As of December 2024, Donald Trump is projected to win the 2024 election and to be put into office as the 47th president on January 20, 2025, inauguration day. You may or may not already know that Trump has numerous plans for the country, most prominently, Project 2025 and Agenda 47. Stories about those two plans and what it means for Marshall students will also be featured here. Trump’s presidency also means that he has to appoint new heads of executive departments for his presidential cabinet. The members of the Cabinet are the president’s advisors. In other words, they are people who offer guidance to the president on subjects relating to their respective department. For example, the secretary of state, which handles foreign affairs, will work with Trump on the topic of foreign services.
However, president-elect Trump’s presidential nominations have riled up a good amount of controversy for several reasons. Some candidates are involved in some controversy, one nominee, Matt Gaetz, who was nominated as attorney general, withdrew as he was embroiled in an alleged sexual scandal. Another reason for the controversy is that some nominees have been argued to not be the best qualified to lead in their respective department. A great deal of Trump’s cabinet nominations have backgrounds in being Trump loyalists of some sort, instead of being dedicated and qualified professionals. For example, the nominee for Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, is a Fox News host and former National Army Guard officer. Americans and politicians alike are concerned that the person who might be in charge of our national security is known for being a news host with minimal experience with defending the nation. Even some Republicans themselves question the possibility of Hegseth as the head of the Department of State. Additionally, many nominees have relations to Fox News as hosts or contributors and Fox News is known for Republican bias, including Trump, and being loyal to him. Other cabinet picks have donated millions of millions of dollars to Trump’s campaigns. Some of these nominees have also shown up directly at Trump’s criminal trial in Manhattan, New York and sustained their loyalty to Trump and it has paid off.
Only time will tell what Donald Trump’s cabinet will look like once he’s in office. But it’s important to note that these positions for nomination have a great influence on laws over the country. So selecting the most qualified nominees for each position would be ideal. So it’s understandable why many Americans are concerned with many of Trump’s nominees. As a great deal of the nominees are loyalists, whether they be from biased news stations, donors, or lobbyists.
**Below will be the nominations for the Cabinet’s 15 executive departments** (Trump has nominated people to other staff nominations, but not included in the list below)
Vice President of the United States
James D. Vance
- Department of State
Marco Rubio, for Secretary of State - Department of the Treasury
Scott Bessent, for Secretary of the Treasury - Department of Defense
Pete Hegseth, for Secretary of Defense - Department of Justice
Pam Bondi, for Attorney General
Matt Gaetz,withdrew on November 21, 2024 - Department of the Interior
Doug Burgum, for Secretary of the Interior - Department of Agriculture
Brooke Rollins, for Secretary of Agriculture - Department of Commerce
Howard Lutnick, for Secretary of Commerce - Department of Labor
Lori Chavez-DeRemer for Secretary of Labor - Department of Health and Human Services
Robert F. Kennedy Jr, for Secretary of Health & Human Services - Department of Housing and Urban Development
Scott Turner, for Secretary of Housing & Urban Development - Department of Transportation
Sean Duffy, for Secretary of Transportation - Department of Energy
Chris Wright, for Secretary of Energy - Department of Education
Linda McMahon, for Secretary of Education - Department of Veterans Affairs
Doug Collins, for Secretary of Veterans Affairs - Department of Homeland Security
Kristi Noem, for Secretary of Homeland Security
