The new Trump administration cabinet is gradually taking shape!
On December 4th local time, US President elect Trump announced the latest round of nominations for cabinet members and other appointments. Thus, the new "leadership team" formed after Trump took office.
On that day, Trump nominated Frank Bisignano as the Director of the Social Security Administration, Kelly Loveller as the Director of the Small Business Administration, Jared Isaacman as the Director of NASA, Peter Navarro as the Senior Advisor on Trade and Manufacturing, Gail Slater as the Assistant Attorney General for the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice, and Michael Folkend as the Deputy Secretary of the Treasury. Trump also nominated candidates such as the Director of the Internal Revenue Service and the Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission.
According to US media reports, Trump is considering nominating Florida Governor DeSantis to replace the position of Secretary of Defense. Insiders revealed that Trump and DeSantis personally discussed the matter on December 3rd.
Take a look at the detailed report!
Trump announces latest nomination
According to CCTV News, on December 4th local time, US President elect Trump announced his latest nominations, involving positions such as Director of the Social Security Administration, Director of the Small Business Administration, Director of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Senior Advisor on Trade and Manufacturing, Secretary of the Army, and Deputy Secretary of the Treasury.
On that day, Trump nominated Gail Slater as Assistant Attorney General for the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice. It is reported that Slater has served in the Federal Trade Commission and the White House National Economic Council, and recently served as an advisor to the Senate Office of Vice President elect Vance.
In addition, Trump announced the nomination of Frank Bisignano, Chairman, President, and CEO of Fierv Financial Services, as the Director of the Social Security Administration; Former Georgia Senator Kelly Loeffler serves as the Director of the Small Business Administration; Jared Isaacs serves as the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the United States; Adam Boller serves as the Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs; Daniel Driscoll serves as the Secretary of the Army; Peter Navarro serves as Senior Advisor for Trade and Manufacturing; Former Missouri Congressman Billy Long serves as the Director of the United States Internal Revenue Service; Michael Faulkender from Maryland serves as the Deputy Secretary of the Treasury of the United States.
Trump also stated that he has invited Michael Watley to lead the Republican National Committee again as chairman. Trump also announced the nomination of cryptocurrency supporter Paul Atkins as the Chairman of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
Previously, Trump's announced nominees for important positions also included:
Susan Wells, Chief Advisor to Trump's Campaign Team, Appointed as White House Chief of Staff
Florida Republican Senator Marco Rubio serves as Secretary of State
Mike Waltz serves as National Security Advisor
John Ratcliffe becomes Director of the Central Intelligence Agency
Billionaire Scott Besant appointed as Secretary of the Treasury
Howard Lutnick, CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, a financial company, serves as Secretary of Commerce
Governor of North Dakota, Republican Greg Bergem serves as Secretary of the Interior
Linda McMahon appointed as Minister of Education
Robert Francis Kennedy Jr. becomes Secretary of Health and Human Services
Russell Watt appointed as Director of the White House Office of Management and Budget
Congressman Lori Chavez Dremer from Oregon serves as Secretary of Labor
American entrepreneurs Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswami jointly lead the proposed "Government Efficiency Department"
Alice Stephanie serves as the United States Permanent Representative to the United Nations
Former Chief of Staff of the United States Trade Representative, Jamison Greer, appointed as the United States Trade Representative
Kevin Hassett, former chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, serves as director of the White House National Economic Council
American businessman John Phelan serves as Secretary of the Navy
Vince Harley appointed as Director of the White House Domestic Policy Committee
Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee appointed as US Ambassador to Israel
Former Acting Attorney General Matthew Whittaker appointed as the US Ambassador to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
Keith Kellogg, retired US Army Lieutenant General and former Chief of Staff of the White House National Security Council, served as the US Special Envoy for the Russia-Ukraine conflict
Is there a new candidate for the position of US Secretary of Defense?
On December 4th local time, multiple media outlets including The Washington Post and NBC reported that US President elect Trump is considering nominating Florida Governor DeSantis to replace the position of Secretary of Defense.
According to insiders, Trump and DeSantis personally discussed this matter on December 3rd. Both speakers did not immediately respond to this.
Previously, on November 12th, Trump announced that he would nominate Pete Hagerce as the Secretary of Defense of the United States. Subsequently, Pete Haigeses was accused of sexually assaulting a woman in 2017. Although he was not sued in court, multiple American media outlets reported that as part of the settlement agreement, Haigese paid a sum of money to the woman. Due to the wavering support of as many as six Republican senators for Hagibis, his nomination is in danger.
