On November 8, 2016, republican nominee Donald J. Trump became president-elect of the United States. It was an outcome that raised panic and controversy countrywide, if not worldwide. It sent citizens and world leaders into spiraling uncertainty, and despite numerous displays of public outcry among rumors of foreign interference, Trump’s inauguration on January 20 is drawing closer and closer. So, with no signs of foreseeable change in the future, it’s time that we — as Americans —begin to embrace and prepare for the impact a Trump presidency may have on our country.
To ready ourselves, we must first recognize that Trump will still be held to the same expectations and procedures as all of his predecessors. He will have a set list of duties to complete before his inauguration, among which is the nomination process for his presidential cabinet. This cabinet is generally comprised of 14 department secretaries, the attorney general, the vice president and six other positions (including the White House Chief of Staff and the Head of the Environmental Protection Agency). At the time of this article’s inception, Trump has made nominations for the following positions, all of which will ultimately require confirmation from the Senate.
When and if they are approved, however, these will be the people responsible for providing presidential advice in their related positions and leading national as well as international policy creation and execution. So, what exactly does this influential group of people look like under a Trump administration?
1. Vice President: Michael Richard Pence.
Michael Pence is the current Governor of the state of Indiana. A law degree graduate, he has served in both the United States Congress and House of Representatives. In the past, Pence has positioned himself as a principled supporter of the Tea Party movement. He is a staunch opponent of abortion and has been seeking to defund Planned Parenthood since 2007. Pence has also opposed efforts to expand LGBTQ+ civil rights, advocating that federal resources be directed toward institutions which provide conversion therapy.
2. Attorney General: Jeff Sessions.
Jeff Sessions is a U.S. Senator from Alabama and has represented his state since 1997. It’s worth noting that Sessions was the first sitting senator to endorse Trump's presidential campaign. In 1986, Sessions was nominated by President Regan to be a federal judge in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama, but Sessions could not get past Senate confirmation for the position after allegations surfaced that he had made racist comments (which he denied). As Attorney General of Alabama, Sessions worked to prohibit both the recognition and funding of student Gay-Straight Alliances at state universities.
3. Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency: Scott Pruitt.
Scott Pruitt is a politician and lawyer from the state of Oklahoma. A fierce EPA critic, Pruitt has actually sued the agency in the past over its regulations concerning power plants. He is a firm denier of climate change, writing in the May issue of the National Review that "the debate is far from settled" over whether or not human activity has contributed to global warming.
4. CIA Director: Mike Pompeo.
Mike Pompeo is a congressman from Kansas. He has graduated from both West Point and Harvard Law School. Pompeo has criticized the Obama administration's decision to end the CIA's secret prisons ("black sites") and the administration's requirement that all interrogators adhere to anti-torture laws. He is also opposed to the closure of Guantánamo Bay and supports the National Security Agency's surveillance programs.
5. UN Ambassador: Nikki Haley.
Nikki Haley is the first woman to serve as Governor of South Carolina. She is also one of the few minorities present in Trump’s cabinet (Indian) and is one of four women nominated thus far. Impressive as this is, it is worth noting that as nominee for UN Ambassador, Haley does not hold any experience relating to or working with foreign policy.
6. Small Business Administration: Linda McMahon.
Linda McMahon is the co-founder of the professional wrestling franchise WWE. She is also a former Republican Senate candidate from Connecticut. McMahon lost both her 2010 and 2012 bids for Senate, later committing herself to becoming a major fundraiser and donor for the Republican Party. Over the course of the election, the McMahon family donated $5 million to Donald Trump's charity, the Donald J. Trump Foundation, and $200,000 to Future 45, an anti-Bernie Sanders SuperPac.
7. Secretary of Defense: Gen. James Mattis.
James Mattis is a retired Marine General from Washington. A key figure of the Iraq war, Mattis led troops and oversaw U.S. Central Command. A retired four-star General, he was praised for his leadership of Marines in 2004 after the Battle of Falluja in Iraq, but Mattis also attracted controversy in 2005 when he said "It's fun to shoot some people" while addressing service members in San Diego. To be eligible for a spot on Trump’s cabinet, Mattis would be required to obtain a waiver from Congress. Service members must usually wait seven years before being eligible for such a position.
