The span between a president’s election and inauguration is primarily defined by one thing: their Cabinet. Blame and praise will always go to the President, but an incredible amount of power, influence, and decision-making lies in their various Secretaries and Decision-Makers. As attention moves away from election day, his cabinet nominations will be the most crucial decision made by the President-Elect until his inauguration.

JD Vance will be part of the Cabinet as the new Vice President. Vice Presidents did not always serve on the Cabinet but began to do so at the start of the 20th Century. The Vice President is one of two official Cabinet posts that does not require Senate approval, being elected alongside the President.

Kristi Hoem, the Governor of South Dakota, was nominated to be Secretary of Homeland Security. Hoem was always close to Donald Trump, who endorsed her in 2019, an election she won to become South Dakota’s first female governor. She garnered attention during the Covid-19 pandemic when she made the controversial decision to forego mask mandates. While she was rumored to be a potential candidate for Vice President, a scandal regarding her killing of a family dog was largely seen to have killed her chances.

Her return as a Cabinet Member will have her overseeing the Department of Homeland Security, which is focused on keeping America’s internal territory safe and, in recent years, has played a significant role in handling immigration. The Department saw significant turmoil under Trump’s presidency, going through five Secretaries in his first term.

In his announcement of her nomination, Donald Trump also mentioned that she would work closely with Tom Homan, who would be the new ‘Border Czar,’ an unofficial position focused on immigration. He had previously served as the Acting Director of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, better known as ‘ICE.’ Homan has promised to run the “…biggest deportation operation this country’s ever seen.“

Former Governor of Arkansas Tom Huckabee was named to be the new Ambassador to Israel. Ambassadors are also appointed by the President and nominated by the Senate. He had previously spoken out in support of Israeli settlements in the West Bank. His daughter.

Along with Tom Huckabee, Steven Witkoff was named ‘Special Envoy to the Middle East‘. He had been a significant donor to the Trump campaign and is known for being one of Trump’s golfing partners. He comes into the role without any diplomatic experience, having previously been a real-estate investor.

Fox News Host Peter Hegseth was nominated to be Secretary of Defense. Hegseth is a veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, on which he wrote a book. After his service, he served as the head of a veteran’s advocacy group and eventually joined Fox News. He has spoken out against ‘woke’ military policies. His relative inexperience in senior defense leadership, however, has caused some controversy. One anonymous lobbyist made headlines by reacting to the announcement by asking: “Who the **** is this guy?”

Another essential security role, the National Security Advisor, was given to Mike Waltz. Waltz is a Green Beret Veteran, having fought in Afghanistan and retired with four Bronze Stars. After his service, he eventually became a Representative from Florida, in the same seat once held by Ron DeSantis. In Congress, he had been skeptical of aid for Ukraine but also a voice against China, serving on the House China Task Force.

The National Security Advisor is not an official cabinet position and thus does not need Senate confirmation. However, the NSA does have significant influence as a voice in foreign-policy decision-making, which is the President’s prerogative. Like the Homeland Security Secretary, Trump’s first term saw substantial turmoil in the position. Both of Trump’s first two National Security Advisors were fired.

John Ratcliffe was named to be the new Director of the CIA. He had previously served as a Representative from Texas and later as Trump’s Director of National Intelligence. His appointment had seen controversy, as he had released national security information during the 2016 election.

Another former Representative, Lee Zeldin of New York, was announced as the new Director of the Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA. He has been criticized by environmental protection groups for not opposing fossil fuels. In his announcement, Donald Trump labeled Zeldin as someone who would “…ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions” to help American businesses.

Trump’s most eye-catching announcement was his choices for who should head his proposed ‘Department of Government Efficiency.” Ironically enough, the role saw two names listed as co-heads. Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, and Vivek Ramaswamy, a businessman who had run in the Republican presidential primary.

Two former Trump appointees were specified not to be coming back. Nikki Haley, another candidate in the presidential primary, had previously served as Ambassador to the United Nations. Mike Pompeo had served as his Secretary of State. Donald Trump stated explicitly that neither would return to Cabinet.

The new Ambassador to the United Nations is Elise Stefanik, a Representative from New York. She is one of Trump’s most ardent defenders in Congress and had been reported on as another possible candidate for Vice President. She has little foreign policy experience, however, which may make her nomination difficult.

Trump’s new Secretary of State, meanwhile, is rumored to be Marco Rubio. The Senator from Florida had once been an opponent of Trump, particularly during his own campaign for the Republican nomination in 2016. However, his position gradually evolved to support Trump. He was considered to be a potential Vice-Presidential pick for Trump before losing to JD Vance, who had a similar change of heart.

The chief of staff helps oversee, keep track of, and communicate with all of these departments. For that role (the other official Cabinet post that doesn’t need Senate confirmation), Trump was quick to announce Susie Wiles, who was the first Cabinet nominee made official. She had been the Chief Strategist for Ron DeSantis’ gubernatorial campaign in 2018 before moving to help Donald Trump. She ran his Florida campaign in 2020, the ‘Save America PAC’ afterward, and eventually grew to become co-chair of his entire campaign in 2024. She will now become the first female Chief of Staff.

Few of these names are definitive. Trump’s initial term saw significant fluctuations in his cabinet as people moved from position to position or dropped entirely. The majority of his nominations will have to be confirmed by the Senate. Additionally, his appointment of several Republican Representatives could endanger the GOP’s position in the House, which is still undecided.

Several high-profile positions, such as Attorney General and Secretary of the Treasury, remain to be filled.