Donald Trump welcomes Representative Elise Stefanik during a campaign rally in Concord, New Hampshire, January 19, 2024 (AFP / TIMOTHY A. CLARY)
Donald Trump is making progress in forming his future administration, appointing loyalists to key positions and demanding that they can assume their duties without a laborious Senate confirmation process.
The 78-year-old Republican chose Elise Stefanik, a 40-year-old New York state representative, for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
“Elise is a fighter for America first, incredibly strong, tenacious and intelligent,” said the man who is preparing to return to the White House in January.
Elected to Congress in 2014 at just 30 years old, Elise Stefanik has gradually established herself among Donald Trump's most ardent supporters.
She made national headlines for her impetuous defense of the president during his first impeachment proceedings in 2019, then refused to certify the presidential election won in 2020 by Joe Biden.
More recently, in December 2023, she was the protagonist of a sequence that went viral on social networks, where we see her questioning in an extremely tense manner Claudine Gay, the president of Harvard University, about pro-Palestinian slogans heard on campus. Ms. Gay then resigned.
Elise Stefanik accused the UN in mid-October of “languishing in anti-Semitism”.
– Strong support for Israel –
Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, congratulated Ms. Stefanik on Monday. “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 towards higher functions, as evidenced by the careers of Madeleine Albright, Secretary of State under Bill Clinton, Susan Rice, advisor in National Security under Barack Obama, or even George Bush Sr., who became president.
Donald Trump also announced that he would entrust the burning issue of immigration control at the borders to Tom Homan, a hard-liner. Mr. Homan will be responsible for implementing the candidate's promise to carry out the largest expulsion operation of illegal immigrants in the history of the United States.
– Deregulate –
The president-elect also appointed Lee Zeldin, another close friend of his, to head the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
“He will ensure rapid and fair deregulation decisions are made that will boost the strength of American businesses, while maintaining the highest environmental standards,” explained the future Republican president.
Mr. Zeldin is also a former New York State Representative. “We will restore the energy predominance of the United States, revitalize our automobile industry to bring back jobs to Americans, and make the United States the world leader in artificial intelligence. This while preserving access to clean water and air clean,” wrote the elected official on X.
Lee Zeldin at the Republican convention in Milwaukee, July 17, 2024 ( AFP / ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS )
The winner of the presidential election should finally appoint Stephen Miller as deputy director of his office, one of his close advisors since the time of his first successful campaign for the White House.
Mr. Miller is known for advocating extremely strong measures against illegal immigration.
– Bypass the Senate –
Donald Trump has demonstrated his desire to bypass the laborious confirmation processes, by senators, of the people he appoints, despite the fact that the Republicans have regained control of the upper house of Congress.
To do this, he plans to use a clause that allows the president to make temporary appointments when the Senate is not in session.
“Any Republican senator interested in the coveted position of majority leader in the United States Senate must agree to (this clause), without which we will not be able to have people confirmed on time,” he said. writes Mr. Trump, who will be received at the White House on Wednesday by Joe Biden.
The 45th and soon 47th American president made his first major appointment on Thursday by choosing a woman, Susie Wiles, to head his cabinet.
Ms. Wiles was the architect of the Republican's successful election campaign, which won 312 voters to Kamala Harris's 226, and appears on track to capture a majority of the popular vote.
After regaining control of the Senate, the Republicans are also favorites to win the House of Representatives by a narrow margin, but in certain constituencies, notably in California, the count has still not been completed.
