Who might fill Trump’s Cabinet?

With Republicans taking control of the Senate, many of President-elect Trump’s Cabinet nominees are likely to face an easy path to confirmation, even some who may be controversial.

Here are some of the possible people Trump is considering or has chosen for critical Cabinet posts and top White House jobs.

White House chief of staff

Susie Wiles

The day after he was declared president-elect, Trump announced his campaign co-chair Susie Wiles would be his chief of staff. Wiles, an experienced political operative based in Florida, will be the first woman in U.S. history to fill the role. Chief of staff is not a Senate-confirmed position, but it is a prestigious position often considered to be part of the Cabinet. 

By Kathryn Watson

Secretary of State 

Trump is expected to name Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida as his nominee for secretary of state, though the pick is not a done deal, two sources familiar with the talks tell CBS News. 

Rubio, 53, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the top Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee, is a China hawk with extensive foreign policy experience.

GOP Sen. Bill Hagerty of Tennessee has also been under consideration for secretary of state, a source with knowledge of the discussions previously told CBS News. Hagerty was the U.S. ambassador to Japan under Trump from 2017 until 2019, when he stepped aside to run for his current Senate seat. 

By Fin Gomez, Ed O’Keefe and Margaret Brennan 

Secretary of Defense

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, 60, was floated as a contender to lead the Defense Department, according to two sources familiar with the process.

However, in a post to his Truth Social platform Saturday, Trump indicated that Pompeo would not be joining the White House. In his post, Trump also said Nikki Haley — who served as U.S ambassador to the United Nations in his first administration, and ran against him in the Republican presidential primary — would not be joining it either.

“I will not be inviting former Ambassador Nikki Haley, or former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, to join the Trump Administration, which is currently in formation,” Trump wrote. “I very much enjoyed and appreciated working with them previously, and would like to thank them for their service to our Country.”

Pompeo has extensive experience in the Trump administration and in dealing with Trump himself. He was both secretary of state and CIA director in the first Trump administration. He served as a cavalry officer patrolling the Iron Curtain prior to the Berlin Wall falling, before enrolling in Harvard Law School. He also served in Congress from 2011 to 2017. 

By James LaPorta and Robert Costa

National security adviser 

Rep. Michael Waltz, a Florida Republican, is expected to be named national security adviser, two sources familiar with the plans said. 

Waltz, a Green Beret veteran who served multiple combat tours in Afghanistan, the Middle East and Africa, was elected to Congress in 2018, replacing Ron DeSantis who had been elected Florida’s governor. 

Waltz, a China hawk, serves on the House China Task Force that seeks to develop solutions to address the Chinese Communist Party’s influence. He has also been skeptical of giving more aid to Ukraine as it fights Russia’s invasion. 

By Ed O’Keefe and Sara Cook

Treasury secretary

Scott Bessent, the founder of a Connecticut-based hedge fund, Key Square Group, is a leading contender for Treasury secretary, and he’s been making a full-court press for the post, according to a source deeply involved in transition planning. Bessent has outside advocates building the case for him to Trump. 

Trump’s former U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer is also being floated for Treasury secretary. 

By Bob Costa, Major Garrett and Olivia Rinaldi 

EPA administrator

Lee Zeldin

Trump announced that he will nominate former New York Republican congressman Lee Zeldin to head the Environmental Protection Agency.  

“Lee, with a very strong legal background, has been a true fighter for America First policies. He 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,” Trump said in a statement Monday, Nov. 11.

Zeldin tweeted, “It is an honor to join President Trump’s Cabinet as EPA Administrator.”

Zeldin represented New York’s 1st Congressional District, on Long Island, from 2015 to 2023, and ran for governor in 2022 but lost to Gov. Kathy Hochul.

Commerce secretary 

Linda McMahon, who served as small business administrator in Trump’s first term and is a former WWE CEO, is a top contender to lead the Department of Commerce, multiple sources familiar with discussions about the role say. 

“It is hers if she wants it,” one senior Trump official said, adding that she is close to Trump and he trusts her. 

McMahon also is co-chairwoman of the pro-Trump super PAC America First Policy Action, and is helping run the transition team with Trump’s friend, Howard Lutnick. 

By Major Garrett and Fin Gomez

CIA director

Former U.S. Rep. John Ratcliffe, the former Director of National Intelligence under the first Trump administration, is a top name being floated for CIA director, according to several sources familiar with the discussions. 

