Get ready for a new era in American politics! We're breaking down the expected designates for President-elect Trump's Cabinet as he prepares for his second term. From loyal allies to surprising choices, these appointments are set to shape the future of the nation.
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00:00A lot of people ask me why I left the Democratic Party, and I say, I don't leave the Democratic
00:15Party.
00:16The Democratic Party left me.
00:18Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're breaking down the expected designates of President-elect
00:23Donald Trump's cabinet going into his second presidency, pending approval by the U.S. Senate.
00:28Please note, all candidates to follow are unranked, and listed in alphabetical order.
00:33Of course there's going to be resistance to change from the swamp in Washington.
00:39Elise Stefanik, United States Ambassador to the United Nations.
00:43Ms. McGill, at Penn, does calling for the genocide of Jews violate Penn's rules or
00:50code of conduct, yes or no?
00:55If the speech turns into conduct, it can be harassment, yes.
00:59As you'll see throughout this video, Trump's cabinet appointees largely consist of those
01:03who have proven themselves loyal to the President-elect.
01:06Stefanik, the Firebrand House Rep from New York's 21st District, is a good example
01:11of this.
01:12The Congresswoman has made considerable efforts to cozy up to the 45th and 47th President,
01:18having been a vocal opponent of Trump's first impeachment and refusing to certify
01:22the results of the 2020 election, which former Vice President and Delaware Senator Joe Biden
01:27won.
01:28She is somebody, though, who became a close ally of his when he, when she took over for
01:33Liz Cheney as the House GOP Conference Chair.
01:36She really elevated her voice within the Republican caucus, and at this moment there were conversations
01:42even initially about whether she would potentially play the role of his vice presidential pick.
01:46Stefanik is perhaps best known for her involvement in the December 5th, 2023 Congressional hearing
01:52on anti-Semitism.
01:53Her questioning saw Liz McGill and Claudine Gay, the presidents of the University of Pennsylvania
01:58and Harvard, respectively, stepping down.
02:01So the answer is yes.
02:03It is a context-dependent decision, Congresswoman.
02:05It's a context-dependent decision.
02:07That's your testimony today, calling for the genocide of Jews is depending upon the context.
02:13That is not bullying or harassment.
02:15This is the easiest question to answer yes, Ms. McGill.
02:18Elon Musk, Commissioner of the Department of Government Efficiency.
02:22President-elect Trump announced yesterday that he's selected Elon Musk and former Republican
02:27presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy to lead the newly created Department of Government
02:31Efficiency.
02:32Oh, good idea.
02:33Take two people who nobody wants to work with and make them work together.
02:36Why not just put Oasis in charge?
02:39Yeah, you've heard of this guy.
02:41It seemed all but guaranteed that Musk would be promised a cabinet role in a potential
02:45second Trump presidency.
02:47I love it that you have a sense of humor, because a guy as important as you who makes
02:52changes could use your powers for evil and not good.
02:56The fact that…
02:57Yeah.
02:58Absolutely.
02:59You could.
03:00I would, of course, I would, yeah, never use them for evil.
03:03No, I know.
03:04The world's richest man's loyalty paid off, and he was handsomely rewarded with a
03:08brand new presidential advisory commission, the Department of Government Efficiency, or
03:12DOGE for short, which aims to cut $2 trillion of waste from the federal budget.
03:17It's important to note, though, that this almost certainly will not constitute a new
03:21department, which would require congressional approval.
03:24President-elect Trump's aides are starting to get annoyed with Elon Musk's involvement
03:28with the presidential transition.
03:30What a privilege to live in the kind of bubble where Elon Musk is just now starting to annoy
03:36you.
03:37Trump also recruited another billionaire, Groyven Sciences founder Vivek Ramaswamy,
03:41to co-lead DOGE.
03:42Hopefully they can put aside warring egos and play nice.
03:46John Ratcliffe, director of the Central Intelligence Agency.
03:49Donald Trump is prioritizing and rewarding loyalty.
03:53People who he believes are going to be able to carry out his agenda.
03:57Trump has a history with his pick for CIA head.
