Who are Trump’s Cabinet picks? Here’s every name so far

The Cabinet comprises the vice president and the heads of 15 executive departments, the majority of which require Senate confirmation (a vetting process that Trump may seek to sidestep through recess appointments). And one pick — former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, who was Trump's choice for attorney general — has already withdrawn over sex trafficking allegations.

Here's a look at who Trump has named for his second administration, and why some selections are controversial.

The Cabinet nominees

Treasury Secretary: Scott Bessent

The treasury secretary is the country's chief financial officer, responsible for making recommendations on both domestic and international financial policies, including those involving taxes and the economy. The secretary also manages U.S. debt.

• A hedge fund CEO. Founder of Key Square Capital Management, Bessent formerly worked for George Soros. He's also an advisor to Trump and a donor to his campaign.
• If confirmed, he would become the first LGBTQ+ person to lead the Treasury and among the few to be confirmed by the Senate for a Republican Cabinet position.
• Likely to prioritize Trump's proposed tax cuts. He's supported Trump's proposed tariff hikes. In a Wall Street Journal column, he also argued that Trump's approach to energy production would drive more investment, supported fair trade, made the case for overhauling bank lending regulations and pushed to reform the Inflation Reduction Act.

Secretary of State: Marco Rubio

The secretary of state is the country's top diplomat and the president's "chief foreign affairs adviser."

• The onetime presidential hopeful and former Trump critic has represented Florida in the Senate for more than a decade.
• He is the son of Cuban immigrants and has emphasized his working class roots to voters.
• Serves as vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee and sits on the appropriations and foreign relations committees, where he has focused, in part, on the rise of China.
• A vocal supporter of Israel and an opponent of Iran. He has rejected calls for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war.
• Supported aiding Ukraine to "defend themselves to the extent we can afford and to the extent we can sustain it." On Nov. 6, he called for Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the resulting war to be brought to a conclusion.

Director of National Intelligence: Tulsi Gabbard

The president's top intelligence adviser oversees all 18 of the nation's intelligence agencies.

• A former Democratic congresswoman and presidential candidate, Gabbard left the party and became an independent in 2022, before joining the GOP this year.
• A Trump loyalist, she stumped for the former president during his reelection campaign.
• She is the first Hindu and American Samoan elected to Congress. She represented Hawaii in the U.S. House from 2013 to 2021.
• Now a harsh critic of Biden and other top Democrats, Gabbard is a regular commentator for conservative media.
• A combat veteran, she is a former lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserves.
• Critical of U.S. support for Ukraine, Gabbard has expressed pro-Russian conspiracy theories that align with the Kremlin's own talking points, voiced support for the brutal regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and regularly criticized U.S. military interventions overseas.

Defense Secretary: Pete Hegseth

The secretary is the Defense Department's chief policymaker and adviser.

• One of Trump's most vocal defenders and a Fox News personality.
• Before he joined Fox, he was a major in the Army National Guard and served in Iraq and Afghanistan, earning two Bronze Stars.
• His nomination was met with some controversy. A fellow service member once flagged Hegseth as a potential "Insider Threat" for a tattoo associated with white supremacist groups. He has likened efforts to address extremism among armed forces as a "purge."
• Vocally opposed to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in the military. He shared on "The Shawn Ryan Show" podcast that he believes so-called "woke" generals should be fired.
• Disapproves of women serving in combat. According to a 2023 Defense Department report, women make up 17.5 percent of the active duty force.
• Accused of sexually assaulting a woman in California in 2017. No charges were brought, yet Hegseth reportedly paid the accuser a settlement, he said, to protect his job at Fox.

Attorney General: Pam Bondi

The attorney general is a chief adviser on legal matters and oversees the Department of Justice, which includes the FBI, DEA, Federal Bureau of Prisons and U.S. Attorneys, among other operations.

• A longtime Trump ally who replaced Gaetz as the new nominee for attorney general after he withdrew his name.
• Served as Florida's attorney general from 2011 to 2019, and was the first woman elected to the position.
• Once a part of Trump's defense team during his first impeachment trial in the Senate. She also served on the President's Commission on Opioids during Trump's first term.
• Works for the America First Policy Institute, launched in 2021 by former Trump officials to promote his policies and agenda.

Labor Secretary: Lori Chavez-DeRemer

The labor secretary oversees the nation's laws and regulations that address workplace conditions, as well as wages, unemployment benefits, among other work-related services.

