Appointment of Hardline Figures Against China, Average Age 57
Also Includes Trump First-Term Personnel for Agriculture Secretary
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| Donald Trump, the U.S. President-elect, attended a press conference at Trump Tower in New York last September. [Reuters] |
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, ‘[Herald Economy = Reporter Kim Bitna] Donald Trump, the U.S. President-elect, effectively completed his second-term Cabinet appointments by nominating Brooke Rollins, head of the America First Policy Institute (AFPI), as Secretary of Agriculture on the 23rd (local time).’,
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, ‘The key theme of this rapidly conducted appointment process, which took less than three weeks from the confirmation of the presidential victory on the 6th to the 23rd, is the extensive inclusion of the “MAGA” (Make America Great Again) loyalists. The average age of the Cabinet members, which was 63 during Trump’s first term, has been significantly lowered to 57.3 years.’,
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, ‘For the top two diplomatic and security positions, Senator Marco Rubio and Congressman Mike Waltz, a former member of the Special Forces “Green Beret,” who have been at the forefront of Trump’s hardline China policy, were nominated as Secretary of State and National Security Advisor, respectively. Nominee Rubio led legislative efforts against China, such as the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, while nominee Waltz publicly expressed the view that “America is in a Cold War with the Chinese Communist Party.”‘,
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, ‘In the economic sector, hedge fund Key Square Group CEO Scott Bessent and investment bank Cantor Fitzgerald CEO Howard Lutnick were nominated for Treasury Secretary and Commerce Secretary, indicating a more pronounced dual approach of economic and diplomatic pressure on China.’,
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, ‘Pete Hegseth, a Fox News host and former major who opposed overseas deployment of U.S. troops, was selected as Secretary of Defense, maintaining the administration’s hardline stance.’,
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, ‘Additionally, Doug Collins, a former Congressman and part of the first impeachment defense team, was appointed as Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democratic Congresswoman, was named Director of National Intelligence (DNI), and John Ratcliffe, who served as DNI during the fourth year of Trump’s first term, was appointed as Director of the CIA. These appointees were key supporters of Trump during investigations or his China tariff policies in his first term.’,
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, ‘White House appointments, which do not require separate confirmation processes, have seen the involvement of campaign staff. Susie Wiles, who co-chaired this year’s campaign, and Stephen Cheng, the campaign’s chief spokesperson, were named White House Communications Director and White House Spokeswoman, respectively, with 27-year-old Caroline Levitt also being appointed as a White House Spokesperson.’,
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, ‘The New York Times (NYT) analyzed that Trump expects three main things from his second-term appointments: “MAGA,” “retaliation against Trump’s prosecution,” and “small government.” Pam Bondi, the newly nominated Attorney General following the withdrawal of Matt Gaetz, was previously Trump’s first impeachment defense lawyer in 2019. The NYT assessed that loyalists’ appointments to the Justice Department, CIA, and Defense Department flags a threat towards individuals who contributed to Trump’s judicial risks.’,
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, ‘Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, and other figures aiming to streamline government frameworks have also been appointed. Musk was named head of the Government Efficiency Department, and along with Indian-American entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, argued in a Wall Street Journal (WSJ) article that “deregulation, administrative reduction, and cost-saving are the three major reform tasks of the Government Efficiency Department,” positing that the federal government’s power should be curtailed.’,
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, ‘Opposing aid to Ukraine and asserting that an early end to the war aligns with U.S. interests, Trump is reportedly considering appointing Richard Grenell, former ambassador to Germany, as Special Envoy for the Russia-Ukraine War. Mike Huckabee, former Governor of Arkansas, who has been one-sidedly supportive of Israel, was nominated as Ambassador to Israel, and Congressman Stefanik, who condemned pro-Palestine protests as anti-Semitic, was nominated as U.N. Ambassador.’,
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, ‘Amid these developments, nominee Waltz explained in a Fox News interview on the 24th that Trump is concerned about the Ukrainian war’s escalation through North Korean deployments and Ukraine’s use of long-range missiles, emphasizing that “President Trump is very clear that this war needs to end.”‘,
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, ‘The U.S. government’s main Cabinet consists of 16 positions, including the Vice President and 15 executive department heads. Cabinet appointments undergo confirmation hearings for Senate approval. In the first year of the Biden administration in 2020, only 41% of 171 high-level appointments, including Cabinet positions, passed confirmation hearings. Though Republicans hold a majority with 53 seats out of 100 in the Senate for Trump’s second term, internal opposition within the party remains a factor, given some controversial figures among the appointees.’,
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| [Yonhap] |
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