03:59Ratcliffe previously served as the mayor of Heath, Texas, before becoming a Texas House
04:04Rep and then Director of National Intelligence under the president-elect during his first
04:08term, holding the office from May 2020 to January 2021.
04:12John Ratcliffe, he's a former director of national intelligence, he's also a former
04:16Texas congressman, he's a Trump loyalist and someone whose policy views really align
04:22with the president-elect.
04:23Forty-five's first attempt to nominate Ratcliffe to that office was met with widespread criticism
04:27by Senate Republicans, who raised concerns about Ratcliffe's overwhelming loyalty to
04:32Trump and his prosecutorial achievements, which they claimed were exaggerated from their
04:36actual significance.
04:38While Ratcliffe withdrew from consideration at that time, Trump was able to successfully
04:42appoint him to the position of National Intelligence Director the following year.
04:47Ratcliffe served in the first Trump administration as Director of National Intelligence.
04:50He also represented Texas' fourth congressional district in the House for several years and
04:55worked as a federal prosecutor in the Lone Star State.
04:58Kristi Noem, United States Secretary of Homeland Security.
05:01Noem gained national prominence by refusing to shut down South Dakota during the height
05:05of the COVID pandemic, which at one point had the highest per capita death rate, the
05:10third highest in the world.
05:11Recently, in her memoir, she was caught fabricating meetings with world leaders like North Korea's
05:17Kim Jong-un and France's Emmanuel Macron.
05:20South Dakota's first female governor benefited substantially from a Trump endorsement while
05:24running for her first term in 2018.
05:27Noem first began to build a national profile during the COVID-19 pandemic, following the
05:31president's lead in choosing to issue mask mandates, social distancing, and lockdowns
05:36in her state.
05:37Noem will now head the agency that will be responsible for carrying out one of the incoming
05:42Trump administration's key campaign promises, and that is mass deportations of millions
05:48of undocumented immigrants here in the United States.
05:51In fact, Noem spent $5 million worth of taxpayer money to fund a 2020 tourism campaign for
05:57South Dakota.
05:59While Noem was, at one point, on Trump's vice-presidential shortlist, she eventually
06:03lost out to Ohio Senator J.D. Vance after a series of public scandals, including an
06:08excerpt from her memoir in which the governor admitted to pointlessly euthanizing her family
06:12dog caused the Trump campaign to distance themselves from her.
06:16Noem will head the department that oversees FEMA, helping Americans recover from natural
06:21disasters.
06:22The department responsible for the TSA.
06:25They protect Americans when they fly.
06:27The DHS will be responsible for security for the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Olympics,
06:33both of which will be held in the United States during Donald Trump's second term in office.
06:38Lee Zeldin, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.
06:42We have the ability to pursue energy dominance, to be able to make the United States the artificial
06:48intelligence capital of the world, to bring back American jobs to the auto industry and
06:54so much more.
06:55Donald Trump cares about conserving the environment, as you just mentioned in that statement from
07:01him.
07:02Possibly the most obscure member of Trump's cabinet announced to date, Zeldin may be more
07:06familiar to voters in the state of New York.
07:08Like Elise Stefanik, Zeldin was a member of the House of Representatives from New York's
07:121st District, representing Eastern Long Island.
07:15The former congressman rose to national prominence following his candidacy for the 2020 New York
07:20gubernatorial election, in which he reportedly visited every New York county twice.
07:24We're going to restore U.S. energy dominance, revitalize our auto industry to bring back
07:28American jobs and make the U.S. the global leader of A.I., we'll do so while protecting
07:33access to clean air and water.
07:35Rolling back regulations, boosting energy and auto production, but also protecting clean
07:41air and water.
07:42Are those opposing ideas or can they do it all?
07:44Also like Stefanik, Zeldin has emerged as a staunch Trump ally, prominently supporting
07:48Trump's Stop the Steal claims.
07:51Until Zeldin became the Republican nominee and outperformed expectations for a right
07:55winger in a blue state, he ultimately lost the election to incumbent Governor Kathy Hochul.
08:00He wants to, as largely as possible, reduce the influence of the EPA, eliminate regulation,
08:09go after climate change policies, and the EPA is the place where you do that.