• Lost her reelection bid to represent Oregon's 5th Congressional District.
• The first Republican woman from the state to serve in the House of Representatives.
• A rare GOP supporter of the "Protecting the Right to Organize Act," also known as the PRO Act, a proposed bill that seeks to make it easier for workers to unionize.
• In Congress, she is a member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.

Commerce Secretary: Howard Lutnick

The commerce secretary oversees the agency tasked with promoting the nation's economic growth, and would be responsible for implementing some of Trump's campaign pledges, including some of the steeper tariffs he's touted.

The department includes the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the U.S. Census Bureau, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

• A billionaire chairman, Lutnick is CEO of the financial services firm Cantor Fitzgerald.
• A co-chair of Trump's transition team. During Trump's Madison Square Garden rally Lutnick told the crowd that the former president's use of "America first" means "American citizens employed first." He also said Trump will balance the federal budget, a feat that has only happened twice in the last six decades.
• Played a prominent role in post-9/11 relief efforts. His brother was among the 658 Cantor Fitzgerald employees killed at the World Trade Center in the Sept. 11 attacks. He created the Cantor Fitzgerald Relief Fund, which continues to assist wounded service members and people who have been affected by acts of terrorism, natural disasters and other emergencies. He also sits on the board of the 9/11 Memorial & Museum in New York.

Homeland Security Secretary: Kristi Noem

The Homeland Security secretary oversees a sprawling department that oversees border and immigration enforcement, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Transportation Security Administration and the U.S. Secret Service, among other public safety agencies.

With more than 230,000 employees and around a $62 billion budget, DHS is the third-largest Cabinet department in the U.S. government.

• A staunch Trump loyalist, Noem was once viewed as a possible vice presidential running mate.
• She's an immigration hard-liner who, if confirmed, would play a key role in carrying out Trump's pledges to secure the U.S.-Mexico border and deport millions of undocumented immigrants.
• South Dakota's governor since 2019. As governor, she deployed the state's National Guard troops to the southern border, a move critics called a political stunt. She has also been banned from most Native American reservations in South Dakota after suggesting tribal leaders benefit from Mexican drug cartels.
• Previously was the state's at-large member of the U.S. House.

CIA Director: John Ratcliffe

The head of the Central Intelligence Agency oversees efforts to collect and analyze foreign intelligence that help the president and other government heads make policy decisions around national security. The CIA director reports to the director of national intelligence.

• Ratcliffe has been in Trump's Cabinet before. He was previously the director of national intelligence in the final year of the first Trump administration.
• Represented Texas in the U.S. House from 2015 to 2020, serving as a member of the chamber's intelligence committee.
• In 2020, Ratcliffe's nomination came under bipartisan criticism and concerns that he had possibly inflated his resume and wasn't qualified for the job.

Health and Human Services Secretary: Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

The Department of Health and Human Services works to promote public health and prevent disease. It oversees drug, vaccine and food safety at the Food and Drug Administration, as well as medical research at the National Institutes of Health and health care programs through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

• A former presidential candidate. Kennedy, the nephew of former President John F. Kennedy, originally ran for president in the Democratic primary this year before running as an independent.
• A promoter of vaccine misinformation. Kennedy has spread misinformation and falsehoods about vaccines and their safety, including the heavily debunked claim that they cause autism.
• Kennedy has also questioned the need for fluoride in public water systems, even though fluoride at a safe level helps reduce overall tooth decay.

Agriculture Secretary: Brooke Rollins

The head of the Department of Agriculture manages public policy on food, nutrition, agriculture, natural resources and rural development. The USDA also oversees the U.S. Forest Service and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps.

• Another returning member of the Cabinet. Rollins served as Trump's domestic policy chief during his first term.
• She is the president and CEO of the Trump-aligned America First Policy Institute.
• A graduate of Texas A&M University, Rollins earned a degree in agricultural development.

Transportation Secretary: Sean Duffy

The head of the Department of Transportation oversees federal transportation policy, improvements and safety, along with agencies such as the Federal Aviation Administration, the Federal Railroad Administration and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

• A former Congressman. Duffy represented Wisconsin's 7th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2011 to 2019.
• A former reality star. Before entering politics, he appeared on the 1997 MTV reality series, "The Real World: Boston." A year later, he met his now-wife on the set of MTV's "Road Rules: All Stars." He is also a past winner of the Lumberjack World Championships.
• Most recently, Duffy was a co-host on the Fox Business show, "The Bottom Line."

