Donald Trump has said he wouldn鈥檛 be a dictator 鈥 鈥渆xcept for Day 1." According to his own statements, he's got a lot to do on that first day in the White House.
His list includes starting up the mass deportation of migrants, rolling back Biden administration policies on education, reshaping the federal government by firing potentially thousands of federal employees he believes are secretly working against him, and pardoning people who were arrested for their role in the riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
鈥淚 want to close the border, and I want to drill, drill, drill," he said of his Day 1 plans.
When he took office in 2017, he had a long list, too, including immediately renegotiating trade deals, deporting migrants and putting in place measures to root out government corruption. Those things didn't happen all at once.
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How many executive orders in the first week? 鈥淭here will be tens of them. I can assure you of that," Trump鈥檚 national press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, told Fox News.
Here's a look at what Trump has said he will do in his second term and whether he can do it the moment he steps into the White House:
Make most of his criminal cases go away, at least the federal ones
Trump has said that 鈥渨ithin two seconds" of taking office he would fire Jack Smith, the special counsel who has been prosecuting two federal cases against him. Smith is already evaluating how to wind down the cases because of long-standing Justice Department policy that says sitting presidents cannot be prosecuted.
Smith
Smith charged Trump last聽year with plotting to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election and illegally hoarding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
Trump cannot pardon himself when it comes to his state conviction in New York in a hush money case, but he could seek to leverage his status as president-elect in an effort to set aside or expunge his felony conviction and stave off a potential prison sentence.
A case in Georgia, where Trump was charged with election interference, will likely be the only criminal case left standing. It would probably be put on hold until at least 2029, at the end of his presidential term. The Georgia prosecutor on the case just won reelection.
Supporters of President Donald Trump climb the West wall of the the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. Trump has said he's inclined to pardon those who were convicted of crimes associated with the Capitol Riot.
Pardon supporters who attacked the Capitol
More than 1,500 people have been charged since a mob of Trump supporters spun up by the outgoing president attacked the Capitol almost nearly four years ago.
Trump launched his general election campaign in March by not merely trying to rewrite the history of that riot, but positioning the violent siege and failed attempt to overturn the 2020 election as a cornerstone of his bid to return to the White House. As part of that, he called the rioters 鈥渦nbelievable patriots鈥 and promised to help them 鈥渢he first day we get into office.鈥
As president, Trump can pardon anyone convicted in federal court, District of Columbia Superior Court or in a military court-martial. He can stop the continued prosecution of rioters by telling his attorney general to stand down.
鈥淚 am inclined to pardon many of them," Trump said on his social media platform in March when announcing the promise. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 say for every single one, because a couple of them, probably they got out of control.鈥
Dismantle the 鈥榙eep state鈥 of government workers
Trump could begin the process of stripping tens of thousands of career employees of their civil service protections, so they could be more easily fired.
He wants to do two things: drastically reduce the federal workforce, which he has long said is an unnecessary drain, and to 鈥渢otally obliterate the deep state鈥 鈥 perceived enemies who, he believes, are hiding in government jobs.
Within the government, there are hundreds of politically appointed professionals who come and go with administrations. There also are tens of thousands of 鈥渃areer鈥 officials, who work under Democratic and Republican presidents. They are considered apolitical workers whose expertise and experience help keep the government functioning, particularly through transitions.
Trump wants the ability to convert some of those career people into political jobs, making them easier to dismiss and replace with loyalists. He would try to accomplish that by reviving a 2020 executive order known as 鈥淪chedule F.鈥 The idea behind the order was to strip job protections from federal workers and create a new class of political employees. It could affect roughly 50,000 of 2.2 million civilian federal employees.
Democratic President Joe Biden rescinded the order when he took office in January 2021. But Congress failed to pass a bill protecting federal employees. The Office of Personnel Management, the federal government鈥檚 chief human resources agency, finalized a rule last spring against reclassifying workers, so Trump might have to spend months 鈥 or even years 鈥 unwinding it.
Trump has said he has a particular focus on 鈥渃orrupt bureaucrats who have weaponized our justice system鈥 and 鈥渃orrupt actors in our national security and intelligence apparatus.鈥
Beyond the firings, Trump wants to crack down on government officials who leak to reporters. He also wants to require that federal employees pass a new civil service test.
