Advised by Elon Musk, Donald Trump announced the first appointments of his future government. The Republican places his relatives.
Barely elected and even before officially joining the White House (his inauguration ceremony will take place on January 25, 2025), Donald Trump outlines the outlines of his future government, appointing loyalists to key positions. According to the “New York Times”, the future president is considering appointing the influential Florida senator Marco Rubio, 53, to the post of secretary of state.
Marco Rubio had already been tipped to become the Republican vice-presidential candidate before Trump preferred JD Vance. But if this nomination is confirmed, it would mark a spectacular turnaround on the part of Marco Rubio, who, in 2016, while facing Donald Trump in the Republican primaries, had described the billionaire as a “scammer” and “the the most vulgar person who ever aspired to the presidency.”
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However, the senator of Cuban origin, vice-chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, declared last week on CNN that he was “always interested in serving this country”.
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Elise Stefanik at the United Nations
Donald Trump also chose Elise Stefanik, a 40-year-old representative from New York State, for the post of United States ambassador to the United Nations. “Elise is a fighter for America first, incredibly strong, tenacious and intelligent,” explained 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.
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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. Claudine Gay then resigned. Elise Stefanik then accused the UN in mid-October of “languishing in anti-Semitism”. His appointment should satisfy Israel.
Many relatives in key positions
Donald Trump also announced that he would entrust the burning issue of immigration control at the borders to Tom Homan, a hard-liner. The latter will be responsible for implementing the candidate's promise to carry out the largest expulsion operation of illegal migrants in the history of the United States.
Another “hawk,” Florida Representative and former Special Forces fighter Michael Waltz, will be named to the crucial post of National Security Advisor, the Washington Post and Wall Street Journal said Monday.
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.
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.
The 45th and soon 47th American president made his first major appointment on Thursday by choosing a woman, Susie Wiles, to head his cabinet. The latter was the architect of the victorious electoral campaign of the Republican, who won 312 electors against 226 for Kamala Harris, and seems on the way to having the majority of the popular vote.
Elon Musk as conductor
According to several sources with CNN, Elon Musk would exercise “considerable influence” in the choice of candidates for the next Trump government. The tech billionaire has been spotted in Palm Beach almost every day since the Republican won the election last week, sticking by the winning candidate when world leaders called to congratulate him. The boss of Tesla, SpaceX and X would have above all “clearly indicated his preference for certain roles”.
Elon Musk also publicly supported the candidacy of Rick Scott in the fight for leadership of the Republican Senate. On the other hand, several sources indicate that it is unlikely that the billionaire himself will obtain a position in the Trump administration given his functions as a business leader. “It seems more plausible that he would be appointed to a high-level committee, where he would still have enormous access, but would not be subject to government ethics rules, which would require him to divest assets or place them in a blind trust to avoid conflicts of interest”, analyze our colleagues.
As for the short-lived candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the latter would, according to a source at Reuters, be responsible for “studying the CVs of candidates for the most important positions in health agencies”, including the Ministry of Health and Human Services. Social Services and the Food and Drug Administration.
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.
