Inside Trump's new Cabinet: A mix of disruptors, negotiators and TV stars
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By Eric Bradner, CNN
(CNN) — President Donald Trump is set to convene his first Cabinet meeting on Wednesday – a gathering of agency leaders who’ve taken different approaches to proving their loyalty to Trump in public and private.
Cabinet meetings, typically staid affairs with brief photo opportunities at their start, morphed into something much different during Trump’s first presidency. He kicked them off by touting his administration’s accomplishments, and then each Cabinet member took a turn lavishing praise on the president while television cameras were rolling.
Wednesday’s gathering is intended to serve as a moment to touch base and ensure Trump’s federal agency heads “are rowing in the right direction,” a White House official said.
Also attending: Elon Musk, the tech billionaire who has led a frenetic effort to slash spending and remake the government that has frequently left agency leaders and federal workers confused and uncertain about their own employment. Musk, nominally a senior adviser to the president, is playing a massive role in Trump’s administration. That’s despite the fact that – unlike actual Cabinet members – he won’t be confirmed by the Senate. (For the record, 18 of 22 Cabinet nominees have been confirmed so far.)
Trump’s second-term Cabinet is a mix of disruptors chosen to take wrecking balls to the agencies they lead, political loyalists certain to implement the president’s agenda, a handful of negotiators with experience in diplomacy and foreign policy, and TV-friendly faces whose primary roles are likely to be selling Trump’s accomplishments to the public.
Here’s a look at who makes up Trump’s Cabinet ahead of Wednesday’s meeting:
The disruptors
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth
The combat veteran and former Fox News host defended Trump’s firing of the nation’s senior military officer, and has signaled that more firings could come soon. He has also ordered the military to prepare for 8 percent budget cuts in each of the next five years – a massive reduction in the Pentagon’s annual $850 billion budget.
Attorney General Pam Bondi
The former Florida attorney general has already overseen a massive shakeup at the Justice Department, with a wave of firings, including prosecutors who led the investigation into the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, and resignations, including over the decision to drop corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
Bondi has created a list of what she considers “wins” inside the department since she was sworn in that she plans to share with Trump on Wednesday, a source familiar with her preparations told CNN. Those wins are likely to include big picture efforts to “root out” politicization inside the Justice Department, as well as lower-level moves in criminal immigration cases.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy
The anti-vaccine activist is poised to drastically shift the priorities of the agency he now oversees. He postponed a meeting of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s advisory panel on vaccine policy. His role also involves overseeing Medicare and Medicaid as Republicans seek massive cuts to federal spending.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick
The Trump transition co-chairman said on Fox News last week that Trump hopes to abolish the Internal Revenue Service. He is overseeing Trump’s institution of tariffs that experts say will drive inflation, and Trump has also said he wants to give Lutnick authority over the US Postal Service.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard
The former Hawaii Democratic congresswoman narrowly won confirmation earlier this month, despite Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell faulting her “history of alarming lapses in judgment.” How she’ll fit into Trump’s administration remains to be seen. She instructed intelligence community officers not to respond to the weekend email from Musk ordering all federal workers to list five things they’d accomplished the previous week.
Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought
Vought, a Project 2025 co-author, has already gutted the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. His influence was on display from the outset of Trump’s administration, as Trump ordered halts to spending on diversity, equity and inclusion programs, ended civil service protections for federal workers and more.
The negotiators
Secretary of State Marco Rubio
The former Florida senator was among the leaders of the US peace talks with Russia. He also said he has taken over as acting director of the US Agency for International Development, and has pushed to keep at least some foreign aid flowing as Trump has sought to gut most such programs.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent
In a speech Tuesday, Bessent blamed the Biden administration’s spending for inflation and said Trump wants to “re-privatize” the economy through cuts in spending and regulation. He has also defended the Trump administration’s push for a minerals deal with Ukraine.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe
Under the former congressman and director of national intelligence’s lead, the CIA has implemented some of Trump’s priorities. The agency is flying covert drone missions into Mexico to spy on drug cartels. The CIA also moved to dismiss more than a dozen officers for working on diversity issues, in what amounts to a deeply unusual round of mass firings at the agency.