Impose tariffs on imports, especially those from China
Trump promised throughout the campaign to impose tariffs on imported goods, particularly those from China. He argued that such import taxes would keep manufacturing jobs in the United States, shrink the federal deficit and help lower food prices. He also cast them as central to his national security agenda.
鈥淭ariffs are the greatest thing ever invented," Trump said during a September rally in Flint, Michigan.
The size of his pledged tariffs varied. He proposed at least a 10% across-the-board tariff on imported goods, a 60% import tax on goods from China and a 25% tariff on all goods from Mexico 鈥 if not more.
Trump would likely not need Congress to impose these tariffs, as was clear in 2018, when he imposed them on steel and aluminum imports without going through lawmakers by citing Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. That law, according to the Congressional Research Service, gives a president the power to adjust tariffs on imports that could affect U.S. national security, an argument Trump has made.
鈥淲e鈥檙e being invaded by Mexico,鈥 Trump said at a rally in North Carolina this month. Speaking about the new president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, Trump said: 鈥淚鈥檓 going to inform her on Day 1 or sooner that if they don鈥檛 stop this onslaught of criminals and drugs coming into our country, I鈥檓 going to immediately impose a 25% tariff on everything they send into the United States of America.鈥
Roll back protections for transgender students
Trump said during the campaign that he would roll back Biden administration action seeking to protect transgender students from discrimination in schools on the first day of his new administration.
Opposition to transgender rights was central to the Trump campaign鈥檚 closing argument. His campaign ran an ad in the final days of the race against Vice President Kamala Harris in which a narrator said: 鈥淜amala is for they/them. President Trump is for you.鈥
The Biden administration announced new Title IX protections in April that made clear treating transgender students differently from their classmates is discrimination. Trump responded by saying he would roll back those changes, pledging to do some on the first day of his new administration and specifically noting he has the power to act without Congress.
鈥淲e鈥檙e going to end it on Day 1,鈥 Trump said in May. 鈥淒on鈥檛 forget, that was done as an order from the president. That came down as an executive order. And we鈥檙e going to change it 鈥 on Day 1 it鈥檚 going to be changed.鈥
It is unlikely Trump will stop there.
Speaking at a Wisconsin rally in June, Trump said 鈥渙n Day 1" he would 鈥渟ign a new executive order鈥 that would cut federal money for any school 鈥減ushing critical race theory, transgender insanity and other inappropriate racial, sexual or political content onto the lives of our children.鈥
Drill,聽drill, drill
Trump is looking to reverse climate policies aimed at reducing planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions.
With an executive order on Day 1, he can roll back environmental protections, halt wind projects, scuttle the Biden administration's targets that encourage the switch to electric cars and abolish standards for companies to become more environmentally friendly.
He has pledged to increase production of U.S. fossil fuels, promising to 鈥渄rill, drill, drill," when he gets into office on Day 1 and seeking to open the Arctic wilderness to oil drilling, which he claims would lower energy costs.
Trump, right, and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meet at Trump Tower, on Sept. 27 in New York. Trump has said the war in Ukraine could be solved in one day with his intervention.
Settle the war between Russia and Ukraine
Trump has repeatedly said he could settle the war between Russia and Ukraine in one day.
When asked to respond to the claim, Russia鈥檚 U.N. ambassador, Vassily Nebenzia, said 鈥渢he Ukrainian crisis cannot be solved in one day.鈥
Leavitt, the Trump press secretary, told Fox News that Trump would now be able to 鈥渘egotiate a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.鈥 She later said, 鈥淚t includes, on Day 1, bringing Ukraine and Russia to the negotiating table to end this war.鈥
Russia invaded Ukraine nearly three years ago. Trump, who makes no secret of his admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin, has criticized the Biden administration for giving money to Ukraine to fight the war.
Trump listens to Paul Perez, president of the National Border Patrol Council, as he tours the southern border with Mexico on Aug. 22, 2024, in Sierra Vista, Ariz. Trump has said launching a deportation program for migrants is a Day 1 agenda item.聽
Begin mass deportations of migrants in the US
Speaking last month at his Madison Square Garden rally in New York, Trump said: 鈥淥n Day 1, I will launch the largest deportation program in American history to get the criminals out. I will rescue every city and town that has been invaded and conquered, and we will put these vicious and bloodthirsty criminals in jail, then kick them the hell out of our country as fast as possible.鈥
In one of his first personnel announcements, Trump announced via social media late Sunday that he would put Tom Homan, his former acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement director, 鈥渋n charge of all Deportation of Illegal Aliens back to their Country of Origin,鈥 a central part of his agenda.
