President-elect Donald Trump is picking key Cabinet positions with an eye on installing loyalists and enacting an aggressive second-term agenda focused on hefty tariffs and mass deportations. 

Trump has announced a few senior staff and Cabinet picks and is reportedly tapping more immigration hardliners and foreign policy hawks to serve in key national security roles.  

It’s still an open question of how diverse Trump’s Cabinet will be compared to his first, which was the least diverse presidential Cabinet in decades, with White men serving in the bulk of Cabinet posts and senior staff positions in the White House.

Of the nearly 40 Senate-confirmed Cabinet officials in the first Trump term, eight were women, and three were women of color. Trump’s first Cabinet included just one Latino, Alex Acosta as secretary of labor, and one Black man, Ben Carson as secretary of housing and urban development. Under Trump, only White men served in the four “inner Cabinet” positions of attorney general and secretaries of state, defense and treasury. 

Trump’s first Cabinet also experienced high levels of turnover and churn. The tumult was especially pronounced in his administration’s final months and weeks, as several top officials quit over Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election and the January 6, 2021, insurrection. 

It’s a contrast with the outgoing Biden administration, which has prioritized diversity in Cabinet officials and political appointees. Of the two dozen currently serving Senate-confirmed and acting Cabinet-level officials under Biden, just seven are White men. Biden’s appointees have included several firsts, including the first Black secretary of defense and the first Native person to serve in a presidential Cabinet. 

Here’s what we know so far about Trump’s Cabinet and senior staff picks:

Announced by Trump:  

Secretary of Education: Linda McMahon

McMahon headed up Trump’s Small Business Administration in his first term and then was a co-chair of his transition before being named to head the Education Department. She also chairs the America First Policy Institute, a think tank that works to advance Trump’s public policy platform. McMahon, with her husband, is a founder of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and has been named in a lawsuit involving wide-ranging claims of sexual misconduct. 

Who held the position in Trump’s first term: Betsy DeVos

Secretary of Commerce: Howard Lutnick

Trump is naming Howard Lutnick, the chairman and CEO of financial services firm Cantor Fitzgerald, as his secretary of commerce. Lutnick, who has co-chaired Trump’s transition team, is now poised to oversee much of the Trump administration’s trade and domestic manufacturing agenda. “He will lead our Tariff and Trade agenda, with additional direct responsibility for the Office of the United States Trade Representative,” Trump said. 

Who held the position in Trump’s first term: Wilbur Ross.

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator: Dr. Mehmet Oz

Trump announced that he’s picking Dr. Mehmet Oz to run the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or CMS. Oz, a cardiothoracic surgeon and longtime television talk show host, unsuccessfully ran for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania against Sen. John Fetterman. Oz’s show was nominated for 10 Emmy awards, but he’s also come under scrutiny for pushing false or baseless medical claims. In a statement, Trump said Oz will “work closely with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to take on the illness industrial complex, and all the horrible chronic diseases left in its wake.”

Who held the position in Trump’s first term: Seema Verma. 

Secretary of Transportation: Former Rep. Sean Duffy 

Sean Duffy, a former Republican congressman from Wisconsin, is Trump’s nominee for transportation secretary. Duffy, who has most recently been a co-host on Fox Business’ “The Bottom Line,” was previously a cast member on the 2000s reality show “The Real World.” “Sean will use his experience and the relationships he has built over many years in Congress to maintain and rebuild our Nation’s Infrastructure, and fulfill our Mission of ushering in The Golden Age of Travel, focusing on Safety, Efficiency, and Innovation,” Trump said in a statement. 

Who held the position in Trump’s first term: Elaine Chao 

Secretary of Energy: Chris Wright 

Trump is tapping Chris Wright, an energy executive and the CEO of fracking company Liberty Energy, as his nominee for energy secretary and a member of the National Council on Energy. Wright and Burgum, Trump said, “will drive U.S. Energy Dominance, which will drive down Inflation, win the A.I. arms race with China (and others), and expand American Diplomatic Power to end Wars all across the World.”

Who held the position in Trump’s first term: Rick Perry, Dan Brouillette. 

Press Secretary: Karoline Leavitt 

Trump has tapped Leavitt, who worked in the White House press office in Trump’s first term and served as his 2024 campaign press secretary. Leavitt also previously ran for Congress in her home state of New Hampshire in 2022 but lost to Rep. Chris Pappas. Leavitt, who is currently 27, will be the youngest White House press secretary in history. 

Who held the position in Trump’s first term: Sean Spicer, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Stephanie Grisham and Kayleigh McEnany. 

