Key points
- Trump will move back into White House on Monday
- He has named Marco Rubio as his choice for secretary of state
- Trump has tapped Musk, Ramaswamy to head “Department of Government Efficiency”
ISLAMABAD: United States (US) President-elect Donald Trump will move back into the White House on Monday after he formally becomes the 47th president of the United States.
The development takes place as all eyes are on Trump’s expected team as he picks Marco Rubio as his choice for secretary of state and former Fox News host Pete Hegseth as defence secretary.
Here is a list of key officials of the upcoming Trump administration.
Marco Rubio: Secretary of State
Donald Trump has named Marco Rubio as his choice for secretary of state. According to the Associated Press, Rubio was born in Miami and still calls the city his hometown.
In his first Senate campaign, he repeatedly reminded voters of his working-class background and “only in America” story as the son of Cuban immigrants who became an American senator.
Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy: Heads of Department of Government Efficiency
Donald Trump has tapped Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to head the “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) — an acronym.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk is the CEO of Tesla and cofounded seven companies, including Tesla, SpaceX, and artificial intelligence startup xAI, according to Forbes.
SpaceX was founded in 2002 while Musk bought Twitter in a $44 billion deal during 2022. Musk founded xAI in 2023.
He did Bachelor of Arts and Science from University of Pennsylvania
He has 11 Children, according to Forbes.
Vivek Ramaswamy
According to media reports, Vivek Ramaswamy was born August 9, 1985, Cincinnati, Ohio. He drew attention with his bid for the Republican nomination in the 2024 US presidential election.
However, he suspended his campaign in January 2024 and then endorsed Donald Trump.
Trump later announced that Ramaswamy and Elon Musk would head the Department of Government Efficiency.
Reports suggest Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg Shou Chew, the head of Chinese social media giant TikTok will attend the ceremony, according to US media.
Pete Hegseth: Secretary of Defence
Donald Trump has nominated former Fox News host Pete Hegseth as defence secretary. According to the Associated Press, Hegseth, 44, has developed a close rapport with Trump, who also reportedly considered him for a post in his first administration.
He is sharply critical of NATO allies, according to AP. He earned his degree from Princeton University in 2003.
Scott Bessent: Secretary of Treasury
Donald Trump has picked Scott Bessent as his next treasury secretary. In the past, he backed Democrats but latter on became an enthusiastic supporter of Donald Trump. He supports the decision to cut expenditures.
Before becoming a Trump donor and adviser, Bessent donated to various Democratic causes in the early 2000s, notably Al Gore’s presidential run, according to AP. He also worked for George Soros, a major supporter of Democrats in the past.
Howard Lutnick: Secretary of Commerce
Trump has named investor Howard Lutnick, the co-chair of his transition team, to lead the US commerce department, BBC reported.
According to BBC, Lutnick, a native of Long Island, New York, is a supporter of Trump. He also appeared on Trump’s reality TV show, The Apprentice, in 2008. Lutnick did his graduation from Haverford College.
Kristi Noem: Secretary of Homeland Security
Kristi Noem a two-term governor and former U.S. congresswoman, was chosen by the president-elect to lead the department responsible for key immigration and border-related actions, according to VOA.
She would replace outgoing DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
Elise Stefanik: Ambassador to the United Nations
President-elect Donald Trump has named Elise Stefanik to serve as the US ambassador to the United Nations, BBC reported.
Stefanik would replace UN Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, a career diplomat who worked for the US Foreign Service for 35 years.
Born and raised in upstate New York, she was the first member of her family to earn a college degree after graduating from Harvard University in 2006. Analysts view her as amongst the strong pro-Israeli figure in the new administration.
Scott Turner: Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
Donald Trump has tapped Scott Turner as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. He has worked on education at the America First Policy Institute, according to the NPR.
He has been recently been chief visionary officer at the multifamily housing developer JPI.
Lee Zeldin: Head of the Environmental Protection Agency
Trump has named Lee Zeldin as Head of the Environmental Protection Agency. He was part of the U.S. House of Representatives’ Climate Solutions Caucus, a bipartisan group of lawmakers, according to the NPR.
He often voted against environmental legislation in Congress. He pledged to reverse New York’s ban on the oil and gas drilling technique known as fracking during an unsuccessful run for governor in 2022.