By Major Garrett and Robert Costa

U.N. ambassador

Elise Stefanik

President-elect Donald Trump has offered the job of U.S. ambassador to the United Nations to Rep. Elise Stefanik, and the New York Republican has accepted the offer, a senior source close to the presidential transition confirmed to CBS News. 

Stefanik, who represents a district in upstate New York, is a vocal and staunch Trump ally and the No. 4 House Republican as chair of the House Republican Conference.

“I am honored to nominate Chairwoman Elise Stefanik to serve in my Cabinet as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. Elise is an incredibly strong, tough, and smart America First fighter,” Trump said in a statement to CBS News. The choice of Stefanik was first reported by the New York Post and CNN.

The role of U.N. ambassador requires Senate confirmation.

By Fin Gomez and Nikole Killion

“Border czar”

Tom Homan

Trump announced Tom Homan will serve as “border czar” in his incoming administration. Homan was the acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement during the first Trump administration.

“I am pleased to announce that the Former ICE Director, and stalwart on Border Control, Tom Homan, will be joining the Trump Administration, in charge of our Nation’s Borders,” the president-elect wrote late Sunday, Nov. 10, on his Truth Social site.

 In addition to overseeing the southern and northern borders and “maritime, and aviation security,” Trump said Homan “will be in charge of all Deportation of Illegal Aliens back to their Country of Origin” — a major theme of Trump’s campaign.

Such a role would not require Senate confirmation.

Homan was recently interviewed by 60 Minutes’ Cecilia Vega before the election. During the conversation, he addressed Trump’s plan for mass deportation.

“I hear a lot of people say, you know, the talk of a mass deportation is racist. It’s— it’s— it’s threatening to the immigrant community. It’s not threatening to the immigrant community,” Homan said. “It should be threatening to the illegal immigrant community. But on the heels of [a] historic illegal immigration crisis. That has to be done.”

Department of Homeland Security

Homan’s name had previously been floated for DHS secretary, according to multiple sources familiar with the transition discussions. 

Chad Wolf, the former acting DHS Secretary under Trump’s first administration, is another name being raised by Trump insiders as a top contender for DHS secretary, according to two sources close to the transition.

“Look, I’m happy to serve if the president should ask, I think it’s an honor to do that,” Wolf told NewsNation in a recent interview. 

“Not only for the president but for the country, so happy to serve if needed,” he said. 

Wolf and Homan were at the top of the list according to a source close to the transition, but the source reiterated it is still early in the process and official vetting will begin next week. 

By Fin Gomez and Nicole Sganga

Possible role for RFK Jr.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is being floated by some Trump allies to serve as the next head of the Department of Health and Human Services, multiple people close to the president-elect’s campaign say. Kennedy is scheduled to meet with Trump’s senior team next week, but a role in the administration is still unclear, according to a Trump source familiar with the discussions. 

The hope among Kennedy’s backers that he could be nominated to lead the department has grown in recent days after Republicans cemented control of the Senate. 

Kennedy ran for president as an independent but dropped out of the race in August and endorsed Trump. 

By Fin Gomez and Alex Tin

Trump’s family members

As of yet, it’s unclear whether any of Trump’s family members will work in his administration. In his first term, both daughter Ivanka Trump and son-in-law Jared Kushner worked in the White House, but they’ve taken a step back from involvement in their father’s political work. 

Who is running Trump’s national security transition team

Brian Hook

Hook, a former U.S. special representative to Iran during Trump’s first term and an aide to both Pompeo and former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, is part of the State Department transition team. He has been working on policy for months and meeting with foreign diplomats, but official transition meetings with the Biden-Harris team have not yet happened. The Trump team has not yet signed a memorandum of understanding, which is an agreement with the General Services Administration to receive assistance and funding from the GSA with the transition process.

Hook maintains U.S. taxpayer-funded diplomatic security protection because of ongoing threats against him from Iran and the 2020 assassination Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani.

He declined comment when reached by CBS News. 

By Margaret Brennan

Joel Rayburn

Rayburn, former special envoy to Syria, as well as deputy assistant secretary for Levant Affairs and Senior Director for Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon under Trump, is also back and working on the National Security Council transition team.

He declined comment when reached by CBS News.

By Margaret Brennan

Michael Anton

Anton, a former NSC spokesperson and deputy national security adviser during the Trump administration, is also working on the NSC transition team.

He declined comment when reached by CBS News. 

By Margaret Brennan

contributed to this report.