Trump US election victory live updates: President-elect prepares to appoint top jobs
11/07/2024
Donald Trump will begin choosing allies for top government jobs “in the days and weeks ahead”, the team leading his transition to power said.
Around 4,000 government positions need to be filled, which includes appointing the next secretary of state and heads of cabinet departments.
Trump has previously pledged to put Elon Musk in charge of a government efficiency drive, with Fox News suggesting in October that the SpaceX owner could serve as the “secretary of cost cutting”.
Mr Musk has referred to the potential drive as the “Department of Government Efficiency,” or DOGE, which is the name of a meme and a Musk-backed cryptocurrency.
Senator Marco Rubio, who was a finalist to become Trump’s running mate, is understood to be in the running for the secretary of state job.
Billionaire investor John Paulson and economic advisor Scott Bessent, who donated $1 million to Trump’s 2016 campaign, are believed to be under consideration for treasury secretary.
Vivek Ramaswamy, who ran against Trump for the Republican nomination for president, is expected to join the cabinet, US media said.
Reports also said that Robert F Kennedy Jr, who has been sceptical of vaccines and fluoride in tap water, is also being lined up for a position overseeing health and food safety.