08:14So he said that's what he wanted to do.
08:17He brings in a congressman, a former congressman, who's very loyal to him.
08:21Marco Rubio, United States Secretary of State.
08:24Here's a guy that buys a house for $179,000.
08:29He sells it to a lobbyist who's probably here for $380,000, and then legislation is passed.
08:35You tell me about this guy.
08:37This is what we're going to have this president-
08:38Here's a guy that inherited $200 million.
08:40If he hadn't inherited $200 million, you know where Donald Trump would be right now?
08:44No, no, no.
08:45Selling watches in Manhattan.
08:46What's gone are the days of little Marco.
08:48Sorry, we'll back up.
08:49It's more than a little amusing to consider the trajectory of Senator Rubio and President-elect
08:54Trump's complex relationship.
08:56Rubio originally emerged as a rival to Trump in the 2016 Republican presidential primaries,
09:01where the two repeatedly clashed.
09:03It's a tremendous honor to the president to place his confidence in me in a position
09:06of such importance.
09:07It's also a tremendous responsibility, and the job of the Secretary of State is to execute
09:13on the foreign policy set by the elected president of the United States, and I hope
09:17to have the opportunity to do it if my current colleagues here in the U.S. Senate confirm
09:21me.
09:22These clashes often deteriorated into full-on mudslinging and name-calling, which is why
09:26it was in stark contrast to Trump's actual presidency, when Rubio made it a point to
09:31support him.
09:32Rubio wasn't quite as gung-ho about Trump's refusal to accept his loss to Joe Biden as
09:36some of his fellow appointees, but this didn't stop the Florida senator from being handpicked
09:41by Trump as his Secretary of State.
09:43Again, I think most of my colleagues understand that presidents deserve great deference in
09:50appointing people to key positions in government, to serve in their cabinet, and that's how
09:55I expect they'll continue, but obviously I'm not sure if I'll even be here for that vote.
09:59Matt Gaetz, United States Attorney General.
10:02He just wrote this on Truth Social, quote, Matt is a deeply gifted and tenacious attorney
10:06trained at William & Mary College of Law, distinguished himself in Congress through
10:10his focus on achieving desperately needed reform at the Department of Justice.
10:14Few issues in America are more important than ending the partisan weaponization of our justice
10:18system.
10:19To say that this controversial Florida House Rep was a wild choice would be vastly underselling
10:24it.
10:25Gaetz is hardly liked even by members of the Republican Party, who set off alarm bells
10:29after Trump announced his intention to appoint him to head the Department of Justice.
10:34According to the New York Times, Gaetz has been accused of, quote, illicit drug use,
10:38sharing inappropriate images and videos on the House floor, misusing state identification
10:43records, converting campaign funds for personal use, and accepting impermissible gifts.
10:48I just think it's silly.
10:49I believe that the president is probably rewarding him for being such a loyal soldier to the
10:55president, but the president is smart enough and his team is smart enough to know that
10:59Mr. Gaetz will never get confirmed by the Senate, whatsoever.
11:02The congressman has often brushed off credible claims of misconduct against him as targeted
11:07efforts by the, quote, unquote, deep state.
11:09A report detailing these accusations against him was set to be released two days after
11:14Gaetz resigned his position to accept Trump's nomination.
11:17Gaetz is not only totally incompetent for this job, he doesn't have the character,
11:22he is a person of moral turpitude, and notwithstanding how difficult it may be politically, this
11:29is a nomination the Republican Party should oppose.
11:32You're saying he's the worst.
11:34That's pretty strong language.
11:35Pete Hegseth, United States Secretary of Defense.
11:38Breaking news, Trump naming his pick to head the Department of Defense, that's the Fox
11:41News host, Pete Hegseth.
11:43Hegseth has been a longtime staunch Trump defender.
11:46Here he is back in 2020.
11:50This is a president who has said, I want to make America great again, and he's up against
11:55the forces of the left who believe that America was never great.
11:59It's almost surprising that it's taken this long for Trump to dive into the talent
12:03bench at Fox News, which has routinely praised the president-elect and attacked his detractors.