Veterans Affairs Secretary: Doug Collins

The VA secretary oversees the nation's largest integrated health care network, which includes 1,255 facilities that serve 9 million enrolled veterans annually. The VA also maintains more than 150 national cemeteries.

• Collins, who has a master's degree in divinity from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, was a U.S. Navy chaplain in the late 1980s. After the 9/11 attacks, he enlisted with the U.S. Air Force Reserve as a chaplain and deployed to Iraq for five months in 2008. He is currently a colonel in the Air Force Reserve.
• He rose from the Georgia state Legislature to win election to the U.S. House in 2012. Collins ran for Senate in 2020, but lost in an all-party election to GOP incumbent Sen. Kelly Loeffler and Democrat Raphael Warnock, who won the run-off election. Collins left the House in 2021.
• As ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, Collins vigorously defended Trump during special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into whether Russia influenced the 2016 election.

Interior Secretary: Doug Burgum

The head of the Department of the Interior oversees about 500 million acres of public land and the fossil fuels and minerals underground. The department also manages U.S. national parks, monuments, wildlife refuges and relations with 574 federally recognized Native American tribes and Alaska Native entities. Trump also said the North Dakota governor would also chair a new National Energy Council that will comprise all agencies and departments involved in "all forms of American energy."

• An executive-turned-politician. The former software company executive ran for president in the 2024 Republican primary but dropped out in December 2023 and began appearing at Trump's rallies and fundraising events. He was also under consideration as Trump's running mate before JD Vance was chosen.
• Known as a champion of oil and gas drilling, and has urged increased energy and mineral production on U.S. lands.
• Cutting carbon. Burgum, who was first elected governor in 2016 and reelected in 2020, set a goal for North Dakota to become carbon-neutral by 2030 without cutting back on fossil fuel use.

Energy Secretary: Chris Wright

The Energy Secretary oversees energy, environment and nuclear growth, research and security. The department manages the national stockpile of nuclear weapons materials and nuclear waste.

• A businessman and donor. Wright, an engineer, is the CEO of Liberty Energy, and also a Trump donor.
• He supports fracking and has been a vocal critic of efforts to fight climate change.
• A new responsibility. Wright will also serve on the newly-created National Energy Council, to be led by Interior Secretary-designate Doug Burgum.

Education Secretary: Linda McMahon

The Secretary of Education oversees all federal school-related policies and regulations for both k-12 and higher education. That includes enforcing federal civil rights protections for students, including access to services for low-income and special education students, and billions in funding to schools, colleges, and universities. It's also in charge of student loans.

• Another returning Cabinet member. This would be McMahon's second time in a Trump administration. She led the Small Business Administration from 2017-2019.
• Ran twice for the Senate in Connecticut, losing to Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy in 2010 and 2012, respectively. The Democratic senators praised her as they gave the formal introduction during her Senate confirmation hearing in 2017.
• Does not have a long track record on education. The former WWE chief executive served a year on Connecicut's Board of Education in 2009. She's previously supported school choice.

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator: Lee Zeldin

The head of the EPA leads U.S. efforts on the environment, including enforcing laws and overseeing regulations, including on how the country addresses climate change. The agency operates on a $10 billion budget and includes more than 17,000 full-time employees.

• A former Congressman. Zeldin represented Long Island in the House from 2015 to 2023. He lost a bid for New York governor in 2022.
• A staunch ally of Trump, who has called climate change a "hoax" and argued that addressing it hurts business.
• Criticized the Biden administration for choosing to cancel the Keystone XL pipeline. He's also opposed to rejoining the Paris climate agreement "without holding bad actors like China accountable."
• Among Zeldin's top priorities, according to a post on X: "restore U.S. energy dominance, revitalize our auto industry to bring back American jobs and make the U.S. the global leader of AI. We will do so while protecting access to clean air and water."

Housing and Urban Development: Scott Turner

The head of HUD oversees housing laws and investigates housing discrimination, along with overseeing a number of housing-related programs, including homeownership and rental assistance.

• A former NFL player, Turner was the executive director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council during the first Trump administration.
• This is not his first brush with politics. Turner served two terms in the Texas House of Representatives, from 2013 to 2017.
• By day, Turner is a pastor at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Texas.
• At the America First Policy Institute, founded by former Trump officials after his first term in office, Turner has led the Center for Education Opportunity.