8. Secretary of the Treasury: Steven Mnuchin.
Steven Mnuchin is both the Co-Chairman and CEO of Dune Capital Management, valued at a net worth of about $40 million according to Fox Business. An employee of Goldman Sachs for 17 years, he is also a Hollywood producer (Suicide Squad, anyone?). In the past, he has financially contributed to both Republican and Democratic candidates, including both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Mnuchin has also given to Charles Schumer, the new Democratic leader in the Senate.
9. Secretary of Commerce: Wilbur Ross.
Wilbur Louis Ross, chairman of WL Ross & Co., has been a vocal Trump supporter since long before the election. He’s an investor and former banker, known best for restructuring failed companies in industries such as steel, coal and telecommunications. Ross specializes in leveraged buyouts, and his firm scored huge returns in the last 10 years by gathering together bankrupt steel makers.
10. Secretary of Labor: Andrew Puzder.
Andrew Puzder is CEO of CKE Restaurants, responsible for fast food chains such as Carl's Jr. and Hardee's. Puzder is a vocal critic of government regulation and strongly opposes ideas such as a $15 minimum wage, broader overtime pay and the Affordable Care Act. Puzder has been the CEO of CKE Restaurants since 2000, and while he's credited with turning around the Hardee's brand, his company has also been accused of numerous labor violations and has been fielded countless complaints in regards to sexist commercials.
11. Secretary of Education: Betsy DeVos.
Betsy DeVos is an education activist and prominent member of the Republican Party from Michigan. Known for her advocacy of school choice and voucher programs, DeVos served as chairwoman of the Michigan Republican Party from 1996 to 2000. Betsy DeVos currently chairs the American Federation for Children, a group that promotes charter school education as opposed to public school education.
12. Secretary of Health and Human Services: Tom Price.
Tom Price is an American physician and politician serving in Georgia’s House of Representatives. Price spent about 20 years in private practice as an orthopedic surgeon before entering politics and is a strong opponent of Obamacare. The most recent bill, the Empowering Patients First Act of 2015, would limit the use of federal funds to pay for abortions and protect health care providers who don't want to perform abortions for religious reasons.
13. Secretary of State: Rex Tillerson.
Rex Tillerson is the CEO of ExxonMobil, a multinational oil and gas corporation based out of Irving, Texas. While Tillerson is more of a businessman than a politician himself, he has been a longtime contributor to multiple Republican campaigns. According to the FEC, he has given $442,284.50 in direct contributions since 2003 and $72,200 in joint fundraising contributions. All of this, of course, is pocket change for a company valued at $73.7 billion.
14. Secretary of Homeland Security: Gen. John Kelly.
Retired Gen. John Kelly is the former head of U.S. Southern Command. He was previously responsible for managing security threats posed by criminal drug networks in South and Central America as well as overseeing operations at Guantanamo Bay. Kelly is most likely to play a significant role in the implementation of Trump’s proposed border wall, and has previously discussed the threat of drug trafficking along the country’s southern border.
15. Secretary of Energy: Rick Perry.
Rick Perry is the former Governor of Texas, and while he was the first of the 2016 Republicans to vocally criticize Trump, he was also among the first among former rivals to endorse him. The position Perry has since been nominated for is actually one of the three departments he said he'd eliminate from the federal government when he ran for president in 2012. A questionable decision, which most likely cost him the race, as the Department of Energy handles policies regarding safety in handling nuclear material.
16. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development: Ben Carson.
A retired surgeon from Detroit, Michigan, Ben Carson is another 2016 Republican turned Trump supporter. Carson has never held a government position before and ran for president based largely on his qualifications as a surgeon. It’s difficult to say what exactly he’ll be bringing to the table as the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, especially with an income of over $8 million.
17. Secretary of Transportation: Elaine Chao.
Elaine Chao is a former Labor Secretary and has had a long history of working in Washington. She was the first woman of Asian descent to be in a presidential Cabinet under President George W. Bush. She has also been CEO of the United Way and director of the Peace Corps. Additionally, Chao worked at banks in San Francisco and New York.
If you've made it to the bottom of this list, I commend you. It's by no means an easy or light read, but one which should hopefully leave you feeling more prepared for a Trump presidency. This cabinet is stacked with wealthy Americans, many of which have never held a political office before, and it's important that we understand who these people are.
Of course, I can only go so far with my research in this article, and I encourage everyone do to more research for themselves. It's our job as the American people to speak truth to power, and there's never been a better time to do so then now.
