Billionaires and TV stars fill Trump's unconventional cabinet
Thirteen billionaires and ten individuals known from television or the entertainment sector will be part of Donald Trump's cabinet, which will be sworn in on Monday, 20 January. The political circle of the 47th President of the United States will be one of the most unconventional in history.
Donald Trump's team will include billionaires, businesspeople, and figures from the media and entertainment realms - this group will assist the president in managing the world's most powerful economy.
ABC Television reports that for key roles in his administration, Trump chose thirteen billionaires, three of whom will head important departments. The combined wealth of the cabinet members totals at least $7 billion - that's over twice the wealth of Trump's first cabinet and more than sixty times the wealth of Joe Biden's ministers - estimates ABC.
The group of billionaires includes:
- future Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, head of an investment fund,
- future Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, head of the financial services firm Cantor Fitzgerald,
- future Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum,
- future Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, who managed the WWE wrestling federation with her husband Vince.
Somewhat less wealthy is the future Secretary of Energy and head of the oil giant Liberty Energy, Chris Wright.
Fox News people alongside the President of the USA
One of Trump's most controversial nominees is the candidate for Secretary of Defence, head of the Pentagon Pete Hegseth. Although he is a veteran of the National Guard, Trump knows him from television - Hegseth was a co-host of the weekend breakfast show on Fox News, the largest right-wing television network in the USA, which has a huge impact on American public opinion.
Why is he a controversial candidate? He has been accused of sexual assault and alcohol problems, including drinking to the point of passing out at work. He also made bizarre claims about not washing his hands for ten years and criticised female soldiers. Despite this, he has a good chance of being confirmed by the Senate.
Also associated with Fox News is future Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, who began his career on MTV's reality show "The Real World". He was a prosecutor, later a congressman, and most recently hosted a show on Fox Business.
Also known from the screens is Dr. Oz, or celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz, who will manage the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services - health insurance programmes managed by the US government.
Pam Bondi, future Attorney General of the USA, also hosted shows on Fox News. She appeared on this network even while she was the Attorney General of Florida.
Scandal-ridden and "Vice President Musk"
One of the most contentious appointments is entrusting the Department of Health to Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Known for his anti-vaccine activity and pro-Russian views, the nephew of the assassinated president has a series of scandals under his belt - from accusations of sexual harassment to heroin addiction, to episodes like leaving the body of a bear in New York's Central Park.
The head of the Department of Homeland Security, responsible for border security among other things, will be South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, who in 2024 - according to the American media - was considered a potential vice-presidential candidate for Donald Trump. She declined after
portions of her book were revealed, in which she openly wrote about shooting her dog due to behavioural issues.
Her deputy will be one of Trump's closest advisers, Stephen Miller. Miller, in the first Republican administration, was the creator of the most controversial policies, including the travel ban on people from Muslim countries and family separations at the border. He is known for his anti-immigrant views and extreme ideas for removing people from the country who are not "true" US citizens.
Another controversial nomination is the candidate for FBI director Kash Patel, a lawyer and children's book author, who presents himself as a wizard combating conspirators against "King Donald" in his books. He is also the author of a list of enemies of the president against whom revenge was being planned.
And there's Elon Musk, the richest person in the world, once admired primarily for creating innovative companies SpaceX and Tesla, now mainly known for spreading conspiracy theories on platform X, which he owns, supporting Donald Trump, and interfering in European politics.
Musk allocated over £82 million to Trump's election campaign and quickly became his inseparable companion. Critics call him a "vice president," and even "President Musk."
Among the nominees for the Republican president's administration are also at least ten former business associates of Musk and his former PayPal partner, Peter Thiel. These include AI "czar" David Sacks, as well as future ambassador to Denmark Ken Howery, who will be entrusted with negotiations over Greenland.
