the main strategist of the Trump campaign. “Susie is strong, intelligent, and creative, and she is universally admired and respected…It is a well-deserved honor to have Susie as the first female chief of staff in U.S. history. I have no doubt that she will be the pride of our country.”congratulated the Republican candidate during his speech on election day.
The White House General Secretariat is one of the key functions of the American presidency. He is responsible for the smooth daily functioning of the executive branch of the world’s greatest power. He must also manage the president’s time. Which therefore implies controlling those who have access to him, a most important aspect for Trump, who likes to surround himself with and consult a variety of people, and is hardly bothered by schedules or protocol. The secretary general is also one of the president’s closest confidants, and one of those who work with him most closely.