Trump can direct his administration to begin the effort the minute he arrives in office, but it's much more complicated to actually deport the nearly 11 million people who are believed to be in the United States illegally. That would require a huge, trained law enforcement force, massive detention facilities, airplanes to move people and nations willing to accept them.
Trump has said he would invoke the Alien Enemies Act. That rarely used 1798 law allows the president to deport anyone who is not an American citizen and is from a country with which there is a 鈥渄eclared war鈥 or a threatened or attempted 鈥渋nvasion or predatory incursion.鈥
Here are the people Trump picked for key positions so far
President-elect Donald Trump
Susie Wiles, White House Chief of Staff
Susie Wiles, 67,聽was a senior adviser聽to Trump's 2024 presidential campaign and its de facto manager.
Marco Rubio, Secretary of State
罢谤耻尘辫听聽to be secretary of state, making a former sharp critic his choice to be the new administration's top diplomat.
Rubio, 53, is a noted hawk on China, Cuba and Iran, and was a finalist to be Trump's running mate on the Republican ticket last summer. Rubio is the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
鈥淗e will be a strong Advocate for our Nation, a true friend to our Allies, and a fearless Warrior who will never back down to our adversaries,鈥 Trump said of Rubio in a statement.
The announcement punctuates the hard pivot Rubio has made with Trump, whom the senator called a 鈥渃on man" during his unsuccessful campaign for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination.
Their relationship improved dramatically while Trump was in the White House. And as Trump campaigned for the presidency a third time, Rubio cheered his proposals. For instance, Rubio, who more than a decade ago helped craft immigration legislation that included a path to citizenship for people in the U.S. illegally, now supports Trump's plan to use the U.S. military for mass deportations.
Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Defense
Pete Hegseth, 44, is a co-host of Fox News Channel鈥檚 鈥淔ox & Friends Weekend鈥 and has been a contributor with the network since 2014, where he developed a friendship with Trump, who made regular appearances on the show.
Hegseth lacks senior military or national security experience. If confirmed by the Senate, he would inherit the top job during a series of global crises 鈥 ranging from Russia鈥檚 war in Ukraine and the ongoing attacks in the Middle East by Iranian proxies to the push for a cease-fire between Israel, Hamas and Hezbollah and escalating worries about the growing alliance between Russia and North Korea.
Hegseth is also the author of 鈥淭he War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free,鈥 published earlier this year.
Pam Bondi, Attorney General
Trump tapped Pam Bondi, 59, to be attorney general after U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration.
She was Florida's first female attorney general, serving between 2011 and 2019. She also was on Trump鈥檚 legal team during his first impeachment trial in 2020.
Considered a loyalist, she served as part of a Trump-allied outside group that helped lay the groundwork for his future administration called the America First Policy Institute.
Bondi was among a group of Republicans who showed up to support Trump at his hush money criminal trial in New York that ended in May with a conviction on 34 felony counts. A fierce defender of Trump, she also frequently appears on Fox News and has been a critic of the criminal cases against him.
Kristi Noem, Secretary of Homeland Security
Trump picked聽South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a well-known conservative who faced sharp criticism for telling a story in her memoir about shooting a rambunctious dog, to lead an agency crucial to the president-elect鈥檚 hardline immigration agenda.
Noem used her two terms leading a tiny state to vault to a prominent position in Republican politics.
South Dakota is usually a political afterthought. But during the COVID-19 pandemic, Noem did not order restrictions that other states had issued and instead declared her state 鈥渙pen for business.鈥 Trump held a fireworks rally at Mount Rushmore in July 2020 in one of the first large gatherings of the pandemic.
She takes over a department with a sprawling mission. In addition to key immigration agencies, the Department of Homeland Security oversees natural disaster response, the U.S. Secret Service, and Transportation Security Administration agents who work at airports.
Doug Burgum, Secretary of the Interior
The governor of North Dakota, who was once little-known outside his state, Burgum is a former Republican presidential primary contender who endorsed Trump, and spent months traveling to drum up support for him, after dropping out of the race.
Burgum was a serious contender to be Trump鈥檚 vice presidential choice this summer. The two-term governor was seen as a possible pick because of his executive experience and business savvy. Burgum also has close ties to deep-pocketed energy industry CEOs.