The wonks
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum
The former North Dakota governor who was on Trump’s vice-presidential short list immediately kicked off an agency push to increase energy production on public lands.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright
The former energy executive made clear the Trump administration’s stark departure from former President Joe Biden as he rolled back Biden-era water standards. He also criticized the British government’s attempts to reach clean energy targets and called the goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2050 “sinister.”
Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins
Collins has pledged improved services for veterans, even as the agency grapples with massive layoffs of probationary workers. Trump also named Collins the interim head of the offices of the Special Counsel and Government Ethics after he removed the previous leader of the government watchdog agencies.
The political loyalists
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy
The former Wisconsin congressman faced a crisis just hours into the job when a jet collided with a military helicopter at Reagan National Airport. He has publicly defended the Trump administration’s cuts to the Federal Aviation Administration and sided with Musk in ordering employees to respond to his weekend email.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem
Trump’s relationship with Noem includes visiting the former South Dakota governor in 2020, for a Fourth of July fireworks display at Mount Rushmore. Noem is another public face of the Trump administration, appearing in interviews as well as TV ads urging undocumented migrants to leave the county. Her role puts Noem in a critical position as Trump imposes an immigration crackdown, though CNN has reported that administration officials have been frustrated at the pace of migrant arrests so far.
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin
The former New York congressman faced questions this week about an EPA effort to claw back $20 billion in grants for clean energy. Trump and Zeldin have long been allies as Zeldin evolved from a political moderate to a strident Trump backer, with Trump returning the favor by supporting Zeldin in New York’s 2022 race for governor.
Small Business Administration Administrator Kelly Loeffler
After being confirmed last week, the former Georgia senator gained attention when she posted a social media video showing empty cubicles at her agency as she backed Trump’s call for government workers to return to in-person work.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins
Rollins, a first-term Trump policy aide who became the CEO of the America First Policy Institute, immediately faces challenges as the Trump administration seeks to address the avian flu, which has caused egg prices to soar.
Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner
The former NFL player, Texas state lawmaker and motivational speaker led Trump’s White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council in his first administration. He said in his confirmation hearing that the agency had failed at addressing homelessness and affordable housing shortages.
Still awaiting confirmation
Elise Stefanik, nominee for United Nations ambassador
Trump chose the New York congresswoman and ardent supporter as his representative to the United Nations, where his administration has already ignited controversy. But with Republicans’ narrow House majority leaving no room to spare and government funding bills needing to be passed, it’s not clear when her confirmation vote will be held.
Lori Chavez-DeRemer, nominee for secretary of labor
The former Oregon congresswoman faced questions in her confirmation hearing last week about her support for a bill that sought to strengthen collective bargaining rights – a position at odds with Trump’s administration. But she is backed by the Teamsters Union, as some unions break from their long history of supporting Democrats. Teamsters’ President Sean O’Brien spoke at the Republican National Convention last summer.
Jamieson Greer, nominee for US trade representative
The Senate on Monday voted to break a filibuster on Greer’s nomination to be USTR, setting up a confirmation vote later this week. Greer would be the US lead negotiator as Trump uses tariffs and trade as a negotiating tactic with China, Canada, Mexico and more.
Linda McMahon, nominee for education secretary
McMahon, who was SBA administrator during Trump’s first term, told New Jersey Sen. Andy Kim and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren in a written response to questions released by their offices on Tuesday that she “wholeheartedly” agrees with Trump’s calls to abolish the Department of Education. Trump has called for funding and policy decisions to be shifted entirely to states.
CNN’s Hannah Rabinowitz, Jeff Zeleny, Betsy Klein and Alayna Treene contributed to this report.
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