Secretary of the Interior: Gov. Doug Burgum 

Trump is picking Gov. Doug Burgum of North Dakota, who ran in the 2024 Republican presidential primary, as his interior secretary and the chair of his newly announced National Energy Council. “Doug Burgum will protect our Nation’s Natural Resources, restore our fabulous Oil and Gas advantage, and Make America, and its Energy, Dominant and Great Again!” Trump said in a statement. 

Who held the position in Trump’s first term: Ryan Zinke, David Bernhardt. 

Communications director: Stephen Cheung 

Trump has picked Cheung, who has worked for him in communications for much of the last eight years, as his White House communications director. Cheung worked on Trump’s 2016 campaign and ran rapid response for the White House in Trump’s first term before leaving to start his own firm, which did work for Trump’s 2020 campaign. Cheung served as Trump’s communications director on his 2024 campaign. 

Who held the position in Trump’s first term: Michael Dubke, Anthony Scaramucci, Hope Hicks, Bill Shine and Stephanie Grisham. 

Secretary of Veterans Affairs: Former Rep. Doug Collins 

Trump will nominate former Rep. Doug Collins of Georgia as his secretary of Veterans Affairs. Collins, who served in the Iraq War, is currently a chaplain in the U.S. Air Force Reverse Command. The former lawmaker defended Trump in his first impeachment trial, which centered on the then-president’s dealings with Ukraine, and unsuccessfully ran for U.S. Senate in 2020. 

Who held the position in Trump’s first term: David Shulkin, Robert Wilkie.

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

Trump is tapping longtime vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the nation’s top health care official, he announced. In a statement, Trump said the department “will play a big role in helping ensure that everybody will be protected from harmful chemicals, pollutants, pesticides, pharmaceutical products, and food additives that have contributed to the overwhelming Health Crisis in this Country.” Kennedy, who ran for president as an independent before dropping out and endorsing Trump, has long promoted debunked claims linking vaccines to childhood autism. Trump pledged to let Kennedy “go wild” with health policy. Citing unsubstantiated health risks, Kennedy is currently advocating for local health departments to remove fluoride from the supply of drinking water. 

Who held the position in Trump’s first term: Tom Price and Alex Azar. 

Attorney General: Former Rep. Matt Gaetz

Trump has announced that he is tapping Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida to lead the Department of Justice. Gaetz has been a staunch defender of Trump. He had also been investigated by the Justice Department as well as the House Ethics Committee over sex trafficking allegations, which he has consistently denied. The department ultimately did not bring charges against him. Gaetz resigned his seat hours after Trump announced his nomination and days before the ethics panel was reportedly set to vote on releasing its report on the probe.

Who held the position in Trump’s first term: Jeff Sessions, Bill Barr.

Director of National Intelligence: Former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard

Trump is nominating Gabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman and 2020 presidential candidate who became a political independent before becoming a Republican and Trump surrogate this year, as director of national intelligence. “I know Tulsi will bring the fearless spirit that has defined her illustrious career to our Intelligence Community,” he said. Gabbard has been criticized by both Republican and Democratic lawmakers for parroting Russian propaganda while in Congress and following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Who held the position in Trump’s first term: Dan Coats, John Ratcliffe. 

Secretary of State: Sen. Marco Rubio 

Trump has picked Rubio, the U.S. senator from Florida and his onetime political opponent in the 2016 Republican primary, as secretary of state, calling him “a Highly Respected Leader” and “a very powerful Voice for Freedom.” Rubio, a longtime China and Iran hawk, also played a key role in shaping the first Trump administration’s policy toward Latin American countries.

Who held the position in Trump’s first term: Rex Tillerson and Mike Pompeo

Deputy chief of staff for policy: Stephen Miller 

Miller, an immigration hardliner and senior adviser to Trump, first entered the president-elect’s orbit as a speechwriter in his 2016 campaign. In the White House, Miller was an architect of the administration’s signature immigration policies, including the ban on immigration from majority-Muslim countries, restrictions on asylum and the separation of children from their parents at the border. Now, Trump has asked Miller to be a deputy chief of staff for policy with an even more expansive mandate than in Trump’s first term, CNN first reported. 

Who held the position in Trump’s first term: Rick Dearborn and Chris Liddell.

Secretary of Homeland Security: Gov. Kristi Noem 

Trump has picked Noem, a key ally and the governor of South Dakota, to run the Department of Homeland Security. Noem, who has scant national security experience, would be charged with running a sprawling department including several agencies governing immigration policy, the Transportation Security Agency and the Secret Service. In Trump’s first term, his secretaries of homeland security came under scrutiny for their role in the family separation policy. 