Trump made the announcement about Burgum joining his incoming administration while addressing a gala at his Mar-a-Lago club, and said a formal statement would be coming the following day.
In comments to reporters before Trump took the stage, Burgum said that, in recent years, the power grid is deteriorating in many parts of the country, which he said could raise national security concerns but also drive up prices enough to increase inflation.
鈥淭here's just a sense of urgency, and a sense of understanding in the Trump administration,鈥 Burgum said.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Secretary of Health and Human Services
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ran for president as a Democrat, than as an independent, and聽. He's the son of Democratic icon Robert Kennedy, who was assassinated during his own presidential campaign.
The nomination of Kennedy to lead the Department of Health and Human Services alarmed people who are concerned about聽. For example, he has long advanced the debunked idea that vaccines cause autism.
Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Labor Secretary
Oregon Republican U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer narrowly lost her reelection bid this month, but received strong backing from union members in her district.
As a potential labor secretary, she would oversee the Labor Department鈥檚 workforce, its budget and put forth priorities that impact workers鈥 wages, health and safety, ability to unionize, and employer鈥檚 rights to fire employers, among other responsibilities.
Chavez-DeRemer is one of few House Republicans to endorse the 鈥淧rotecting the Right to Organize鈥 or PRO Act would allow more workers to conduct organizing campaigns and would add penalties for companies that violate workers鈥 rights. The act would also weaken 鈥渞ight-to-work鈥 laws that allow employees in more than half the states to avoid participating in or paying dues to unions that represent workers at their places of employment.
Scott Turner, Housing and Urban Development
Scott Turner is a former NFL player and White House aide. He ran the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council during Trump鈥檚 first term in office. Trump, in a statement, credited Turner, the highest-ranking Black person he鈥檚 yet selected for his administration, with 鈥渉elping to lead an Unprecedented Effort that Transformed our Country鈥檚 most distressed communities.鈥
Sean Duffy, Secretary of Transportation
Sean Duffy is a former House member from Wisconsin who was one of Trump's most visible defenders on cable news. Duffy served in the House for nearly nine years, sitting on the Financial Services Committee and chairing the subcommittee on insurance and housing. He left Congress in 2019 for a TV career and has been the host of 鈥淭he Bottom Line鈥 on Fox Business.
Before entering politics, Duffy was a reality TV star on MTV, where he met his wife, 鈥淔ox and Friends Weekend鈥 co-host Rachel Campos-Duffy. They have nine children.
Chris Wright, Secretary of Energy
A campaign donor and CEO of Denver-based Liberty Energy, Write is a vocal advocate of oil and gas development, including fracking 鈥 a key pillar of Trump鈥檚 quest to achieve U.S. 鈥渆nergy dominance鈥 in the global market.
Wright also has been one of the industry鈥檚 loudest voices against efforts to fight climate change. He said the climate movement around the world is 鈥渃ollapsing under its own weight.鈥 The Energy Department is responsible for advancing energy, environmental and nuclear security of the United States.
Wright also won support from influential conservatives, including oil and gas tycoon Harold Hamm. Hamm, executive chairman of Oklahoma-based Continental Resources, a major shale oil company, is a longtime Trump supporter and adviser who played a key role on energy issues in Trump鈥檚 first term.
Linda McMahon, Secretary of Education
President-elect Donald Trump tapped billionaire professional wrestling mogul Linda McMahon to be secretary of the Education Department, tasked with overseeing an agency Trump promised to dismantle.
McMahon led the Small Business Administration during Trump鈥檚 initial term from 2017 to 2019 and twice ran unsuccessfully as a Republican for the U.S. Senate in Connecticut.
She鈥檚 seen as a relative unknown in education circles, though she expressed support for charter schools and school choice. She served on the Connecticut Board of Education for a year starting in 2009 and has spent years on the board of trustees for Sacred Heart University in Connecticut.
Brooke Rollins, Secretary of Agriculture
Brooke Rollins, who graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in agricultural development, is a longtime Trump associate who served as White House domestic policy chief during his first presidency.
The 52-year-old is president and CEO of the America First Policy Institute, a group helping to lay the groundwork for a second Trump administration. She previously served as an aide to former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and ran a think tank, the Texas Public Policy Foundation.
