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Trump’s Nominees: The Final List
With so many names floating around, it’s been hard to keep track of Donald Trump’s cabinet and cabinet-level nominees. I created a table with all of the President-elect’s choices.
Cabinet
| Agriculture | Sonny Perdue |  |
| Attorney General | Sen. Jeff Sessions |  |
| Central Intelligence | Rep. Mike Pompeo |  |
| Commerce | Wilbur Ross |  |
| Defense | Gen. James Mattis |  |
| Education | Betsy DeVos |  |
| Energy | Gov. Rick Perry |  |
| Health and Human Services | Rep. Tom Price |  |
| Homeland Security | Gen. John Kelly |  |
| Housing and Urban Development | Ben Carson |  |
| Interior | Rep. Ryan Zinke |  |
| Labor | Andrew Puzder |  |
| State | Rex Tillerson |  |
| Transportation | Elaine Chao |  |
| Treasury | Steven Mnuchin |  |
| Veterans Affairs | David Shulkin |  |
Cabinet-level officials
| Ambassador to the United Nations | Gov. Nikki Haley |  |
| Chief of Staff | Reince Priebus |  |
| Chief Strategist | Steve Bannon |  |
| Director, National Economic Council | Gary Cohn |  |
| Director, National Intelligence | Dan Coats |  |
| Environmental Protection Agency | Okla. AG Scott Pruitt |  |
| National Security Advisor | Gen. Michael Flynn |  |
| Office of Management and Budget | Rep. Mick Mulvaney |  |
| Press Secretary | Sean Spicer |  |
| Small Business Administration | Linda McMahon |  |
| Trade Representative | Robert Lighthizer |  |
| White House Counsel | Donald McGahn II |  |
Every time that word gets used, Trump Tower gets a little brighter.
My take:
Good: Sessions, Mattis, DeVos, Price, Haley, Pruitt
Bad: Mnuchin, Bannon
Everyone else is wait-and-see, though I’m tempted to list McMahon as good for sheer chutzpah/entertainment value. :)
Was really hoping there was a spot for ‘Chainsaw’ Al Dunlop.
Bigly Great!
Not sure if this has already been covered in the comments but I am fairly certain the EPA Administrator is among the positions that must be confirmed by the Senate.
@exjon I mentioned a moment ago that the EPA Administrator requires Senate confirmation but it looks as though that position is not the only one marked as not needing Senate confirmation which actually does. I just did a spot check and National Security Adviser and SBA Administrator both require Senate confirmation. I suspect most or all of the positions you list do need confirmation.
A comprehensive list from the Congressional Research Service can be found here for all of the Senate-confirmed positions.
Yeah, the United States should speak up about human rights frequently, especially when it is…
Did the Obama administration ever speak up about human rights other that gay rights and that sort of thing? The United States should speak up for certain Christians (and Jews) who have been ignored for so long in certain dictatorships.
You are correct. I have edited the piece to reflect this.
They didn’t even do that. The worst offenders on that front were Muslim countries whom political correctness made untouchable.
Russia isn’t calling the shots, but it’s being run by a vicious dictator who has already literally invaded two countries with very little consequence and is strong supporter of some of the most anti-American bad actors in the Middle East. It’s more than reasonable to be concerned about how the Trump administration is shaping up in regards to how they are going to handle this national security threat.
It feels like we might be seeing a bit of a role reversal where we have elements of the American right who are supportive of the Russian dictatorship and/or downplay the threat. During the Cold War, it was the Left that was doing that.
Oh. Goooooooooooood.
I would hope that State picks are based on more than whose cornflakes get [expletived] in. I still think it’s weird that somebody who has had a lot of experience in foreign policy like Bolton would get passed over because some other guy had made business deals with Russian interests. Russian petroleum interests that our growing national fuel production will hopefully pound into irrelevance.
I don’t get why this guy in particular. He’s not awful, but there were some really good picks on the menu
I guess my question is, “Who honestly thinks that among those being discussed Tillerson is the best possible pick?”
I’m sure if he gets the nod certain people will call it the most brilliant move since the last cabinet pick, but does anybody really think he’s the best man for the job right now?
Or maybe the Right would like to downplay this issue at the moment since the Left has lost their mind and will use this issue to overturn the election. Personally I am skeptical of all this Trump is a Russian stooge gambit until I actually see Trump’s administration do something that looks like they are favoring Russia as opposed of a bunch of accusations with no bases. So far the Left / NeverTrump is painting Trump as a traitor and he has yet to be sworn into office.
I agree on Bolton. He was always my first choice. Hopefully he is still in the picture and will be the second at State. Tillerson is an out of the box pick, no doubt. But to say he has no foreign policy experience is to totally ignore that Exxon is bigger than most countries and is doing business all over the world. I have heard people diss Trump for not “draining the swamp” because some of his picks have been in government. Well this one is certainly new blood, but very well connected. We are all just speculating anyway. More needs to be known about him for sure.
It’s why you have Senate confirmation hearings. We’ll know more soon enough. He could end up being an inspired choice or something….less.
I think the opposite. His government picks (Sessions, Haley, Price, etc.) have been really good. It’s when he goes outside the box that I start to worry. One Goldman Sachs guy I can live with, but three?
“Drain the swamp,” doesn’t just refer to the bureaucracy; it also means addressing crony capitalism. That his non-government picks all come directly from Wall Street is cause for concern on this front.
Who are the 3 Goldman Sachs guys?
Cohn, Mnuchin, and Bannon.
Oh…Bannon. Yes, he last worked at Goldman Sachs in 1986, correct? And Mnuchin has been away for a while also. Cohn is the only one with current status at GS, isn’t that correct? Or do you not think that makes any difference…once Goldman Sachs, always Goldman Sachs. I really don’t know. You may be right
I don’t know either, and I hope I’m wrong.
I don’t want to seem like I’m painting Trump as a traitor. I’m not exasperated with the man himself here, more the idea that people would start ignoring or downplaying Russia’s flaws in order to protect Trump’s political capital.
What’s hilarious about the role reversal is that it’s taken place so quickly and for purely domestic partisan reasons.
At least the split in America on the Cold War was ideological, and was not directly on party lines (if anything, most of the US architects of the Cold War were Democrats initially). Now the Democrats are scambling to pick up any cudgel to beat Trump over the head with and are using Russia like this because they’ve got no other clue what to do.
Thanks for the list, Mr. Ed. I like all the nominees. But frankly, I am sick of the stupid noise on the airways about Tillerson’s Russian connections and about Russian interference in the election. Never one to sit on my hands because it is so uncomfortable, I did my own investigation. Here is my report:
http://ricochet.com/396494/sheriff-boris-badenov/
I will not be having a press conference on this, because I need to get some rest. MH
I believe this puts Rick Perry in charge of nuclear weapon production.
Here’s an interesting comparison of the average years of academic/government experience for presidential cabinets:
Reagan – 6.9 years
Obama – 17 years
Trump – 6.8 years
Source: http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/the-administration/310103-a-tale-of-two-cabinets-obamas-cronies-vs-trumps
I do hope that is a joke.
Thanks for putting that together. It’s a good reference.
I thought Carly Fiorina was getting one. Has that not been announced officially?