Here are the people Trump has picked for key positions so far

Now he appears focused on remaking the US government in his own image.

Steve Witkoff speaks before Donald Trump at a campaign rally at Madison Square Garden (Evan Vucci/AP) 

Some of his choices could face difficult confirmation battles even with Republicans in control of the US Senate.

Here is a look at who he has selected so far.

– Cabinet nominees

Secretary of State: Marco Rubio

Mr Trump named Florida senator Marco Rubio to be secretary of state, making the critic-turned-ally his choice for top diplomat.

Mr Rubio, 53, is a noted hawk on China, Cuba and Iran, and was a finalist to be Mr Trump’s running mate on the Republican ticket last summer.

Mr Rubio is the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

The announcement punctuates the hard pivot Mr Rubio has made with Mr Trump, whom the senator once called a “con man” during his unsuccessful campaign for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination.

Their relationship improved dramatically while Mr Trump was in the White House. And as Mr Trump campaigned for the presidency a third time, Mr Rubio cheered his proposals.

Attorney General: Matt Gaetz

Mr Trump said on Wednesday he will nominate Florida representative Matt Gaetz to serve as his attorney general, naming a loyalist in the role of the nation’s top prosecutor.

Mr Gaetz resigned from Congress on Wednesday night.

The House Ethics Committee has been investigating an allegation that Mr Gaetz paid for sex with a 17-year-old, though that probe effectively ended when he resigned. Mr Gaetz has denied any wrongdoing.

Director of National Intelligence: Tulsi Gabbard

Former Hawaii representative Tulsi Gabbard has been tapped by Mr Trump to be director of national intelligence, another example of Trump prizing loyalty over experience.

Ms Gabbard, 43, was a Democratic House member who unsuccessfully sought the party’s 2020 presidential nomination before leaving the party in 2022.

She endorsed Mr Trump in August and campaigned often with him this autumn, and she has been accused of echoing Russian propaganda.

Tulsi Gabbard speaks before Donald Trump at a campaign rally at Madison Square Garden (Alex Brandon/AP) 

Ms Gabbard, who has served in the Army National Guard for more than two decades, deploying to Iraq and Kuwait, would come to the role as an outsider compared to her predecessor.

The current director, Avril Haines, was confirmed by the Senate in 2021 following several years in a number of top national security and intelligence positions.

Defence Secretary: Pete Hegseth

Mr Hegseth, 44, is a co-host of Fox News Channel’s Fox & Friends Weekend and has been a contributor with the network since 2014.

He developed a friendship with Mr Trump, who made regular appearances on the show.

Pete Hegseth walks to an elevator for a meeting with President-elect Donald Trump at Trump Tower (Evan Vucci/AP) 

Mr Hegseth served in the Army National Guard from 2002 to 2021, deploying to Iraq in 2005 and Afghanistan in 2011. He has two Bronze Stars.

However, Mr Hegseth lacks senior military and national security experience.

If confirmed by the Senate, he would inherit the top job during a series of global crises — ranging from Russia’s war in Ukraine and the ongoing attacks in the Middle East by Iranian proxies to the push for a ceasefire between Israel, Hamas and Hezbollah and escalating worries about the growing alliance between Russia and North Korea.

Mr Hegseth is also the author of The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free, published earlier this year.

Homeland Security Secretary: Kristi Noem

Ms Noem is a well-known conservative used her two terms leading South Dakota to vault to a prominent position in Republican politics.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, Ms Noem did not order restrictions that other states had issued and instead declared her state “open for business”.

Mr Trump held a fireworks rally at Mount Rushmore in July 2020 in one of the first large gatherings of the pandemic.

More recently, Ms Noem faced sharp criticism for telling a story in her memoir about shooting and killing her dog.

She is set to lead a department crucial to the president-elect’s hard-line immigration agenda as well as other missions.

Homeland Security oversees natural disaster response, the US Secret Service and Transportation Security Administration agents who work at airports.

CIA director: John Ratcliffe

Mr Ratcliffe was director of national intelligence during the final year and a half of Mr Trump’s first term, leading the US government’s spy agencies during the coronavirus pandemic.

Health and Human Services Secretary: Robert F Kennedy Junior

Mr Kennedy ran for president as a Democrat, then as an independent, and then endorsed Mr Trump.