Howard Lutnick, Secretary of Commerce
Trump chose Howard Lutnick, head of brokerage and investment bank Cantor Fitzgerald and a cryptocurrency enthusiast, as his nominee for commerce secretary, a position in which he'd have a key role in carrying out Trump's plans to raise and enforce tariffs.
Trump made the announcement Tuesday on his social media platform, Truth Social.
Lutnick is a co-chair of Trump鈥檚 transition team, along with Linda McMahon, the former wrestling executive who previously led Trump鈥檚 Small Business Administration. Both are tasked with putting forward candidates for key roles in the next administration.
The nomination would put Lutnick in charge of a sprawling Cabinet agency that is involved in funding new computer chip factories, imposing trade restrictions, releasing economic data and monitoring the weather. It is also a position in which connections to CEOs and the wider business community are crucial.
Doug Collins, Secretary of Veterans Affairs
Doug Collins is a former Republican congressman from Georgia who gained recognition for defending Trump during his first impeachment trial, which centered on U.S. assistance for Ukraine. Trump was impeached for urging Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden in 2019 during the Democratic presidential nomination, but he was acquitted by the Senate.
Collins has also served in the armed forces himself and is currently a chaplain in the United States Air Force Reserve Command.
"We must take care of our brave men and women in uniform, and Doug will be a great advocate for our Active Duty Servicemembers, Veterans, and Military Families to ensure they have the support they need," Trump said in a statement about nominating Collins to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Karoline Leavitt, White House press secretary
Karoline Leavitt, 27, was Trump's campaign press secretary and currently a spokesperson for his transition. She would be the youngest White House press secretary in history.
The White House press secretary typically serves as the public face of the administration and historically has held daily briefings for the press corps.
Leavitt, a New Hampshire native, was a spokesperson for MAGA Inc., a super PAC supporting Trump, before joining his 2024 campaign. In 2022,聽聽winning a 10-way Republican primary before losing to Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas.
Leavitt worked in the White House press office during Trump's first term before she became communications director for New York Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik, Trump's choice for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
Tulsi Gabbard, National Intelligence Director
Former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard聽聽to be director of national intelligence, keeping with the trend to stock his Cabinet with loyal personalities rather than veteran professionals in their requisite fields.
Gabbard, 43, was a Democratic House member who unsuccessfully sought the party's 2020 presidential nomination before leaving the party in 2022. She endorsed Trump in August and campaigned often with him this fall.
鈥淚 know Tulsi will bring the fearless spirit that has defined her illustrious career to our Intelligence Community,鈥 Trump said in a statement.
Gabbard, who has served in the Army National Guard for more than two decades, deploying to Iraq and Kuwait, would come to the role as somewhat of an outsider compared to her predecessor. The current director, Avril Haines, was confirmed by the Senate in 2021 following several years in a number of top national security and intelligence positions.
John Ratcliffe, Central Intelligence Agency Director
Trump has picked John Ratcliffe, a former Texas congressman who served as director of national intelligence during his first administration, to be director of the Central Intelligence Agency in his next.
Ratcliffe was director of national intelligence during the final year and a half of Trump's first term, leading the U.S. government's spy agencies during the coronavirus pandemic.
鈥淚 look forward to John being the first person ever to serve in both of our Nation's highest Intelligence positions,鈥 Trump said in a statement, calling him a 鈥渇earless fighter for the Constitutional Rights of all Americans鈥 who would ensure 鈥渢he Highest Levels of National Security, and PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH.鈥
Kash Patel, Federal Bureau of Investigation Director
Kash聽Patel spent several years as a Justice Department prosecutor before catching the Trump administration鈥檚 attention as a staffer on Capitol Hill who helped investigate the Russia probe.
Patel called for dramatically reducing the agency鈥檚 footprint, a perspective that sets him apart from earlier directors who sought additional resources for the bureau. Though the Justice Department in 2021聽聽during leak investigations, Patel said he intends to aggressively hunt down government officials who leak information to reporters.
Lee Zeldin, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator
Trump has chosen former New York Rep.聽聽to serve as his pick to lead the聽.
Zeldin does not appear to have any experience in environmental issues, but is a longtime supporter of the former president. The 44-year-old former U.S. House member from New York wrote on聽, 鈥淲e will restore US energy dominance, revitalize our auto industry to bring back American jobs, and make the US the global leader of AI.鈥 鈥淲e will do so while protecting access to clean air and water,鈥 he added.
