Former President Donald Trump’s historic comeback marked the culmination of not only his own efforts but those of many of his surrogates and allies who will likely join him in the White House.

Trump has not announced any major cabinet picks so far, but speculation abounds about who could hold important positions in the second Trump administration. Trump’s campaign during the election cycle widespread use of surrogate mothersThese include high-profile Republicans, Tulsi Gabbard and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. There are also former Democrats like and tech moguls like Elon Musk.

“President Trump is supported by an impressive array of exceptionally talented individuals who bring diverse expertise and backgrounds to the table,” Trump Campaign National Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement in September.

Some of Trump’s former cabinet members are likely to return to their former positions; but many of his former cabinet members actively campaigned against him after they were fired or resigned due to electoral difficulties. Trump cited his frequent firings of high-profile staff while on the campaign trail.

“When you fire someone, they say bad things,” Trump said at a town hall attended by Latino voters in mid-October. “When I fired John Bolton or fired any of these people, he was terrible… But you know what, Biden should have fired a lot of people because he had a very unsuccessful administration.”

Trump’s co-chairmanship transition team Linda McMahon, former Small Business Administration chairman and co-founder of World Wrestling Entertainment, and Cantor Fitzgerald CEO Howard Lutnick, where he oversees the management of $13.2 billion in assets. McMahon currently serves as chairman of the board. America First Policy Institute (AFPI).

McMahon’s position on the transition team signals a possible shift in Washington as AFPI appears poised to influence White House staffing more than the Heritage Foundation. Trump sought to distance himself from this group’s 2025 Project throughout the campaign.

Here’s a look at who could fill Trump’s various cabinet positions:

Steve Mnuchin

The former Treasury secretary was among the only key cabinet members to serve throughout the entire Trump administration, and he did so largely without incident. He suggested in March that he was open to returning to his old position.

“If the president calls me in the future, of course I would have to accept and consider the call, but my current focus is on developing this business.” he said In that case.

Mike Pompeo

Pompeo, Trump’s first CIA director and second Secretary of State, played a key role in promoting the historic development “Abraham AccordsNegotiations between the Taliban and the Afghan government, as well as a diplomatic rapprochement between Israel and neighboring Arab states.

He told Fox News in March that he would likely accept serving in a second Trump administration, saying: “If I get the chance to serve and I think I can make a difference… I’ll almost certainly say yes to try to seize that opportunity on behalf of the American people.”

Keith Kellogg

Kellogg served as Trump’s acting National Security Advisor following the resignation of Mike Flynn and later held the same role in Vice President Mike Pence’s office. He was a highly decorated lieutenant general in the United States Army and served with the legendary 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam and Operation Desert Storm in Iraq.

Christopher Miller

Miller took over as acting Secretary of Defense when Mark Esper, Trump’s second pick for the role, resigned in 2020. Trump in 2023, implied radio host Hugh Hewitt He said Miller had a permanent interest in him for the job.

Robert Lighthizer

Lighthizer served as the United States Trade Representative during key trade negotiations for the United States Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA) as well as trade negotiations with China.

He is even more appeared on the campaign trail for Trump as part of his surrogate team.

Peter Navarro

Navarro served as an advisor to Trump in the first administration and was recently released from prison after serving four months for contempt of Congress. Navarro refused to comply with a subpoena from the House January 6 Committee, which resulted in a conviction.

“I would definitely take Peter back. “This ugly behavior by the Democrats should not have happened,” he said. Trump said In May.

Elon Musk

Founder of Tesla, owner and creator of X SpaceXThe leading private-sector space programmer became a prominent supporter of Trump following the July 13 assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Trump confirmed He said he would appoint Musk to lead a “government efficiency commission” in September. After acquiring X, Musk laid off the vast majority of the platform’s staff and initiated similar action for the federal government.

Its acquisition of X also led to the elimination of most of the platform’s content moderation policies and the reinstatement of Trump’s account. He has become a prominent advocate for free speech and an opponent of “misinformation” tracking.

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

Kennedy, one of the closest people to royalty in American political history and a former Democratic presidential candidate, launched an independent campaign before dropping out of the race and throwing his support behind Trump.

Kennedy has adopted a variation of Trump’s classic “Make America Great Again” slogan and hopes to “Make America Healthy Again.” Exactly what position he might take remains unclear, although he has emerged as the likely head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or Secretary of Health and Human Services.

The campaign saw him highlight changes over the last few decades in chemical inputs to food, which he believes may be contributing to the obesity epidemic and other diseases. Kennedy speaking on MSNBC expressed interest Eliminating entire departments of the FDA.

“There are departments in some categories that need to go completely, like the FDA’s nutrition department,” he said. “They do not protect our children”

Tulsi Gabbard

The doggedly outspoken former Hawaii Democrat became a republican before the campaign ends. During his bid for the 2020 Democratic nomination, he emerged as a leading critic of America’s involvement in foreign conflicts. Gabbard served 17 years in the National Guard, where she served on active duty in Iraq, and retired as a lieutenant colonel in 2020.

Gabbard ultimately helped coach Trump in her only debate with Harris and emerged as a favorite to take on a foreign affairs or defense role, partly in light of her military service.

Vivek Ramaswamy

Virtually unknown ahead of the Republican nomination in 2024, Ramaswamy has burst onto the political scene by running a campaign that largely expressed agreement with Trump on key policy issues. She left after the Iowa Caucus and supported the former president, becoming one of his most visible surrogates on the campaign trail.

Despite his background as a biotech entrepreneur and financial mogul, Ramaswamy’s campaign has seen him exchange largely barbs on foreign policy with former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, attacking her “neocon” hawkish tendencies.

Possible Chief Prosecutors

Trump will likely appoint a powerful ally to run the Justice Department after previously appointing Jeff Sessions to the post, only to see him recuse himself and clear the way for the Mueller investigation.

Runner-up William Barr left office during Trump’s 2020 election campaign and became a prominent critic, but eventually expressed support for Trump’s candidacy. But he’s unlikely to return, and a handful of MAGA fans have filled out the list of possible candidates.

Among them is Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who Trump said would be selected for the post.

“We have a lot of people who want this and would be very good at it. But he’s a very talented guy.” he said.

Stephen Miller of America First Legal and Mike Davis of the Article III Project were also among the possible choices. Miller’s team has become known as an influential watchdog group that has battled election integrity issues and a host of other conservative causes in recent years.

Davis has previously suggested that Trump would “clean house” in a second administration and make careful decisions on staffing to avoid a repeat of Sessions.

“Won’t make this mistake again” he said. “He’s going to put great people in these key roles, like the attorney general, like the White House counsel. And they’re going to come in on day one with a plan to clean house.”

Immigration and security duties

Former Acting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Tom Homan is thought to be likely to return to his post in an official capacity or be promoted to lead the Department of Homeland Security.

Former acting U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Mark Morgan may also find himself in the running for an immigration or border security job. Both men have become prominent media figures advocating for tougher border security measures in support of Trump’s policies.