Trump's 10 Most Controversial Government Cabinet Picks REVEALED
Elise Stefanik
United States Ambassador to the United Nations
As you’ll see throughout this video, Trump’s Cabinet appointees largely consist of those who have proven themselves loyal to the president-elect. Stefanik, the firebrand house rep from New York’s 21st district, is a good example of this. The congresswoman has made considerable efforts to cozy up to the 45th and 47th president, having been a vocal opponent of Trump’s first impeachment and refusing to certify the results of the 2020 election, which former Vice President and Delaware senator Joe Biden won. Stefanik is perhaps best-known for her involvement in the December 5th, 2023 congressional hearing on antisemitism. Her questioning saw Liz Magill and Claudine Gay, the presidents of the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard respectively, stepping down.
Elon Musk
Commissioner of the Department of Government Efficiency
Yeah, you’ve heard of this guy. It seemed all but guaranteed that Musk would be promised a Cabinet role in a potential second Trump presidency. The world’s richest man’s loyalty paid off, and he was handsomely rewarded with a brand-new presidential advisory commission: the Department of Government Efficiency — or DOGE, for short — which aims to cut $2 trillion of waste from the federal budget. It’s important to note, though, that this almost certainly will not constitute a new department, which would require congressional approval. Trump also recruited another billionaire — Roivant Sciences founder Vivek Ramaswamy — to co-lead DOGE. Hopefully they can put aside warring egos and play nice!
John Ratcliffe
Director of the Central Intelligence Agency
Trump has a history with his pick for CIA head. Ratcliffe previously served as the mayor of Heath, Texas, before serving as a Texas house rep and then Director of National Intelligence under the president-elect during his first term, holding the office from May 2020 to January 2021. 45’s first attempt to nominate Ratcliffe to that office was met with widespread criticism by senate Republicans, who raised concerns about Ratcliffe’s overwhelming loyalty to Trump and his prosecutorial achievements, which they claimed were exaggerated from their actual significance. While Ratcliffe withdrew from consideration at this time, Trump was able to successfully appoint him to the position of National Intelligence director the following year.
Kristi Noem
United States Secretary of Homeland Security
South Dakota’s first female governor benefited substantially from a Trump endorsement while running for her first term in 2018. Noem first began to build a national profile during the COVID-19 pandemic, following the president’s lead in choosing to eschew mask mandates, social distancing, and lockdowns in her state. In fact, Noem spent $5 million worth of taxpayer money to fund a 2020 tourism campaign for South Dakota. While Noem was, at one point, on Trump’s vice presidential shortlist, she eventually lost out to Ohio senator JD Vance, after a series of public scandals — including an excerpt from her memoir in which the governor admitted to pointlessly euthanizing her family dog — caused the Trump campaign to distance themselves from her.
Lee Zeldin
Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency
Possibly the most obscure member of Trump’s Cabinet announced to date, Zeldin may be more familiar to voters in the state of New York. Like Elise Stefanik, Zeldin was a member of the House of Representatives from New York’s first district, representing eastern Long Island. The former congressman rose to national prominence following his candidacy for the 2020 New York gubernatorial election, in which he reportedly visited every New York county twice. Also like Stefanik, Zeldin has emerged as a staunch Trump ally, prominently supporting Trump’s “Stop the Steal” claims. While Zeldin became the Republican nominee and outperformed expectations for a right-winger in a blue state, he lost the election to incumbent governor Kathy Hochul.
Marco Rubio
United States Secretary of State
Long gone are the days of “Little Marco.” Sorry, we’ll back up: it’s more than a little amusing to consider the trajectory of Senator Rubio and President-elect Trump’s complex relationship. Rubio originally emerged as a rival to Trump in the 2016 Republican presidential primaries, where the two repeatedly clashed. These clashes often deteriorated into full-on mud-slinging and name-calling, which is why it was in stark contrast to Trump’s actual presidency, when Rubio made it a point to support him. Rubio wasn’t quite as gung-ho about Trump’s refusal to accept his loss to Joe Biden as some of his fellow appointees, but this didn’t stop the Florida senator from being handpicked by Trump as his Secretary of State.
Matt Gaetz
United States Attorney General
To say that this controversial Florida house rep was a wild choice would be vastly underselling it. Gaetz is hardly liked even by members of the Republican Party, who set off alarm bells after Trump announced his intention to appoint him to head the Department of Justice. According to the New York Times, Gaetz has been accused of “illicit drug use, sharing inappropriate images and videos on the House floor, misusing state identification records, converting campaign funds for personal use, and accepting impermissible gifts.” The congressman has often brushed off credible claims of misconduct against him as targeted efforts by the “Deep State.” A report detailing these accusations against him was set to be released two days after Gaetz resigned his position to accept Trump’s nomination.
Pete Hegseth
United States Secretary of Defense
It’s almost surprising that it’s taken this long for Trump to dive into the talent bench at Fox News, which has routinely praised the president-elect and attacked his detractors. Hegseth, a veteran of the Army National Guard, has worked with Trump before, vocally supporting Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and advising him on certain matters during his first term. The Fox & Friends Weekend host was even strongly considered as a frontrunner to run the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, ultimately losing out on the role to David Shulkin. Hegseth’s nomination reportedly blindsided everyone from Department of Defense employees to advisors on Trump’s team; his name hadn’t even appeared on the initial shortlist for the role. According to an anonymous defense official who spoke to CNN, “Everyone is simply shocked.”
Tulsi Gabbard
Director of National Intelligence
Gabbard has embarked a long, complicated political journey since becoming the youngest woman ever elected to the Hawaii House of Representatives in 2002. Elected as a Hawaii house rep in 2012, Gabbard served in that role until 2021, following her unsuccessful 2020 bid for the Democratic presidential nomination. Gabbard adopted increasingly conservative positions and appeared on Republican-friendly talk shows on Fox News and registered as an independent before settling on the Republican Party in 2024. After endorsing Trump for president in 2024 and being named honorary co-chair of his campaign, Gabbard was selected by the president-elect to fill the role that had formerly been held by John Ratcliffe.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
United States Secretary of Health and Human Services
When Trump said he’d let Kennedy “go wild” on health and medicine (provided he didn’t interfere with matters of the environment), he really wasn’t joking around. Indeed, by placing a fierce advocate of anti-vaccine activism in the nation’s top advisory position on improving America’s well-being, Trump has made clear that his administration will be anything but traditional. Kennedy had previously sought the Democratic nomination against Joe Biden, but suspended his campaign in August 2024 after switching to an independent run (citing low numbers). Days later, he endorsed Trump and frequently appeared alongside the 45th president on the campaign trail. Kennedy’s appointment is sure to be controversial and face backlash from both sides of the aisle.
https://www.cnn.com/2024/11/14/politics/robert-f-kennedy-donald-trump-hhs/index.html
What do you think of President-elect Trump’s Cabinet appointees? Be sure to let us know in the comments!
