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Trump Announces More Picks for Key Positions in Second Administration

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NTD Newsroom
Published: 11/12/2024, 11:50:31 PM EST
President-elect Donald Trump announced John Ratcliffe as the new director for the CIA. It comes as Trump is also filling key positions on countering China and defending Israel. NTD’s White House correspondent Iris Tao has more from West Palm beach.

President-elect Donald Trump has announced the newest members of his second administration.

On Tuesday, Trump released another round of picks for spots on his Cabinet and key advisor roles.

Some of these high-profile positions require Senate confirmation, while others do not need congressional approval.

Here are Trump’s latest picks for his new team:

National Security Advisor: Mike Waltz

Congressman Mike Waltz (R-Fla.) has been tapped to serve in Trump’s Cabinet as his National Security Advisor.

Trump cited Waltz's military background and experience in Congress when making his decision.

“Mike is the first Green Beret to have been elected to Congress, and previously served in the White House and Pentagon,” Trump wrote in a statement on his social media platform Truth Social. “Mike served in the Army Special Forces for 27 years where he was deployed multiple times in combat for which he was awarded four Bronze Stars, including two with Valor.”
National security advisors are considered high-ranking senior aides and serve as the central, foreign policy figures to the president.

Ambassador to Israel: Mike Huckabee

Trump has nominated Mike Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor, as the U.S. ambassador to Israel.
In a Truth Social post, the president-elect described Huckabee as a great public servant, governor, and faith leader. Trump said in his announcement that Huckabee loves Israel and the people of Israel love him.

"Mike will work tirelessly to bring about Peace in the Middle East!" Trump said.

The position is significant considering the ongoing conflicts between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, and with Hezbollah in Lebanon, who are both sponsored by Iran. Amidst this, Israel and Iran have conducted retaliatory attacks on each other. Trump has promised to strengthen ties with Israel amid the conflict.

In his response, Huckabee said that he has been visiting Israel since 1973 when he was a teenager and that it would be a privilege to serve the United States and the president in this role.

His daughter is the current Arkansas governor, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who previously served as White House press secretary during Trump’s first term.

Special Envoy to the Middle East: Steven C. Witkoff

Steven C. Witkoff, a real estate investor and philanthropist, has been appointed by Trump to serve as Special Envoy to the Middle East.
“Steve is a Highly Respected Leader in Business and Philanthropy, who has made every project and community he has been involved with stronger and more prosperous,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. “Steve will be an unrelenting Voice for PEACE, and make us all proud.”
Witkoff has publicly praised Trump’s leadership, saying it was “good for Israel and the entire region” in a post on X in July. The Middle East experienced historic levels of peace and stability under Trump, according to Witkoff.

White House Counsel: William McGinley

Trump has tapped William Joseph McGinley to serve as his White House counsel.
"Bill is a smart and tenacious lawyer who will help me advance our America First agenda while fighting for election integrity and against the weaponization of law enforcement," according to Trump’s statement posted on Truth Social.

McGinley served in Trump’s first term as White House cabinet secretary.

According to the statement, McGinley played a major role in Trump's election victory as the Republican National Committee's outside counsel for election integrity.

As White House counsel, McGinely will advise the president and provide guidance on all legal matters related to the presidency.

CIA Director: John Ratcliffe

John Ratcliffe will serve as director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

In announcing his pick, Trump described Ratcliffe as a “fearless fighter” for the constitutional rights of Americans.

“John Ratcliffe has always been a warrior for Truth and Honesty with the American Public,” Trump wrote in a statement on Truth Social.
Ratcliffe served as the director of national intelligence from 2020 to 2021. Before that, he was a Republican congressman from Texas and became the leading policymaker on national security issues as a member of the House Intelligence and Judiciary Committees and as Cybersecurity Chairman of the Homeland Security Committee.

Secretary of Defense: Pete Hegseth

Trump has nominated Pete Hegseth, U.S. Army combat veteran and Fox News host, to serve in his Cabinet as the Secretary of Defense.

In making his announcement, Trump highlighted Hegseth’s tours in Afghanistan, Guantanamo Bay, and Iraq.

“Pete has spent his entire life as a Warrior for the Troops, and for the Country,” Trump stated on Truth Social.
As a journalist on Fox News for more than eight years, Hegseth has used his platform to support the military and veterans, Trump added, saying America’s enemies will be on notice under his leadership.

Department of Government Efficiency: Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy

Trump has chosen Tesla co-founder Elon Musk to lead the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) “in conjunction with” former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.
In his announcement, the president-elect said that Musk will create an “entrepreneurial approach to government never seen before.”

Musk and Ramaswamy will be in charge of “large scale structural reform,” focusing on dismantling government bureaucracy, slashing excess regulations, and restructuring federal agencies. They have been tasked with weeding out massive waste and fraud in the annual $6.5 trillion of government spending.

Musk has pinned Trump's statement on his X social media account, where he has also made numerous comments on the new DOGE role.

"All actions of the Department of Government Efficiency will be posted online for maximum transparency," Musk said in one such comment on Tuesday. "Anytime the public thinks we are cutting something important or not cutting something wasteful, just let us know!
"We will also have a leaderboard for most insanely dumb spending of your tax dollars. This will be both extremely tragic and extremely entertaining."

DHS Secretary: Kristi Noem

Trump has appointed South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem to serve as Department of Homeland Security (DHS) secretary, citing her willingness to help with the crisis at the southern border.
“She was the first Governor to send National Guard Soldiers to help Texas fight the Biden Border Crisis, and they were sent a total of eight times,” Trump wrote in a statement.

Noem will work directly with Tom Homan, Trump’s newly-chosen “border czar” to guarantee the country’s safety from adversaries, according to the president-elect.