12:08Hegseth, a veteran of the Army National Guard, has worked with Trump before, vocally supporting
12:14Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and advising him on certain matters during his first term.
12:19We know based on reporting and what he said publicly that he pressured Trump to pardon
12:26Eddie Gallagher, who was accused of war crimes.
12:30He pressured Trump privately and publicly.
12:33This is the kind of thing that I think makes him a bit of a controversial pick.
12:36The Fox & Friends Weekend host was even strongly considered as a frontrunner to run the United
12:41States Department of Veterans Affairs, ultimately losing out on the role to David Shulkin.
12:46Hegseth's nomination reportedly blindsided everyone, from Department of Defense employees
12:51to advisors on Trump's team.
12:53His name hadn't even appeared on the initial shortlist for the role.
12:56According to an anonymous defense official who spoke to CNN, quote, everyone is simply
13:01shocked.
13:02Hegseth lives and breathes the military.
13:04It's in his DNA.
13:05He's a combat vet with 20 plus years of service.
13:08He did tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, receiving two bronze stars.
13:12Hegseth also has degrees from Princeton and Harvard, but we're not going to hold that
13:16against him.
13:17Robert F. Kennedy Jr., United States Secretary of Health and Human Services.
13:21This is something he posted on Truth Social just a moment ago.
13:24He said, I am thrilled to announce Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the United States Secretary
13:28of Health and Human Services.
13:30When Trump said he'd let Kennedy go wild on health and medicine, provided he didn't
13:34interfere with matters of the environment, he really wasn't joking around.
13:38Indeed, by placing a fierce advocate of anti-vaccine activism in the nation's top advisory position
13:44on improving America's well-being, Trump has made clear that his administration will
13:48be anything but traditional.
13:50We've known for days now that RFK Jr. was under consideration by President-elect Trump
13:55for a possible major role in the administration.
13:58We also know that RFK Jr. has been spending substantial time with Donald Trump, advising
14:02him on possible health appointments, but this could also be a long road ahead for Senate
14:07confirmation as we've been talking about these more controversial picks.
14:11Kennedy had previously sought the Democratic nomination against Joe Biden, but suspended
14:15his campaign in August 2024 after switching to an independent run, citing low numbers.
14:21Days later, he endorsed Trump and frequently appeared alongside the 45th president on the
14:26campaign trail.
14:27Kennedy's appointment is sure to be controversial and face backlash from both sides of the aisle.
14:32RFK Jr., he has pushed debunked conspiracy theories around a whole range of public health
14:38issues including around vaccines.
14:40He's even said that he would push to remove fluoride for drinking water.
14:44He's also a critic of the CDC.
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15:02Tulsi Gabbard, director of national intelligence.
15:05I think President Trump has already shown how active he has been in not waiting around
15:10for day one on January 20th or 21st, but he's already leading.
15:15He's already engaging with so many of these world leaders around the world on the phone
15:20constantly and he's showing the kind of leadership that the American people voted for.
15:24Gabbard has embarked upon a long, complicated political journey since becoming the youngest
15:29woman ever elected to the Hawaii House of Representatives in 2002.
15:33Elected as a Hawaii House Rep in 2012, Gabbard served in that role until 2021, following
15:38her unsuccessful 2020 bid for the Democratic presidential nomination.
15:42We have seen from the very beginning how much President Trump has been attacked, smeared,
15:50censored, the government weaponized against a candidate for president and a former president
15:56in ways that have never been seen in our country before.
16:00Gabbard adopted increasingly conservative positions and appeared on Republican-friendly
16:04talk shows on Fox News and registered as an independent before settling on the Republican
16:09Party in 2024.
16:11After endorsing Trump for president in 2024 and being named honorary co-chair of his campaign,
16:16Gabbard was selected by the president-elect to fill the role that had formerly been held
16:20by John Ratcliffe.
16:21The amazing thing is what I hope the American people are feeling is a sense of hope.
16:26And frankly, Jesse, I've been heartened to see how engaged people continue to be even
16:31though the election is over.
16:33What do you think of President-elect Trump's cabinet appointees?
16:36Be sure to let us know in the comments.
16:50I'm your host, Emile Ennis Jr., and I'll see you next time.