US President-elect Donald Trump has named Elon Musk to a role aimed at creating a more efficient government, handing even more influence to the world's richest man who donated millions of dollars to helping Trump get elected.
Musk and former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy will co-lead a newly created Department of Government Efficiency, an entity Trump indicated will operate outside the confines of government.
Trump said in a statement that Musk and Ramaswamy "will pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies".
Trump said the new department will realise long-held Republican dreams and "provide advice and guidance from outside of government", signaling the Musk and Ramaswamy roles would be informal, without requiring Senate approval and allowing Musk to remain the head of his companies.
The new department would work with the White House and Office of Management & Budget to "drive large scale structural reform, and create an entrepreneurial approach" to government never seen before, Trump said.
The work would conclude by July 4, 2026 – the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Vivek Ramaswamy will co-lead the Department of Government Efficiency. – Reuters
The appointments reward two Trump supporters from the private sector.
Musk leads electric car company Tesla, social media platform X and rocket company SpaceX, while Ramaswamy is the founder of a pharmaceutical company who ran for the Republican presidential nomination against Trump and then threw his support behind the former president after dropping out.
In his 2021 bestseller Woke, Inc, Ramaswamy decried decisions by some big companies to base business strategy around social justice and climate change concerns.
Ramaswamy said the appointment means he is withdrawing from consideration for the pending U.S. Senate appointment in Ohio, where Governor Mike DeWine will appoint a replacement for JD Vance, who will become Trump's vice president when they are inaugurated on January 20.
Musk gave millions of dollars to support Trump’s presidential campaign and made public appearances with him. Trump had said he would offer Musk, the world’s richest person, a role in his administration promoting government efficiency.
The acronym of the new department – DOGE – coincides with the name of the cryptocurrency Dogecoin that Musk promotes.
“This will send shockwaves through the system, and anyone involved in government waste, which is a lot of people,” Musk said, according to Trump’s statement.
Trump's statement called the new government initiative “potentially ‘The Manhattan Project’ of our time”, referring to the US plan to build the atomic bomb that helped end World War Two.
"All actions of the Department of Government Efficiency will be posted online for maximum transparency," Musk said on X, inviting the public to provide tips.
"We will also have a leaderboard for most insanely dumb spending of your tax dollars. This will be both extremely tragic and extremely entertaining," Musk added.
Elsewhere, and in somewhat of a surprise move, Trump has also picked as his secretary of defence Pete Hegseth, a Fox News commentator and veteran who has expressed disdain for the so-called “woke” policies of Pentagon leaders, including its top military officer.
Hegseth, if confirmed by the US Senate, could make good on Trump’s campaign promises to rid the US military of generals who he accuses of pursuing progressive policies on diversity in the ranks that conservatives have rallied against.
Billionaire Elon Musk will remain the head of his companies, including Tesla. – AP
It could also set up a collision course between Hegseth and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force General CQ Brown, a former fighter pilot with command experience in the Pacific and the Middle East, who Hegseth accused of “pursuing the radical positions of left-wing politicians”.
The 44-year old NATO-sceptic is perhaps Trump’s most surprising pick as he fills out his cabinet ahead of the January 20 inauguration.
Trump, announcing his decision, praised Hegseth, who is an Army National Guard veteran and according to his website served in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
“Pete is tough, smart and a true believer in America First,” Trump said in a statement.
“With Pete at the helm, America’s enemies are on notice – Our Military will be Great Again, and America will Never Back Down.”
While Hegseth has articulated only limited policy positions in the past, he has railed against NATO allies for being weak and said that China is on the verge of dominating its neighbours.
Hegseth has said he left the military in 2021 after being sidelined for his political and religious views by an Army that didn’t want him anymore.
“The feeling was mutual – I didn’t want this Army anymore either,” Hegseth said in his book The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free.
There is already anxiety in the Pentagon that Trump aims to root out military officers and career civil servants he perceives to be disloyal.
Donald Trump appears on television with Fox News commentator Pete Hegseth. – AP
Meanwhile, Trump nominated former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe to lead the Central Intelligence Agency and chose former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee as ambassador to Israel and longtime friend Steven Witkoff to be a special envoy to the Middle East.
In a flurry of announcements, Trump also named Bill McGinley, his Cabinet secretary in his first administration, as his White House counsel.