During his campaign, Trump often attacked the Biden administration's promotion of electric vehicles, and incorrectly referring to a tax credit for EV purchases as a government mandate. Trump also often told his audiences during the campaign his administration would 鈥淒rill, baby, drill,鈥 referring to his support for expanded petroleum exploration.
In a statement, Trump said Zeldin 鈥渨ill ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions that will be enacted in a way to unleash the power of American businesses, while at the same time maintaining the highest environmental standards, including the cleanest air and water on the planet.鈥
Brendan Carr, Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission
Paul Atkins, Chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission
Trump said Atkins, the CEO of Patomak Partners and a former SEC commissioner, was a 鈥減roven leader for common sense regulations.鈥 In the years since leaving the SEC, Atkins has made the case against too much market regulation.
鈥淗e believes in the promise of robust, innovative capital markets that are responsive to the needs of Investors, & that provide capital to make our Economy the best in the World. He also recognizes that digital assets & other innovations are crucial to Making America Greater than Ever Before,鈥 Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The commission oversees U.S. securities markets and investments and is currently led by Gary Gensler, who has been leading the U.S. government鈥檚 crackdown on the crypto industry. Gensler, who was nominated by President Joe Biden, announced last month that he would be stepping down from his post on the day that Trump is inaugurated 鈥 Jan. 20, 2025.
Atkins began his career as a lawyer and has a long history working in the financial markets sector, both in government and private practice. In the 1990s, he worked on the staffs of two former SEC chairmen, Richard C. Breeden and Arthur Levitt.
Jared Isaacman, NASA Administrator
Jared聽Isaacman, 41, is a聽聽who bought a series of spaceflights from Elon Musk鈥檚 SpaceX and conducted the聽. He is the founder and CEO of a card-processing company and has collaborated closely with Musk ever since buying his first chartered SpaceX flight. He took contest winners on that 2021 trip and followed it in September with a mission where he briefly popped out the hatch to test SpaceX鈥檚 new spacewalking suits.
Elise Stefanik, Ambassador to the United Nations
Rep. Elise Stefanik is a聽聽and one of Trump's staunchest defenders going back to his first impeachment.
Elected to the House in 2014, Stefanik was selected by her GOP House colleagues as House Republican Conference chair in 2021, when former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney was removed from the post after publicly criticizing Trump for falsely claiming he won the 2020 election. Stefanik, 40, has served in that role ever since as the third-ranking member of House leadership.
Stefanik鈥檚 questioning of university presidents over antisemitism on their campuses helped lead to two of those presidents resigning, further raising her national profile.
If confirmed, she would represent American interests at the U.N. as Trump vows to end the war waged by Russia against Ukraine begun in 2022. He has also called for peace as Israel continues its offensive against Hamas in Gaza and its invasion of Lebanon to target Hezbollah.
Matt Whitaker, Ambassador to NATO
President-elect Donald Trump says he's chosen former acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker to serve as U.S. ambassador to NATO. Trump has expressed skepticism about the Western military alliance for years. Trump said in a statement Wednesday that Whitaker is 鈥渁 strong warrior and loyal Patriot鈥 who 鈥渨ill ensure the United States鈥 interests are advanced and defended鈥 and 鈥渟trengthen relationships with our NATO Allies, and stand firm in the face of threats to Peace and Stability.鈥 The choice of Whitaker as the nation鈥檚 representative to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is an unusual one, given his background is as a lawyer and not in foreign policy.
Pete Hoekstra, Ambassador to Canada
A Republican congressman from Michigan who served from 1993 to 2011, Hoekstra was ambassador to the Netherlands during Trump's first term.
鈥淚n my Second Term, Pete will help me once again put AMERICA FIRST,鈥 Trump said in a statement announcing his choice. 鈥淗e did an outstanding job as United States Ambassador to the Netherlands during our first four years, and I am confident that he will continue to represent our Country well in this new role.鈥
Mike Huckabee, Ambassador to Israel
Trump will nominate former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to be ambassador to Israel.
Huckabee is a staunch defender of Israel and his intended nomination comes as Trump has promised to align U.S. foreign policy more closely with Israel's interests as it wages wars against the Iran-backed Hamas and Hezbollah.
鈥淗e loves Israel, and likewise the people of Israel love him,鈥 Trump said in a statement. 鈥淢ike will work tirelessly to bring about peace in the Middle East.鈥
Huckabee, who ran unsuccessfully for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008 and 2016, has been a popular figure among evangelical Christian conservatives, many of whom support Israel due to Old Testament writings that Jews are God鈥檚 chosen people and that Israel is their rightful homeland.
