President-elect Donald Trump and his team are wasting little time in focusing on how to staff a second administration.
Following his landslide victory Tuesday over Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump has been huddling with donors, family members, and advisers at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, the Washington Examiner reported.
Trump and his transition advisers have begun the process of vetting candidates to populate both his Cabinet and broader administration, Politico reported.
Trump’s transition is led by his sons, Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., Cantor Fitzgerald CEO Howard Lutnick, former Trump Small Business Administration Administrator Linda McMahon, former Democrat Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, and former independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Lutnick has been pulling names and resumes from Wall Street titans such as Stephen Schwarzman, Chuck Schwab, and Ross Perot Jr. to help scout for top positions, according to Politico.
With Republicans winning control of the Senate, the president-elect likely will have a fairly smooth path in confirming his Cabinet selections.
The Examiner reported senators already were talking with the campaign about holding hearings once the new Congress is sworn in Jan. 3, nearly 2½ weeks before Trump is inaugurated.
“As soon as possible, the Senate will start holding hearings for the Cabinet and other officials,” Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., wrote in a Daily Caller opinion column. “In 2017, we saw unprecedented obstruction by Democrats of President Trump’s nominees. This must not happen again.”
Kennedy Jr. (health and human services), North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (interior or energy secretary), and Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., (secretary of state) have been widely reported as possible Cabinet members.
Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson and former Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos are being considered for a return their respective office, Fox News reported. Also, former CIA Director and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo could be defense secretary.
Billionaire hedge fund investor John Paulson and economic adviser Scott Bessent are contenders for treasury secretary, The Washington Post reported.
Also, campaign adviser Susie Wiles and Brooke Rollins, who is part of a Trump-aligned outside group, are possibilities for chief of staff, the Post added.
The outlet added Sens. Mike Lee, R-Utah, Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., and former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe have been discussed for attorney general.
Kennedy Jr. and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis have suggested that Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo be considered for HHS secretary. Wednesday on X, DeSantis posted Ladapo’s photo and wrote, “Retweet if you’d like to see this man — Dr. Joseph Ladapo — serve as the Secretary of HHS in the new Trump administration. cc: @FLSurgeonGen.”
Former Trump national security adviser Robert O’Brien, at a recent luncheon, mentioned Sens. Rubio and Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., and former acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell as possibilities for secretary of state, and Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., as a possibility for secretary of defense, a Capitol staffer told Politico.
CNN reported Trump still had not signed memoranda of understanding with both the General Services Administration – which offers access to office space, communications, equipment, and IT support during the transition between administrations – and the White House, which provides access to agencies, including personnel, facilities, and documents.