Republican Donald Trump on Wednesday sealed his historic comeback to the White House and defeated his Democrat rival Kamala Harris despite a criminal conviction and two impeachments while in office. The 78-year-old, who will be the oldest person ever to take the presidential oath when inaugurated on January 20, won wider margins than before to become the 47th president of the United States of America.
After his landslide victory over Harris, who would have become America’s first woman president if Democrat’s bet to replace Joe Biden with her had worked, vowed to fulfil his slogan to “make America great again”.
Here’s a look at the new Trump administration set to bring a contrarian cast of characters into the White House.
JD Vance
JD Vance, who once described Donald Trump as America’s “Hitler”, is set to enter the White House as Vice President.
The 40-year-old author of the best-selling memoir “Hillbilly Elegy” had repeatedly criticized Trump before joining his team.
He will become the third-youngest vice president in US history.
Elon Musk
In 2022, tech billionaire Elon Musk had suggested that Donald Trump “hang up his hat and sail into the sunset.”
Fast forward to 2024, he played an unprecedented role in Trump’s presidential bid, spending more than $110 million of his personal fortune to get the Republican elected.
Trump has said that he will ask Musk, the boss of SpaceX, Tesla and X (formerly Twitter), to do a complete audit of the US government to drastically cut waste.
Musk, 53, is also likely to be a highly influential adviser on space and business policy.
Robert Kennedy Jr
Robert Kennedy Jr, the nephew of former US president John F Kennedy, initially ran as an independent in the 2024 US presidential election, but withdrew from the race and endorsed Donald Trump.
Trump has pledged during his campaign to give a “big role” in healthcare to RFK Jr, who has said he wants to remove fluoride from the US water supply.
The 70-year-old, who is the son of US’s former attorney general and senator Robert F Kennedy, is widely rumoured to be a contender for a cabinet position, with speculation centering on the role of secretary of health and human services.
Kennedy will “make America healthy again,” Trump said in his victory speech on Wednesday.
Who Else May Feature In Trump 2.0
The name of Richard Grenell, former US ambassador to Germany, is doing rounds for the post of national security advisor or secretary of state in Donald Trump 2.0.
Senior campaign aide Susie Wiles, who many see as the architect of Trump’s comeback, could serve as White House chief of staff.
North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum is being considered for the post of Energy Secretary, and Senator Tom Cotton for Defense.
Other Republicans who are reportedly open to serving in the new Trump administration include former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, Elise Stefanik and Lee Zeldin.