DeSantis was once seen as the most likely Republican to replace Trump for the nomination, but suffered a crushing defeat in the Iowa primary. Afterwards, he announced his withdrawal two days before the New Hampshire primary.
According to reports, the two have not spoken since De Santis withdrew from the race in January 2024. DeSantis kept his promise to endorse Trump after withdrawing from the election, but did not actually help Trump's campaign and made some negative comments about the former president. Trump's senior aides once referred to DeSantis as a 'pathetic villain'.
On April 28th, Trump met privately with DeSantis to discuss possible joint fundraising activities. According to American media, this marks a easing of their relationship after experiencing the Republican primary in the 2024 US presidential election.
US media: Trump cabinet presents multiple ideological collisions
Recently, The New York Times website published an article titled "Trump Cabinet: Multiple Ideological Collisions Under the Surface of 'America First'". The article points out that there are at least three different factions in the Trump nomination team:
A faction focused on revenge, these nominees will be ordered to completely destroy the Department of Justice, intelligence agencies, and the Department of Defense, investigate the so-called 'deep government' and all officials involved in prosecuting Trump.
One faction is focused on appeasing the market, such as Trump nominating Wall Street billionaire Scott Besant as his candidate for Treasury Secretary, who may try to prevent Trump's inflationary tariff policies from affecting the market.
A faction focused on cutting government teams and budgets, led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswami, wants to cut the federal government's budget for the next fiscal year by $2 trillion, which is higher than the total annual wages of all federal employees.
The New York Times believes that the candidates nominated by Trump have their own experiences and vastly different worldviews. For example, the candidate for Secretary of the Treasury, Bessent, did not initially believe in "making America great again". He had raised funds for the campaign of Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore in 2000. But Besant agrees with Trump's tariff strategy, but he also points out that gradually imposing tariffs is crucial to avoid economic shocks.
For example, Michael Waltz, the designated National Security Advisor to the President by Trump, strongly advocated for providing more aid to Ukraine and taking all necessary measures to repel Russia. It was not until this spring that he voted against the bill to provide $95 billion in additional aid to Ukraine.
Therefore, The New York Times believes that there is a possibility of debate among nominees who present diverse ideologies and viewpoints.
Are American corporate executives becoming more optimistic?
Two surveys show that after Trump won the US presidential election, American business executives have significantly increased their optimism about the economy and their own business prospects. Financial executives and other executives expect stronger economic growth in 2025, despite believing there is inflation risk.
Among American executives surveyed by the International Institute of Certified Public Accountants, two-thirds, or 67%, said they were confident about the economic outlook for the coming year, up from 26% in August and 43% a year ago. The survey lasted from November 6 to 26. After Trump defeated Camara Harris, 273 members working in American companies were investigated.
Trump's campaign platform promises to lower corporate taxes and reduce regulation. However, the survey results released on Thursday showed that his overall business friendly stance prompted executives to raise their expectations for revenue and profits after his election victory.
Executives have stated that they plan to increase spending to expand their business and have indicated an improvement in recruitment prospects compared to before the election.
According to a press release, Tom Hood, Executive Vice President of Corporate Liaison and Growth at the International Institute of Certified Public Accountants, said, "Corporate executives have expressed their expectations for reduced regulation and more favorable tax policies, and we see optimism translate into higher profit and revenue expectations
The survey results are consistent with the collaboration between Duke Fuqua School of Business and the Federal Reserve Banks of Atlanta and Richmond, which surveyed over 500 US financial executives and found a significant increase in their enthusiasm after the election. A survey conducted by Duke University was released on Wednesday, highlighting a shift in priorities and emotions among Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) after November 5th, leading them to express more positive views on the overall economic outlook as well as their own company's prospects.
Researchers have found that after the election results were announced, executives from manufacturing and construction companies took a more proactive stance. The surge in optimism reflects the diminishing uncertainty of the presidential election and the feeling that the new government's tax and regulatory policies will benefit the corporate sector broadly, "said John Graham, a finance professor at Duke University and academic director of the survey." When Trump first ran for president of the United States in 2016, there was a similar surge in corporate optimism
In addition to inflation, which is a potential concern in both surveys, the CFOs surveyed by Duke University also pointed out that the potential consequences of monetary policy, tariffs, and labor supply are the main concerns. The respondents surveyed by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants also pointed out that raw material and energy costs are potential negative factors.
Duke University's survey only surveyed Chief Financial Officers, while the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants surveyed a wider range of executives, including Chief Financial Officers, Presidents, CEOs, and others.