One week after defeating Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election, President-elect Donald Trump has already made several key announcements concerning who he wants to serve in his second cabinet. So far, the list comprises prominent supporters, including several with questionable qualifications for their new roles and many whose intentions and backgrounds contradict the missions of the agencies they would lead.

Foreign policy positions include loyalists like Elise Stefanik and Marcio Rubio, Fox News host  Pete Hegseth

As Trump rolls out his picks for cabinet secretaries and other top administration roles, many of them are loyalists and staunch conservatives who are expected to push his agenda in their proposed roles, such as New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, nominated to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, or Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who is expected to be chosen as secretary of state. While these Trump loyalists have credentials to match their new positions, other picks leave observers puzzled. Trump picked Pete Hegseth, a former National Guard officer most famous for co-hosting the Fox News show Fox & Friends Weekend, to serve as secretary of defense, seemingly for Hegseth’s loyalty to him and their shared hostility to “wokeness.” The pick has reportedly stunned national security and military experts who question Hegseth’s lack of credentials and experience.

“People argue about DEI and lack of qualifications then rave about Pete Hegseth being placed over the most fierce military in the world,” CNN commentator Bakari Sellers tweeted. “Watching mediocrity being rewarded is the hallmark of the Trump Administration,” he added.

Border security team, including ‘Border Czar’ Tom Homan, raises concerns for cruelty

Trump has tapped Tom Homan, who served during the first Trump presidency as his acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as the “border czar.” Homan was an early proponent of the “family separation” policy for undocumented immigrants that became notorious during Trump’s first presidency and is listed as a contributor of Project 2025; as such, he’s expected to enact even stricter policies as part of Trump’s plan to mass deport immigrants.

Scandal-ridden Kristi Noem would be the Secretary of Homeland Security

In this role, Homan would work closely with the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE. For secretary of homeland security, Trump has picked South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, who was speculated to be on the shortlist to be Trump’s running mate before she found herself in the middle of a scandal for proudly recounting a story of shooting her pet dog in her memoir.

Matt Gaetz, investigated by DOJ for sex trafficking, nominated to head DOJ

These and other picks by Trump have excited his base but inspired deep skepticism from his critics.

“At this rate, Trump’s gonna put Diddy in charge of the oil reserves,” author Michael Harriot quipped in a popular tweet on Wednesday.

Harriot’s joke became even more relevant when Trump announced his pick of Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz as U.S. attorney general. Gaetz has made a name for himself as one of the most outspoken far-right members of Congress and has been under scrutiny as the target of ethics and criminal investigations due to several allegations, including accusations that he participated in sex trafficking in a case that involved an underage girl. Should Gaetz be confirmed, he would lead the Department of Justice that previously investigated him concerning these allegations.

Tulsi Gabbard is his pick for Director of National Intelligence

Tulsi Gabbard, the controversial former Democratic congresswoman who became an Independent and then a Republican, is his pick for Director of National Intelligence. As The Guardian notes, “without intelligence experience or even having served as a member of House intelligence committee, she has been chosen to sit at the top of a pyramid overseeing the CIA, the FBI and the National Security Agency, among other organisations.”

As Trump continues to shape his second administration, expect more announcements to create chatter as he chooses conservatives and loyal supporters, even those with highly questionable qualifications or records.

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