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Just days after winning the US election by a landslide, US President-elect Donald Trump is already on a recruitment drive. His inauguration will take place only on January 6, but Trump, a man on a mission, is busy shaping his team. And the early picks show his intent to work on key but contentious issues like immigration and national security. As Trump prepares to walk the campaign talk, India might benefit in respect to China and Canada.
Following his victory speech on Wednesday, Trump wasted no time in naming Susie Wiles as his White House chief of staff in just two days. He signalled that he was ready for business.
By appointing 'border czar' Tom Homan to oversee immigration and the hawkish China-critic Mike Waltz as the Security Advisor, Trump is walking the talk, proving he's serious about his promises.
With tech-mogul Elon Musk always by his side, Trump's second act is taking shape.
Unlike Donald Trump's first Presidential term, this time he would be looking to fulfil the promises he made and the agendas of securing the borders, mending the economy and cutting immigration. This time, he also has the numerical strength in both the House and the Senate to back his plans.
Based on the latest reports and speculations, here are some individuals who have been either confirmed or are under consideration for key roles in Donald Trump's next administration.
MIKE WALTZ, CHINA AND CANADA CRITIC, TRUMP'S NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR
US President-elect Donald Trump has tapped Mike Waltz, who leads the India Caucus, to serve as his Security Advisor.
Walz is known for his anti-China and anti-Trudeau stance. And this is why India is likely to benefit.
The 50-year-old war veteran is expected to adopt a tough stance on national security, in line with Trump's promises to bolster American security.
Waltz, a staunch Trump supporter, has been vocal in his criticism of China's actions in the Asia-Pacific region, stressing the importance of the US being prepared for a potential conflict there.
Mike Waltz has on several occasions reiterated the importance of India to the US, according to news agency ANI. In 2023, Waltz travelled to India to take in the Independence Day celebrations, and praised PM Narendra Modi.
Calling India an integral partner for security, Waltz had earlier said, "As a nuclear power with more than 1 million troops, a growing navy, a top-tier space programme, and a proven history of economic and military cooperation with the United States, India would make a strong ally. It would enable the United States to form a real deterrent to potential terrorist threats in Afghanistan as well as counter China".
On the Canada front, too, the appointment of Waltz could mean a positive sign for India.
Earlier in June, he had slammed Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and "happily predicted the demise of his government in the next election".
While sharing a video of Canadian opposition leader Pierre Poilievre taking a dig at Trudeau’s housing policies, he described it as "worth a watch".
"This guy is going to send Trudeau packing in 2025 (finally) and start digging Canada out of the progressive mess it's in," Waltz posted on the X in June.
Canada has been engaged in a diplomatic conflict with India under Trudeau's watch. The Canadian PM, without any evidence, alleged India's role in the killing of a Khalistani terrorist in Canada.
Waltz will have to navigate several geopolitical conflicts that Trump's administration will inherit in his second term, including the Ukraine-Russia war and the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
Waltz, a former policy staffer in the Bush White House, is expected to adopt a foreign policy approach similar to that of Trump's former Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, according to a CNN report.
MARCO RUBIO, NOMINATED SECRETARY OF STATE, IS ANTI-CHINA
Trump has named Senator Marco Rubio as his nominee for Secretary of State, as he is quickly filling his foreign policy and national security team. If confirmed, Rubio would be the first Latino to serve as America’s top diplomat once Trump takes over in January.
Rubio has staked out a position as a foreign policy hawk, taking hard lines on China, Iran, Venezuela and Cuba in particular, according to a report in the New York Times.
The Secretary of State in the US equates to the minister of foreign affairs.
Following his initial distance with Trump, he recently echoed Trump on Russia's war in Ukraine, calling it a stalemate that "needs to be concluded." Rubio was also close to being Trump's running mate, until JD Vance was picked for the VPs post. He had in 2019 criticised Trump for proposing to withdraw American troops from Syria and Afghanistan.
Rubio, who co-chaired the bipartisan CongressionalExecutive Commission on China, focussed on tough policies, especially against human rights abuses in Xinjiang.
In 2020, he sponsored a bill to block imports of Chinese goods made with forced Uyghur labour, which US President Biden signed into law in 2021.