Trump has been praised by some in this important Republican voting bloc for moving the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
Steven Witkoff, Special Envoy to the Middle East
Trump on Tuesday named real estate investor Steven Witkoff to be special envoy to the Middle East.
The 67-year-old Witkoff is the president-elect's golf partner and was golfing with him at Trump's club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sept. 15, when the former president was the target of a second attempted assassination.
Witkoff 鈥渋s a Highly Respected Leader in Business and Philanthropy,鈥 Trump said of Witkoff in a statement. 鈥淪teve will be an unrelenting Voice for PEACE, and make us all proud."
Trump also named Witkoff co-chair, with former Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler, of his inaugural committee.
Keith Kellogg, Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia
Trump said Wednesday that he will nominate Gen. Keith Kellogg to serve as assistant to the president and special envoy for Ukraine and Russia.
Kellogg, a retired Army lieutenant general who has long been Trump鈥檚 top adviser on defense issues, served as National Security Advisor to Trump's former Vice President Mike Pence.
For the America First Policy Institute, one of several groups formed after Trump left office to help lay the groundwork for the next Republican administration, Kellogg in April wrote that 鈥渂ringing the Russia-Ukraine war to a close will require strong, America First leadership to deliver a peace deal and immediately end the hostilities between the two warring parties.鈥
(AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)
Mike Waltz, National Security Adviser
Trump asked Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Fla., a retired Army National Guard officer and war veteran, to be his national security adviser, Trump announced in a statement Tuesday.
The move puts Waltz in the middle of national security crises, ranging from efforts to provide weapons to Ukraine and worries about the growing alliance between Russia and North Korea to the persistent attacks in the Middle East by Iran proxies and the push for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas and Hezbollah.
鈥淢ike has been a strong champion of my America First Foreign Policy agenda,鈥 Trump's statement said, "and will be a tremendous champion of our pursuit of Peace through Strength!鈥
Waltz is a three-term GOP congressman from east-central Florida. He served multiple tours in Afghanistan and also worked in the Pentagon as a policy adviser when Donald Rumsfeld and Robert Gates were defense chiefs.
He is considered hawkish on China, and called for a U.S. boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing due to its involvement in the origin of COVID-19 and its mistreatment of the minority Muslim Uighur population.
Stephen Miller, Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy
Stephen Miller, an聽, was a vocal spokesperson during the presidential campaign for Trump's priority of mass deportations. The 39-year-old was a senior adviser during Trump's first administration.
Miller has been a central figure in some of Trump's policy decisions, notably his move to separate thousands of immigrant families.
Trump argued throughout the campaign that the nation's economic, national security and social priorities could be met by deporting people who are in the United States illegally. Since Trump left office in 2021, Miller has served as the president of America First Legal, an organization made up of former Trump advisers aimed at challenging the Biden administration, media companies, universities and others over issues such as free speech and national security.
Tom Homan, 鈥楤order Czar鈥
Thomas Homan, 62,聽聽with Trump鈥檚 top priority of carrying out the largest deportation operation in the nation鈥檚 history.
Homan, who served under Trump in his first administration leading U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, was widely expected to be offered a position related to the border, an issue Trump made central to his campaign.
Though Homan has insisted such a massive undertaking would be humane, he has long been a loyal supporter of Trump's policy proposals, suggesting at a July conference in Washington that he would be willing to "run the biggest deportation operation this country鈥檚 ever seen.鈥
Democrats have criticized Homan for his defending Trump's 鈥渮ero tolerance鈥 policy on border crossings during his first administration, which led to the separation of thousands of parents and children seeking asylum at the border.
Dr. Mehmet Oz, Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services administrator
Dr. Mehmet Oz, 64, is a former heart surgeon who hosted 鈥淭he Dr. Oz Show,鈥 a long-running daytime television talk show. He ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate as the Republican nominee in 2022 and is an outspoken supporter of Trump, who endorsed Oz's bid for elected office.
Russell Vought, Office of Management and Budget
Russell Vought held the position during Trump鈥檚 first presidency.
