During his second term preparations, President Donald Trump highly valued loyalty, carefully selecting a team composed of individuals who had demonstrated unwavering support during his first administration or who contributed to one or more of his three campaigns.
However, loyalty is not the sole connection among those occupying prominent positions in his administration. A number of them are billionaires or major campaign financiers, or both. The ranks also include media figures, ex-legislators, and individuals involved with Project 2025—the conservative framework aimed at reducing government which Trump claimed no association with while campaigning for the presidency.
Some key appointees have longstanding personal ties to Trump, ranging from a former golf course caddy to his son’s ex-fiancée. Others have switched sides after initially opposing him in the past; notable examples are his vice president as well as a select group of Republicans and Democrats who once challenged him.
The following are individuals Trump has chosen for significant positions in his second administration, along with insights into their commonalities, as highlighted by a review from The Associated Press.
Who’s who:
Tom Barrack, ambassador to Turkey
Scott Bessent, treasury secretary
Pam Bondi, attorney general
Doug Burgum, interior secretary
Lori Chavez-DeRemer, labor secretary
Doug Collins, veterans affairs secretary
Sean Duffy, transportation secretary
Tulsi Gabbard, director of national intelligence
Jamieson Greer, trade representative
Kimberly Guilfoyle, ambassador to Greece
Kevin Hassett, National Economic Council director
Pete Hegseth, defense secretary
Pete Hoekstra, ambassador to Canada
Tom Homan, border czar
Mike Huckabee, ambassador to Israel
Jared Isaacman, NASA administrator
Ronald Johnson, ambassador to Mexico
Keith Kellogg, special envoy for Ukraine and Russia
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., health and human services secretary
Karoline Leavitt, White House press secretary
Kelly Loeffler, administrator of the Small Business Administration
Howard Lutnick, commerce secretary
Dr. Marty Makary, Food and Drug Administration commissioner
Linda McMahon, education secretary
Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff
Elon Musk, Department of Government Efficiency
Peter Navarro, White House senior counselor on trade and manufacturing
Janette Nesheiwat, surgeon general
Kristi Noem, homeland security secretary
Dr. Mehmet Oz, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Kash Patel, FBI director
David Perdue, ambassador to China
John Ratcliffe, CIA director
Brooke Rollins, agriculture secretary
Marco Rubio, secretary of state
Dan Scavino, White House deputy chief of staff
Rodney Scott, Customs and Border Protection commissioner
Scott Turner, housing secretary
JD Vance, vice president
Russell Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget
Mike Waltz, national security adviser
Matthew Whitaker, ambassador to NATO
Susie Wiles, White House chief of staff
Steven Witkoff, special envoy
Chris Wright, energy secretary
Lee Zeldin, Environmental Protection Agency administrator
What they have in common:
Worked in the Trump administration during his first term: Rollins, Scavino, Greer, Ratcliffe, Leavitt, Patel, Kellogg, Hassett, McMahon, Whitaker, Hoekstra, Navarro, Scott, Johnson, Vought, Turner, Miller, Homan.
From Florida, Trump’s primary residence when not in the White House, and location of Mar-a-Lago: Guilfoyle, Rubio, Waltz, Bondi, Johnson, Witkoff, Wiles, Barrack.
Made financial contributions to Trump’s campaign or a pro-Trump PAC, as indicated by campaign finance records: Wright, Musk, Lutnick, Loeffler, Zeldin, McMahon, Hoekstra, Bessent, Witkoff, Wiles, Barrack.
Worked on Trump’s 2016, 2020, or 2024 campaigns (including more than one): Scavino, Leavitt, Guilfoyle, Miller, Wiles.
Had prior service in state or federal government roles: Perdue, Burgum, Collins, Vance, Ratcliffe, Loeffler, Noem, Zeldin, Chavez-DeRemer, Rubio, Huckabee, Waltz, Bondi, Hoekstra, Turner, Duffy, Gabbard.
Formerly critical of Trump, either through direct opposition or by running against him for presidency: Burgum, Musk, Vance, Rubio, Kennedy, Gabbard.
Hosted television programming, was associated with a media network as a paid contributor, or leads a social media enterprise: Nesheiwat, Oz, Musk, Guilfoyle, Huckabee, Hegseth, Duffy.
Reported personal wealth of $1 billion or more, based on AP findings: Musk, Lutnick, Isaacman, Loeffler, McMahon, Bessent, Witkoff, Barrack.
Authored or contributed to the conservative policy framework known as Project 2025: Ratcliffe, Hoekstra, Navarro, Vought, Homan.
Has a personal bond with Trump, such as being a long-term friend, business associate, or having close connections to Trump’s family: Scavino, Guilfoyle, McMahon, Witkoff, Barrack.
Reporting and research by Sara Burnett, Lolita C. Baldor, Bill Barrow, Thomas Beaumont, Collin Binkley, Matt Brown, Cathy Bussewitz, Jill Colvin, Bernard Condon, Tara Copp, Matthew Daly, Jack Dura, Alanna Durkin Richer, Adriana Gomez Licon, Fatima Hussein, David Klepper, Matthew Lee, Aamer Madhani, Scott McFetridge, Matthew Perrone, Michelle L. Price, Amanda Seitz, Brian Slodysko, Mike Stobbe, Darlene Superville, and Eric Tucker.
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