He is the son of Democrat Robert Kennedy, who was assassinated during his own presidential campaign.

The nomination of Mr Kennedy to lead the Department of Health and Human Services alarmed people who are concerned about his record of spreading fears about vaccines.

For example, he has long advanced the idea that vaccines cause autism.

Veterans Affairs Secretary: Doug Collins

Mr Collins is a former Republican congressman from Georgia who gained recognition for defending Mr Trump during his first impeachment trial, which centred on US assistance for Ukraine.

Mr Trump was impeached for urging Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden in 2019 during the Democratic presidential nomination, but he was acquitted by the Senate.

Mr Collins has also served in the armed forces himself and is currently a chaplain in the United States Air Force Reserve Command.

Interior Secretary: Doug Burgum

The governor of North Dakota, who was once little-known outside his state, Mr Burgum is a former Republican presidential primary contender who endorsed Mr Trump, and spent months travelling to drum up support for him, after dropping out of the race.

Mr Burgum was a serious contender to be Mr Trump’s vice presidential choice this summer.

The two-term governor was seen as a possible pick because of his executive experience and business savvy. Mr Burgum also has close ties to deep-pocketed energy industry chief executives.

Mr Trump made the announcement about Mr Burgum joining his incoming administration while addressing a gala at his Mar-a-Lago club, and said a formal statement would be coming the following day.

In comments to reporters before Mr Trump took the stage, Mr Burgum said that, in recent years, the power grid is deteriorating in many parts of the country, which he said could raise national security concerns but also drive up prices enough to increase inflation.

“There’s just a sense of urgency, and a sense of understanding in the Trump administration,” Mr Burgum said.

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator: Lee Zeldin

Mr Zeldin does not appear to have any experience in environmental issues, but is a long-time supporter of the former president.

The 44-year-old former US House member from New York wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “We will restore US energy dominance, revitalize our auto industry to bring back American jobs, and make the US the global leader of AI.”

Lee Zeldin speaks at a rally in Concord (Matt Rourke/AP) 

“We will do so while protecting access to clean air and water,” he added.

During his campaign, Mr Trump often attacked the Biden administration’s promotion of electric vehicles, and incorrectly referred to a tax credit for EV purchases as a government mandate.

Mr Trump also often told his audiences during the campaign that his administration would “drill, baby, drill”, referring to his support for expanded petroleum exploration.

– White House staff

Chief of Staff: Susie Wiles

Ms Wiles, 67, was a senior adviser to Mr Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign and its de facto manager.

She has a background in Florida politics, helping Ron DeSantis win his first race for Florida governor.

Six years later, she was key to Mr Trump’s defeat of him in the 2024 Republican primary.

Susie Wiles watches as Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Lititz (Evan Vucci/AP) 

Ms Wiles’ hire was Mr Trump’s first major decision as president-elect and one that could be a defining test of his incoming administration considering her close relationship with him.

Ms Wiles is said to have earned Mr Trump’s trust in part by guiding what was the most disciplined of Mr Trump’s three presidential campaigns.

Ms Wiles was able to help keep Mr Trump on track as few others have, not by criticising his impulses, but by winning his respect by demonstrating his success after taking her advice.

National Security Adviser: Mike Waltz

Mr Waltz is a three-term Republican congressman from east-central Florida. A former Army Green Beret, he served multiple tours in Afghanistan and also worked in the Pentagon as a policy adviser when Donald Rumsfeld and Robert Gates were defence chiefs.

He is considered hawkish on China, and called for a US boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing due to its involvement in the origin of Covid-19 and its mistreatment of the minority Muslim Uighur population.

Border Tsar: Tom Homan

Mr Homan, 62, has been tasked with Mr Trump’s top priority of carrying out the largest deportation operation in the nation’s history.

He served under Mr Trump in his first administration leading US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and he was widely expected to be offered a position related to the border once Mr Trump won the election.

Tom Homan speaks during an interview in East Point, Georgia (John Bazemore/AP) 

Mr Homan said at a July conference in Washington that he would be willing to “run the biggest deportation operation this country’s ever seen”.

Democrats have criticised Mr Homan for defending Mr Trump’s “zero tolerance” policy on border crossings during his first administration, which led to the separation of thousands of parents and children seeking asylum at the border.

Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy: Stephen Miller

Mr Miller, an immigration hardliner, was a vocal spokesman during the presidential campaign for Mr Trump’s priority of mass deportations.

The 39-year-old was a senior adviser during Mr Trump’s first administration.

Stephen Miller speaks before Donald Trump at a campaign rally at Madison Square Garden (Evan Vucci/AP) 

Mr Miller has been a central figure in some of Mr Trump’s policy decisions, notably his move to separate thousands of immigrant families.

Mr Trump argued throughout the campaign that the nation’s economic, national security and social priorities could be met by deporting people who are in the US illegally.

Since Mr Trump left office in 2021, Mr Miller has served as the president of America First Legal, an organisation made up of former Trump advisers aimed at challenging the Biden administration, media companies, universities and others over issues such as free speech and national security.

Deputy Chief of Staff: Dan Scavino

Mr Scavino was an adviser to all three of the president-elect’s campaigns, and the transition team referred to him as one of “Trump’s longest serving and most trusted aides”.

He will be deputy chief of staff and assistant to the president.

He previously ran Mr Trump’s social media profile in the White House during his first administration.

He was also held in contempt of Congress in 2022 after a month-long refusal to comply with a subpoena from the House committee’s investigation into the January 6 2021 attack on the US Capitol.

Deputy Chief of Staff: James Blair

Mr Blair was political director for Mr Trump’s 2024 campaign and for the Republican National Committee.

He will be deputy chief of staff for legislative, political and public affairs and assistant to the president.

Mr Blair was key to Trump’s economic messaging during his winning White House comeback campaign this year, a driving force behind the candidate’s “Trump can fix it” slogan and his query to audiences this autumn if they were better off than four years ago.

Deputy Chief of Staff: Taylor Budowich

Mr Budowich is a veteran Trump campaign aide who launched and directed Make America Great Again Inc, a super Pac that supported Trump’s 2024 campaign.

He will be deputy chief of staff for communications and personnel and assistant to the president.

Mr Budowich also had served as a spokesman for Mr Trump after his first presidency.

White House Counsel: William McGinley

Mr McGinley was White House Cabinet secretary during Mr Trump’s first administration, and was outside legal counsel for the Republican National Committee’s election integrity effort during the 2024 campaign.

– Ambassadors and envoys

Special Envoy to the Middle East: Steven Witkoff

The 67-year-old Witkoff is the president-elect’s golf partner and was golfing with him at Mr Trump’s club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on September 15, when the former president was the target of a second attempted assassination.

Mr Trump also named Mr Witkoff co-chairman, with former Georgia senator Kelly Loeffler, of his inaugural committee.

Ambassador to Israel: Mike Huckabee

Mr Huckabee is a staunch defender of Israel and his intended nomination comes as Mr Trump has promised to align US foreign policy more closely with Israel’s interests as it wages wars against the Iran-backed Hamas and Hezbollah.

Mr Huckabee, who ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination in 2008 and 2016, has been a popular figure among evangelical Christian conservatives, many of whom support Israel due to Old Testament writings that Jews are God’s chosen people and that Israel is their rightful homeland.

Mr Trump has been praised by some in this important Republican voting bloc for moving the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Mr Huckabee has rejected a Palestinian homeland in territory occupied by Israel, calling for a so-called “one-state solution”.

Ambassador to the United Nations: Elise Stefanik

Ms Stefanik is a representative from New York and one of Mr Trump’s staunchest defenders going back to his first impeachment.

Elected to the House in 2014, Ms Stefanik was selected by her Republican House colleagues as House Republican Conference chairwoman in 2021, when former Wyoming representative Liz Cheney was removed from the post after publicly criticising Mr Trump for falsely claiming he won the 2020 election.

Elise Stefanik waves to supporters at CPAC in Oxon Hill, Maryland (Jose Luis Magana/AP) 

Ms Stefanik, 40, has served in that role ever since as the third-ranking member of House leadership.

Ms Stefanik’s questioning of university presidents over antisemitism on their campuses helped lead to two of those presidents resigning, further raising her national profile.

If confirmed, she would represent American interests at the UN as Mr Trump vows to end the war waged by Russia against Ukraine that began in 2022.