Trump is rolling out a steady stream of appointees and nominees for his upcoming administration, working thus far at a faster pace and without as much drama as his first transition following his 2016 victory.
A former Republican congressman from Texas, Ratcliffe served as director of national intelligence for the final months of Trump’s first term, leading the US government’s spy agencies during the coronavirus pandemic. He is a more traditional pick for the role, which requires Senate confirmation.
Huckabee is a staunch defender of Israel, and his intended nomination comes as Trump has promised to align US foreign policy more closely with Israel’s interests as it wages wars against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Mike Huckabee in the West Bank settlement of Efrat in 2018. – AP
Witkoff is a Florida real estate investor who is serving as a chair of Trump’s inaugural committee. He also spent time in the world of New York real estate, where Trump first made his mark as a public figure.
As intelligence director, he was criticised by Democrats for declassifying in the final days of the 2020 presidential election Russian intelligence alleging damaging information about Democrats during the 2016 race even though he acknowledged it might not be true.
Ratcliffe’s visibility rose as he emerged in 2019 as an ardent defender of Trump during the House’s first impeachment proceedings against him. He was a member of Trump’s impeachment advisory team and strenuously questioned witnesses during the impeachment hearings.
After the Democratic-controlled House voted to impeach Trump, Ratcliffe said: “This is the thinnest, fastest and weakest impeachment our country has ever seen.” He also forcefully questioned former special counsel Robert Mueller when he testified before the House Judiciary Committee about his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
“I look forward to John being the first person ever to serve in both of our Nation’s highest Intelligence positions,” Trump said in a statement.
“He will be a fearless fighter for the Constitutional Rights of all Americans, while ensuring the Highest Levels of National Security, and PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH.”
John Ratcliffe will lead the Central Intelligence Agency. – AP
Huckabee has led paid tour group visits to Israel for years, frequently advertising the trips on conservative-leaning news outlets.
“Mike has been a great public servant, Governor, and Leader in Faith for many years,” Trump said in a statement.
“He loves Israel, and the people of Israel, and likewise, the people of Israel love him. Mike will work tirelessly to bring about Peace in the Middle East!”
David Friedman, who served as Trump’s ambassador to Israel in his first term, said he was “thrilled” by Trump’s selection of Huckabee.
Witkoff is also the president-elect’s golf partner and was with him when he was the target of a second assassination attempt at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida, in September.
Trump’s transition team did not offer details about the Middle East envoy role, but Trump, in a statement said: “Steve will be an unrelenting Voice for PEACE, and make us all proud.”
The people Trump has picked for key positions
President-elect Donald Trump is starting to fill key posts in his second administration, putting an emphasis so far on aides and allies who were his strongest backers during the 2024 campaign.
Here’s a look at whom he has selected so far.
Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, heads of Department of Government Efficiency
Musk and Ramaswamy "will pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies," Trump said in a statement.
Trump said the new department "will provide advice and guidance from outside of Government" and work with the White House and Office of Management & Budget to "drive large scale structural reform, and create an entrepreneurial approach".
Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Defense
In picking Fox News Channel host Pete Hegseth to lead the Department of Defense, Trump has selected a military veteran and popular conservative media personality with a large following of his own.
Hegseth, 44, has developed a close rapport with Trump, who also reportedly considered him for a post in his first administration. Hegseth has lobbied Trump to release service members accused of war crimes.
William McGinley, White House counsel
McGinley was White House Cabinet secretary during Trump’s first administration, and was outside legal counsel for the Republican National Committee’s election integrity effort during the 2024 campaign.
In a statement, Trump called McGinley “a smart and tenacious lawyer who will help me advance our America First agenda, while fighting for election integrity and against the weaponisation of law enforcement”.
John Ratcliffe, CIA director
Ratcliffe was director of national intelligence during the final year and a half of Trump’s first term, leading the US government’s spy agencies during the coronavirus pandemic.
“I look forward to John being the first person ever to serve in both of our Nation’s highest Intelligence positions,” Trump said in a statement.
Steve Witkoff with Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Georgia. – Reuters
Steven Witkoff, special envoy to the Middle East
The 67-year-old Witkoff is the president-elect’s golf partner and was golfing with him at Trump’s club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on September 15, when the former president was the target of a second attempted assassination.
