Trump makes first cabinet pick, eyes Putin talks

A sculpture made by Indian sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik depicting former US president and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump after he won a sweeping victory in the US presidential election in Puri of India's Odisha state on November 6, 2024. [AFP]

US President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday made his first cabinet appointment after his decisive election win, while signalling his intent to ditch the outgoing administration's policies by talking to Vladimir Putin.

Trump's campaign manager Susie Wiles will serve as his White House chief of staff, the first woman to be named to the high-profile role and the Republican's first appointment to his incoming administration.

Trump's crushing defeat of Democrat Kamala Harris is already shaking up US and world politics, just two days after Election Day and two-and-a-half months before he returns to the White House.

Putin, the Russian president, hailed Trump as "courageous" for the way he handled himself following an assassination attempt at a rally in July, and said he was "ready" to hold discussions with him.

Billionaire Trump later told NBC News that he had not talked to Putin, the authoritarian leader whom he has repeatedly praised over the years, since his victory but "I think we'll speak."

It marked a seismic shift from the icy silence that has existed between Biden and Putin since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, and underscored Trump's criticism of US support for Kyiv.

The president-elect has previously said he would push through a peace deal in that conflict -- but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who spoke to Trump on Wednesday, said calls for a ceasefire were "dangerous."

Chinese President Xi Jinping had earlier joined the list of foreign leaders congratulating Trump, who was criticized by Harris during the election campaign for being too friendly with autocrats.

Trump doubled down on his plans for mass deportations of undocumented migrants, telling NBC he had "no choice" and that there could be "no price tag" that was too much.

'Orderly'

As Trump began to work at his Florida resort on his transition team, Biden pledged a peaceful and "orderly" transfer of power.

Biden, 81, urged Americans in a solemn televised address to "bring down the temperature," in stark contrast to Trump's refusal to accept his 2020 election defeat.

The Democrat has invited Trump for talks at the White House. But Biden's spokeswoman said Trump's team had not yet signed key documents allowing the legal transition process to start.

In his speech from the Rose Garden of the White House, Biden called for unity while urging Democrats not to lose hope, saying: "Remember, a defeat does not mean we are defeated."

Yet finger-pointing has already erupted in the party over Biden's initial decision to run for a second term despite his age, before dropping out at the last minute in July and handing the reins to Harris, his vice president.

The White House denied Biden had any regrets. "He believed it was the right decision to make at that time," Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.

Trump's election in the face of a criminal conviction for fraud, two impeachments and the fact that he is the oldest-ever elected president at 78 reflected voters' desire for change from the Biden years.

Voter concerns over the economy and migration drove Trump's victory.

Trump 2.0

Trump's first cabinet pick Wiles enjoys wide support within his team and was notably called on stage during his victory speech on Wednesday morning.

"Susie is tough, smart, innovative, and is universally admired and respected. Susie will continue to work tirelessly to Make America Great Again," Trump said of the steely 67-year-old Florida native.

The other frontrunners for a place in the Trump 2.0 administration reflect the disruptive shape it is likely to take.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a leading figure in the anti-vaccine movement for whom Trump has pledged a "big role" in health care, told NBC News on Wednesday that "I'm not going to take away anybody's vaccines."

But the former independent candidate reiterated that the Trump administration would recommend removing fluoride -- a mineral US authorities say aids dental and skeletal health -- from public water supplies.

The world's richest man, Elon Musk, could also be in line for a job auditing government waste after the right-wing SpaceX, Tesla and X boss enthusiastically backed Trump.

Trump is expected to wield the axe on many of Biden's signature policies. He returns to the White House as a climate change denier, poised to take apart Biden's green policies with his pledge to "drill, baby, drill" for oil.

He may find it hard to dismantle some of Biden's investment legislation, which pumps money into many Congressional districts where members would be loath to see it go.