POLL ARCHITECT SUSIE WILES TO PUT WHITE HOUSE IN ORDER
Trump made his first key appointment on Thursday, naming Susie Wiles, the architect of his remarkable political comeback, as White House Chief of Staff. Sixty-seven-year-old Wiles, now undoubtedly his most trusted adviser, became the first woman to ever hold the position.
Trump called Wiles "tough, smart, innovative, universally admired and respected", who has a decades-long history as a successful Republican strategist and campaign manager. She played a crucial role in Trump's 2016 and 2024 presidential campaigns, particularly in securing key wins in Florida. Earlier, she had also helped Ronald Reagan, Rick Scott, and Ron DeSantis, in winning elections.
"She is brilliant, tough, strategic," Florida's Democratic Representative Jared Moskowitz wrote on Thursday, adding, "She will serve the country well."
Given Trump's history of high turnover among his chiefs of staff during his first administration, the appointment of Wiles, who is known for her stability and endurance, indicates a desire for continuity and stability in his second term.
'BORDER CZAR' HOMAN VOWED TO DEPORT ILLEGAL ALIENS
Trump on Sunday picked Tom Homan, the former acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), to head the country's borders in his new administration.
Homan will be "in charge of our nation's borders ('The Border Czar'), including, but not limited to, the Southern Border, the Northern Border, all Maritime, and Aviation Security," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Homan's appointment has shot into prominence as Trump had a campaign, loud on mass deportations of illegal migrants and housing them in camps. His tough stance was earlier revealed when he separated immigrant families, taking away kids from their parents.
"A message for the millions of illegal aliens who Joe Biden allowed to enter the country in violation of federal law, start packing, because you're going home," Homan said earlier at the Republican Convention in Milwaukee.
"Trump comes back in January, I'll be on his heels coming back," Homan said in July. "And I will run the biggest deportation force this country has ever seen."
"America just got 20x safer," wrote Gen Z activist CJ Pearson on X, congratulating his "friend" Tom Homan.
NEW YORK REPUBLICAN TO BE US VOICE AT UNITED NATIONS
President-elect Donald Trump has extended the position of US Ambassador to the United Nations to Representative Elise Stefanik, and the New York Republican has accepted, reported CBS News, quoting a senior source familiar with the presidential transition.
Elise, who Donald Trump calls, "an incredibly strong, tough, and smart America First fighter", is set to assume the role previously held by Republican Nikki Haley during Trump's first administration.
Indian-origin Haley ran against Trump during the Republican primaries, harshly criticising him and portraying herself as the candidate best suited to defeat Joe Biden. However, after exiting the race in March, Haley endorsed Trump.
Now, Trump said that his former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley will not be part of his new administration.
A UN critic, Stefanik has gained attention for her questioning in congressional committees, initially during Trump's 2019 impeachment hearings and later this year when she challenged college leaders over anti-Semitism on campuses, according to a BBC report.
During campus protests across the US, when Republicans criticised university presidents for not doing enough to combat anti-Jewish sentiment, Stefanik emerged as one of the most vocal critics.
With Trump appointing pro-Israeli Stefanik to the multilateral international body, it is a clear indication that he intends to fulfill his promises to staunchly back Israel on the global stage and take a tougher stance.
Earlier, Stefanik, while speaking at the Knesset (Israeli parliament), demanded the US support Israel "without conditions".
In addition to Susie Wiles, Tom Homan, and Elise Stefanik, who are reportedly set to join the Trump Administration on January 20, there are also two dozen other names circulating in media reports and social media.
ELON MUSK A MUST, ROBERT KENNEDY JR MAY BE IN TOO
Elon Musk, who emerged as the biggest backer of Trump during the campaign, is one of the names. Trump in September said that he would establish a government efficiency commission, led by billionaire Elon Musk, if he won the November election.
Another name being discussed by some of Trump's allies for a key position is Robert F. Kennedy Jr, who is reportedly on a shortlist to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, according to a CBS report. Kennedy Jr, who was called "anti-science" for his "fringe public health stances" by the Democrats, earlier ran as the President as an Independent before supporting Trump.
Kennedy Jr earlier told Fox News that, "the president would fight like hell to make that happen", given he wanted to become the HHS secretary.
With other faces like Mike Davis and Christopher Miller in the mix, Trump's second term appears set to be defined by his policies on immigration, public health, and national security, further solidifying his resolve to walk the talk.
Published On:
Nov 12, 2024
