Trump makes new appointments, Rubio tipped for secretary of state

When US President-elect Donald Trump greeted Senator Marco Rubio, Republican of Florida, during a campaign rally at the J.S. Dorton Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina, on November 4, 2024. [AFP]

US President-elect Donald Trump announced new members of his incoming administration on Monday and was expected to pick Florida Senator Marco Rubio as secretary of state.

His choices for his new White House team are the subject of intense speculation and scrutiny, with Trump vowing that his second stint in power will result in a radical shake-up of the federal government.

The 78-year-old Republican tycoon announced immigration official Tom Homan as the country's "border czar" on Monday, tasking him with fulfilling his key domestic promise of mass deportations of undocumented migrants.

For foreign policy, the New York Times said he was set to tap Rubio, whom he considered as a potential vice president pick, while fellow Florida congressman Michael Waltz has been lined up for the powerful National Security Advisor role.

Both men have notably hawkish views on China, which they see as a threat and challenge to US economic and military might.

The two appointments will be key architects of Trump's "America First" foreign policy, with the incoming president having promised to end the wars raging in Ukraine and the Middle East and avoid any more American military entanglements.

New York congresswoman Elise Stefanik got the nod for UN ambassador, while US media also said Stephen Miller, the author of Trump's so-called "Muslim ban" immigration policy during his first term, was set to be his deputy chief of staff with a broad portfolio.

In a further announcement, Trump's transition team said Lee Zeldin, an early political ally, would be proposed as Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) chief with a mandate to slash climate and pollution regulations that are considered red tape by businesses.

Turnaround

Top nominations, including for Stefanik, Zeldin as well as the secretary of state, would need approval by the Senate, but Trump is hoping to bypass oversight from the upper chamber by making appointments while it is in recess.

He has turned the issue into a loyalty test, insisting Saturday that any Republican seeking to be the leader of the Senate "must agree" to recess appointments.

The three senators jockeying for the post immediately issued statements saying they supported the move, or were at least open to the idea.

Trump is known to demand total personal loyalty from his aides and cabinet picks, with those chosen all having defended him and supported his unfounded claims of election fraud after his defeat to outgoing President Joe Biden in 2020.

The nomination of Rubio, who is of Cuban heritage, would cap a remarkable turnaround in relations between the two men.

In 2016, when they were competing for the Republican presidential nomination, Rubio called Trump a "con artist" and the "most vulgar person to ever aspire to the presidency."

"Border czar" Homan, who served as acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) under Trump during his first term, is a long-time defender of the so-called "Make America Great Again" agenda.

"I've known Tom (Homan) for a long time, and there is nobody better at policing and controlling our Borders," Trump said on Truth Social, adding that Homan would be in charge of "all Deportation of Illegal Aliens back to their Country of Origin."

Trump has pledged to launch the largest deportation operation of undocumented migrants in US history.

Deregulation

Trump will not be inaugurated until January and had previously made one cabinet-level appointment, naming his campaign manager Susie Wiles as his White House chief of staff, a position that does not require Senate confirmation.

The Republicans are set to hold a solid majority in the upper chamber and are creeping towards a majority in the House of Representatives, which would give Trump a free hand to implement his agenda.

His choice for Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) head gives a clear hint about his intentions.

Trump said Zeldin would be tasked with making "fair and swift deregulatory decisions," with the tycoon promising to shred rules on safety and pollution that he believes hold back businesses.

"We will restore US energy dominance, revitalize our auto industry to bring back American jobs, and make the US the global leader of AI. We will do so while protecting access to clean air and water," Zeldin wrote on X.

UN ambassador nominee Stefanik has been a staunch defender of Israel and will head to the world body as the wars in Gaza and Lebanon dominate international diplomacy.

Israel welcomed the appointment.