After Trump鈥檚 initial term ended, Vought founded the Center for Renewing America, a think tank that describes its mission as 鈥渞enew a consensus of America as a nation under God.鈥
Vought was closely involved with Project 2025, a conservative blueprint for Trump鈥檚 second term that he tried to distance himself from during the campaign.
Vought has also previously worked as the executive and budget director for the Republican Study Committee, a caucus for conservative House Republicans. He also worked at Heritage Action, the political group tied to The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank.
Additional selections to the incoming White House
Dan Scavino, deputy chief of staff
Scavino, whom Trump's transition referred to in a statement as one of 鈥淭rump's longest serving and most trusted aides,鈥 was a senior adviser to Trump's 2024 campaign, as well as his 2016 and 2020 campaigns. He will be deputy chief of staff and assistant to the president.
Scavino had run Trump's social media profile in the White House during his first administration. He was also held in contempt of Congress in 2022 after a month-long refusal to comply with a subpoena from the House committee鈥檚 investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
James Blair, deputy chief of staff
Blair was political director for Trump's 2024 campaign and for the Republican National Committee. He will be deputy chief of staff for legislative, political and public affairs and assistant to the president.
Blair was key to Trump's economic messaging during his winning White House comeback campaign this year, a driving force behind the candidate's 鈥淭rump can fix it鈥 slogan and his query to audiences this fall if they were better off than four years ago.
Taylor Budowich, deputy chief of staff
Budowich is a veteran Trump campaign aide who launched and directed Make America Great Again, Inc., a super PAC that supported Trump's 2024 campaign. He will be deputy chief of staff for communications and personnel and assistant to the president.
Budowich also had served as a spokesman for Trump after his presidency.
Billy Long, Internal Revenue Service Commissioner
Former Rep. Long represented Missouri in the U.S. House from 2011 to 2023. Since leaving Congress, Trump said, Long 鈥渉as worked as a Business and Tax advisor, helping Small Businesses navigate the complexities of complying with the IRS Rules and Regulations.鈥
Jay Bhattacharya, National Institutes of Health
Trump has chosen Dr. Jay Bhattacharya to lead the National Institutes of Health. Bhattacharya is a physician and professor at Stanford University School of Medicine, and is a critic of pandemic lockdowns and vaccine mandates. He promoted the idea of herd immunity during the pandemic, arguing that people at low risk should live normally while building up immunity to COVID-19 through infection. The National Institutes of Health funds medical research through competitive grants to researchers at institutions throughout the nation. NIH also conducts its own research with thousands of scientists working at its labs in Bethesda, Maryland.
Dr. Marty Makary, Food and Drug Administration
Makary is a Johns Hopkins surgeon and author who argued against pandemic lockdowns. He routinely appeared on Fox News during the COVID-19 pandemic and wrote opinion articles questioning masks for children. He cast doubt on vaccine mandates but supported vaccines generally. Makary also cast doubt on whether booster shots worked, which was against federal recommendations on the vaccine.
Dr. Janette Nesheiwat,聽Surgeon General
Nesheiwat is a general practitioner who serves as medical director for CityMD, a network of urgent care centers in New York and New Jersey. She has been a contributor to Fox News.
Dr. Dave Weldon, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Weldon is a former Florida congressman who recently ran for a Florida state legislative seat and lost; Trump backed Weldon鈥檚 opponent.
In Congress, Weldon weighed in on one of the nation鈥檚 most heated debates of the 1990s over quality of life and a right-to-die and whether Terri Schiavo, who was in a persistent vegetative state after cardiac arrest, should have been allowed to have her feeding tube removed. He sided with the parents who did not want it removed.
Jamieson Greer, U.S. trade representative
Kevin Hassett,聽Director of the White House National Economic Council
Trump is turning to two officials with experience navigating not only Washington but the key issues of income taxes and tariffs as he fills out his economic team. He announced he has chosen international trade attorney Jamieson Greer to be his U.S. trade representative and Kevin Hassett as director of the White House National Economic Council. While Trump has in several cases nominated outsiders to key posts, these picks reflect a recognition that his reputation will likely hinge on restoring the public鈥檚 confidence in the economy.
Trump said in a statement that Greer was instrumental in his first term in imposing tariffs on China and others and replacing the trade agreement with Canada and Mexico, 鈥渢herefore making it much better for American Workers.鈥
Hassett, 62, served in the first Trump term as chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers. He has a doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania and worked at the right-leaning American Enterprise Institute before joining the Trump White House in 2017.