Who held the position in Trump’s first term: John F. Kelly, Kirstjen Nielsen and Chad Wolf (acting).  

White House counsel: Bill McGinley 

Trump is picking Bill McGinley as his top lawyer in the White House. McGinley previously served as Trump’s Cabinet secretary in his first term in office and has most recently been an outside counsel on election litigation for the Republican National Committee. In Trump’s first term, his White House counsels became embroiled in the investigations into Russian interference in 2016 and Trump’s two impeachments. 

Who held the position in Trump’s first term: Don McGahn, Emmet Flood (acting) and Pat Cipollone. 

“The Department of Government Efficiency”: Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy 

Trump, as telegraphed in his presidential campaign, is enlisting two allies, the X owner Musk and 2024 Republican presidential candidate Ramaswamy, to lead a “Department of Government Efficiency” or “DOGE.” Because creating a new government agency requires congressional approval and funding, the “Department,” which Trump said could be “the Manhattan Project of our time,” appears to be more of an outside consultancy. It will, Trump said, “provide advice and guidance from outside of Government, and will partner with the White House and Office of Management & Budget to drive large-scale structural reform, and create an entrepreneurial approach to Government never seen before.” The department has until July 4, 2026, to complete its work. 

Secretary of Defense: Pete Hegseth

Trump announced he would seek to appoint “Fox & Friends” weekend co-host Pete Hegseth as his secretary of defense. Hegseth, a veteran who served in the Army National Guard, has been on Fox News for the past eight years and is the author of a bestselling book, but has no previous experience serving in government. In Trump’s first term, Hegseth successfully lobbied Trump to grant clemency to service members accused of war crimes. 

Who held the position in Trump’s first term: James Mattis, Mark Esper, Christopher Miller (acting). 

Director of the CIA: John Ratcliffe

Trump announced he’s tapping John Ratcliffe, who served as his director of national intelligence in his first term, as CIA director. The former congressman became a top ally of Trump’s in fighting against the Trump’s first impeachment. Weeks before the 2020 election, Ratcliffe garnered criticism for releasing material with unverified claims about 2016 Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton that the Senate Intelligence Committee and other officials had previously dismissed. 

Who held the position in Trump’s first term: Mike Pompeo and Gina Haspel. 

Border czar: Thomas Homan 

Trump is bringing back Homan, who served as the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in his first term, as a border czar, a non-Senate-confirmed position. In a statement on Truth Social, Trump said that Homan’s role would cover “the Southern Border, the Northern Border, all Maritime, and Aviation Security” and that Homan will also “be in charge of all Deportation” of undocumented immigrants. 

National Security Adviser: Rep. Michael Waltz 

Trump is tapping Michael Waltz, a House member from Florida, as his top national security official in the White House. Waltz is the first Green Beret to serve in Congress and is decorated for his service in combat abroad. Waltz also espouses hawkish foreign policy views, especially when it comes to China. In a statement, Trump said Waltz “has been a strong champion of my America First Foreign Policy agenda, and will be a tremendous champion of our pursuit of Peace through Strength!”

Who held the position in Trump’s first term: Michael Flynn, Keith Kellogg (acting), H.R. McMaster, John Bolton, Charlie Kupperman (acting) and Robert O’Brien. 

Ambassador to the United Nations: Rep. Elise Stefanik 

Stefanik, who initially entered politics as a moderate, hitched her star to Trump’s wagon and has emerged as one of his most high-profile surrogates and allies in Congress. She’s served in House leadership as conference chair and drew national attention for leading a series of high-profile hearings questioning college presidents about antisemitism on their campuses, which led to three Ivy League university presidents resigning. In a statement, Trump called Stefanik “a strong and very smart America First fighter.” 

Who held the position in Trump’s first term: Nikki Haley and Kelly Craft. 

Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency: Former Rep. Lee Zeldin

Trump is nominating Zeldin, a former House member from Long Island and unsuccessful 2022 candidate for governor of New York, to head up the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In a statement, Trump said Zeldin “will ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions that will be enacted in a way to unleash the power of American businesses, while at the same time maintaining the highest environmental standards.”

Who held the position in Trump’s first term: Scott Pruitt and Andrew Wheeler.  

Chief of Staff: Susie Wiles

Trump announced that Wiles, a longtime Florida political operative who co-managed his successful 2024 campaign, will serve as his White House chief of staff. Wiles will be the first woman ever to serve in the role. Wiles, Trump said in a statement, is “tough, smart, innovative, and is universally admired and respected.”

Who held the position in Trump’s first term: Reince Priebus, John F. Kelly and Mark Meadows.