Witkoff “is a Highly Respected Leader in Business and Philanthropy,” Trump said of Witkoff in a statement.
Trump also named Witkoff co-chair, with former Georgia Senator Kelly Loeffler, of his inaugural committee.
Marco Rubio, Secretary of State
Trump is expected to tap US Senator Marco Rubio to be his secretary of state, sources say, putting the Florida-born politician on track to be the first Latino to serve as the United States' top diplomat.
Rubio, 53, was arguably the most hawkish option on Trump's shortlist for secretary of state. The senator has in past years advocated for a muscular foreign policy with respect to US geopolitical foes, including China, Iran and Cuba.
Over the last several years he has softened some of his stances to align more closely with Trump's views.
Mike Huckabee, ambassador to Israel
Huckabee is a staunch defender of Israel and his intended nomination comes as Trump has promised to align US foreign policy more closely with Israel’s interests as it wages wars against the Iran-backed Hamas and Hezbollah.
Huckabee, who ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination in 2008 and 2016, has been a popular figure among evangelical Christian conservatives. Trump has been praised by some in this important Republican voting bloc for moving the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
Israel ambassador welcomes appointment of Mike Huckabee as US ambassador. – AP
Mike Waltz, national security adviser
Trump asked Waltz, a retired Army National Guard officer and war veteran, to be his national security adviser.
The move puts Waltz in the middle of national security crises, ranging from efforts to provide weapons to Ukraine and worries about the growing alliance between Russia and North Korea to the persistent attacks in the Middle East by Iran proxies and the push for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and Hezbollah.
Waltz is a three-term GOP congressman from east-central Florida. He served multiple tours in Afghanistan and also worked in the Pentagon as a policy adviser when Donald Rumsfeld and Robert Gates were defense chiefs.
Kristi Noem, Homeland Security secretary
South Dakota Governor Noem, 52, once seen as a possible running mate for Trump, is currently serving her second four-year term as South Dakota's governor. She rose to national prominence after refusing to impose a statewide mask mandate during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Department of Homeland Security is responsible for everything from border protection and immigration to disaster response and the US Secret Service.
"Kristi has been very strong on Border Security. She was the first Governor to send National Guard Soldiers to help Texas fight the Biden Border Crisis, and they were sent a total of eight times," Trump said in a statement.
Donald Trump sits with Susie Wiles at a football game. – Reuters
Susie Wiles, chief of staff
Wiles, 67, was a senior adviser to Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign and its de facto manager.
Wiles has a background in Florida politics. She helped Ron DeSantis win his first race for Florida governor. Six years later, she was key to Trump’s defeat of him in the 2024 Republican primary.
Wiles’ hire was Trump’s first major decision as president-elect and one that could be a defining test of his incoming administration considering her close relationship with the president-elect. Wiles is said to have earned Trump’s trust in part by guiding what was the most disciplined of Trump’s three presidential campaigns.
Tom Homan, ‘border czar’
Homan, 62, has been tasked with Trump’s top priority of carrying out the largest deportation operation in the nation’s history.
Homan, who served under Trump in his first administration leading US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, was widely expected to be offered a position related to the border, an issue Trump made central to his campaign.
Elise Stefanik, United Nations ambassador
Stefanik is a representative from New York and one of Trump’s staunchest defenders going back to his first impeachment.
If confirmed, she would represent American interests at the UN as Trump vows to end the war waged by Russia against Ukraine that began in 2022. He has also called for peace as Israel continues its offensive against Hamas in Gaza and its invasion of Lebanon to target Hezbollah.
Stephen Miller, deputy chief of staff for policy
Miller, an immigration hardliner, was a vocal spokesperson during the presidential campaign for Trump’s priority of mass deportations. The 39-year-old was a senior adviser during Trump’s first administration.
Miller has been a central figure in some of Trump’s policy decisions, notably his move to separate thousands of immigrant families.
Lee Zeldin, Environmental Protection Agency
Trump has chosen former New York Representative Lee Zeldin to serve as his pick to lead the Environmental Protection Agency.
Zeldin does not appear to have any experience in environmental issues, but is a longtime supporter of the former president. The 44-year-old former US House member from New York wrote online: “We will restore US energy dominance, revitalise 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,” he added.