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Ten people to watch: Who might be in a potential Trump administration?

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at PPG Paints Arena, Monday, Nov. 4, 2024, in Pittsburgh, Pa.
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at PPG Paints Arena, Monday, Nov. 4, 2024, in Pittsburgh, Pa. Copyright  Paul Sancya/Copyright 2024 The AP. All rights reserved
Copyright Paul Sancya/Copyright 2024 The AP. All rights reserved
By Tamsin Paternoster
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Most of Trump's allies said they were focused on getting him into the White House rather than on their own prospects. Now he has won another term, who will be vying for the top jobs?

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Donald Trump has made no secret of who he considers his enemies, a long list that stretches from domestic US politics to foreign governments and institutions. But the former president also has plenty of allies.

While the list of potential appointees in the second Trump administration hasn't been officially confirmed, speculation and rumours have swirled around several well-known figures for some time. Let's meet some of them.

Mike Pompeo

Last month, Trump said he was mulling four or five choices for defence secretary on an appearance on the Hugh Hewitt Radio Show.

One of those is former secretary of state Mike Pompeo, a former congressman who headed the CIA before he became the first Trump administration's top foreign affairs official.

Pompeo contemplated running for president this year, but has since come out in support of Trump most recently publicly backing him at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on Monday.

In Trump's previous government, Pompeo pushed for strong support for Israel. He is also an advocate for Ukraine, co-authoring a proposed "peace plan" for the country in the Wall Street Journal in July which proposed "real sanctions on Russia" and delivering crucial weapons.

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks before Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally, Monday, Nov. 4, 2024, in Reading, Pa.
Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks before Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally, Monday, Nov. 4, 2024, in Reading, Pa. Chris Szagola/AP

Marco Rubio

In 2016, Rubio and Trump were locked in a bitter competition for who would be the Republican nominee.

Now, the Florida senator has been tipped for secretary of state and has become one of Trump's reliable supporters, even being considered a top-choice for the role of vice president before it went to JD Vance.

In terms of policy, Rubio has attempted to adopt some kind of middle ground on Ukraine, pushing Trump's position that the country should negotiate with Russia whilst still remaining supportive of its victory. He's taken a hardline approach to other issues, such as Iran.

Richard Grenell

Grenell, the former acting director of national intelligence, has been called "my envoy" by the former president and has been tipped to become the next secretary of state.

The former US ambassador to Germany, Grenell has become an influential adviser on foreign policy in Trump's entourage, continuing to meet with foreign leaders in support of the former president.

He will potentially face competition from Florida senator Marco Rubio and Doug Burgum, the governor of North Dakota for the job.

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump arrives as Richard Grenell watches at a campaign event at a farm, Monday, Sept. 23, 2024, in Smithton, Pa.
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump arrives as Richard Grenell watches at a campaign event at a farm, Monday, Sept. 23, 2024, in Smithton, Pa. Alex Brandon/Copyright 2024 The AP. All rights reserved.

Mike Waltz

Waltz is another name Trump says he's considering for defence secretary, although he's also been tipped by US media reports as a contender for secretary of state.

The retired National Guard Special Forces colonel has frequently appeared on television supporting Trump. Waltz has said he is open to the job, but firstly focused on helping Trump win.

He has defended Trump on key issues including his stance on Ukraine, on which he has said that the US should defend its own border rather than provide more military aid to the war-torn country.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr

Kennedy seems to think he has a shot of having a role in a potential Trump administration — and with good reason.

At a rally this week Trump said of his former presidential rival he would let him "do what he wants" with women's healthcare if he makes it to the White House.

Despite this, senior members of Trump's campaign have ruled out Kennedy getting a job in the administration's department of Health.

The news is yet to reach Trump himself however, since this he said Kennedy would have a "big role in the administration". At his rally in Madison Square Garden, Trump said Kennedy would be able to "go wild" on food and medicines if he won.

The anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist has claimed he is in communication with Trump and could have an influential role in a new government, if not an official one.

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump shakes hands with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., at a Turning Point Action campaign rally, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024.
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump shakes hands with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., at a Turning Point Action campaign rally, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024. Alex Brandon/Copyright 2024 The AP. All rights reserved.

Sid Miller

Miller has been tipped for a role in agriculture by Trump.

The current Texas Minister for Agriculture, he previously served in the Texas House of Representatives.

A farmer and rancher, Miller could have a key role in shaping the next $1.5 trillion farm bill, which determines agriculture, nutrition and food policy if he was placed in a key role in the department.

He would also have considerable influence on America's nutrition programmes and money allocated to fighting climate change in agriculture.

Susie Wiles

Wiles managed Trump's Florida operations in 2016 and 2020, signing on as the CEO of his political action committee after he lost in 2020 and remaining loyal to the Republican.

She has been credited with convincing Trump to turn towards mail-in voting after he eschewed it as susceptible to fraud.

Wiles brought ex-marine Chris LaCivita to the campaign, and both are expected to receive promotions once Trump is inaugurated, with Wiles tipped for chief of staff.

Senior strategist's for former President Donald Trump, Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles stand outside after Trump arrived at the E. Barrett Prettyman U.S. Federal Courthouse.
Senior strategist's for former President Donald Trump, Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles stand outside after Trump arrived at the E. Barrett Prettyman U.S. Federal Courthouse. Alex Brandon/Copyright 2023 The AP. All rights reserved.

Howard Lutnick

Trump said in an interview with Bloomberg in June he was considering JPMorgan's CEO Jamie Dimon as treasury secretary, but later backtracked.

US media has also tipped Howard Lutnick as a potential candidate, among others, for treasury secretary. He has helped promote support for Trump in Wall Street and has appeared publicly to boost his campaign — raising more than $75 million (€68 million) for Trump overall.

Lutnick currently plays a leading role in Trump's transition team, where he oversees personnel for a potential second Trump term.

The billionaire is ardently pro-Israel, according to the Jewish Insider, and has said his decision to become more active in Trump's campaign was made after Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October.

Howard Lutnick speaks before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally at Madison Square Garden, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024, in New York.
Howard Lutnick speaks before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally at Madison Square Garden, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024, in New York. Evan Vucci/Copyright 2024 The AP. All rights reserved

Robert Lighthizer

Former US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, who was a key figure in Trump's first term and has remained close to the former president, has also been tipped for treasury secretary if Trump wins the keys to the White House.

He previously pushed for the US to take a nationalist approach to trading and has been a keen proponent of Trump's tariff proposals.

Elon Musk

Something of a wildcard, Trump has laid the compliments thick on the billionaire Tesla and Space X founder and — and his significant financial support to the Republican campaign.

Musk has called for drastically cutting government spending, although has failed to provide specifics about where the axe would fall.

He also pitched the idea of a new Department of Government Efficiency, which would be tasked with auditing the federal government and recommending reforms.

Earlier this week, Trump seemed to rule out the possibility of Musk having an official cabinet role.

“[Musk] doesn’t want to become a secretary of something. I mean, I’d love to have him to be honest with you… but he’s doing a couple of other things,” Trump said at a rally in Arizona.

Nevertheless, he said he wanted Musk to have an unspecified role in his new government.

This week, however, Lutnick told CNN Musk would be "adjacent" to Trump's potential government.

"I think adjacent to it and writing software for the government and then giving the software to the government and helping the government,” Lutnick said.

“It’s going to be amazing.”

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