NEW YORK: President-elect Donald Trump, who also made his name in the world of reality TV, is now looking to stars of the small screen to handpick ultra-loyal celebrity newscasters and hosts to staff his incoming administration.

Pete Hegseth, Trump’s pick to run the Pentagon, plies his trade on Fox News during the weekend, while the billionaire’s choice to oversee the sprawling public insurance system is none other than TV medic “Dr Oz”. Trump’s education secretary will be Linda McMahon, a long-time star and executive of the staged and scripted WWE wrestling brand, whereas Sean Duffy, an MTV reality star turned Fox Business host, will run the transportation department.

Alongside Hegseth and Duffy at the cabinet table will be Tom Homan, Trump’s “border czar” tasked with overseeing the promised mass-expulsion of undocumented migrants, who became a vocal defender of Trump’s immigration policies on Fox after his stint leading the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency during Trump’s first term.

Fox News declined to comment.

Reality TV talent pool ‘plundered’ for top jobs

However, his announced choices other than stars of the small screen for some key positions include Marco Rubio.

State secretary, NSA

Trump tapped US Senator Marco Rubio to be his secretary of state, putting the Florida-born politician on track to be the first Latino to serve as the United States’ top diplomat.

Rubio, 53, was arguably the most hawkish option on Trump’s shortlist for secretary of state. The senator has in past years advocated for a muscular foreign policy with respect to US geopolitical foes, including China, Iran and Cuba.

Trump also picked Mike Waltz, a Republican US representative, to be national security adviser. Waltz, 50, a retired Army Green Beret, has criticised Chinese activity in the Asia-Pacific and voiced the need for the US to be ready for a potential conflict in the region.

The national security adviser is a powerful role that does not require Senate confirmation.

Trump picked former Florida attorney general Pam Bondi on the day his previous choice Matt Gaetz withdrew from consideration in the face of opposition from Senate Republicans over his past conduct. Bondi was the top law enforcement officer of the third most populous state from 2011 to 2019.

Trump’s inner circle has described the attorney general as the most important member of the administration after Trump himself.

Besides, Trump named Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democratic representative and critic of the Biden administration, as his director of national intelligence. If confirmed, she would become the top official in the US intelligence community after Trump starts his second term in January.

Trump chose former independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an environmental activist who has spread misinformation about the dangers of vaccines, to lead the top health agency.

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem has been picked to serve as the next homeland security secretary, Trump said. Noem, 52, rose to national prominence after refusing to impose a mask mandate during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Musk, Ramaswamy

Trump named tech billionaire Elon Musk and former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy to lead a newly created Department of Government Efficiency, rewarding two of his well-known supporters from the private sector.

Trump said Musk, 53, and Ramaswamy, 39, would reduce government bureaucracy and restructure federal agencies.

Howard Lutnick, 63, the co-chair of Trump’s transition effort and the longtime chief executive of financial services firm Cantor Fitzgerald, has been picked to head the commerce department.

Also, Trump announced he had appointed Lee Zeldin, a staunch Trump ally and former congressman from New York state, as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.

He announced that Susie Wiles as his White House chief of staff, Elise Stefanik as ambassador to the UN, John Ratcliffe as CIA director and Todd Blanche as deputy attorney general.

Among the contenders for the key position of treasury secretary are Kevin Warsh, Marc Rowan, Bill Hagerty, Scott Bessent, Robert Lighthizer.

On the other hand, Kash Patel, 44, is potential candidate for national security posts or FBI director.

A former Republican House staffer who served in various high-ranking staff roles in the defense and intelligence communities during Trump’s first term, Kash Patel frequently appeared on the campaign trail to rally support for Trump in his latest presidential bid.

Any position requiring Senate confirmation may be a challenge, however.

During Trump’s first term, Patel, seen as the ultimate Trump loyalist, drew animosity from some more experienced national security officials, who saw him as volatile and too eager to please the then-president.

Published in Dawn, November 23rd, 2024