Trump and his team. Who will be key figures in new US president's administration
Future US President Donald Trump (photo: Getty Images)
On January 20, Donald Trump will become president of the United States for the second time and immediately begin forming his team. However, the candidates for key positions, including those important for Ukraine, are already known.
RBC-Ukraine reports on who will be part of Trump's team and what they have already said about the war in Ukraine.
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Nominees Trump appointing unilaterally
The US President has the right to appoint certain top officials on his own. Although they will officially take office only after Trump's inauguration on January 20, the nominees have already begun their public activity, including on issues related to Ukraine.
Mike Volz - National Security Advisor
He has experience in the war in Afghanistan with special operations forces. In recent years, he was a congressman from Florida. After Russia's full-scale invasion, Volz visited Kyiv as part of congressional delegations and voted for bills to help Ukraine.
As Trump's future national security adviser, he is already involved in negotiations to end Russia's war against Ukraine. On December 23, in an interview with The Sunday Special, Volz stated the need to involve all parties in the negotiations.
The future Trump adviser said that part of their job and their team's job was to determine who would be at the table, how to bring people to the table, and then to develop a framework for a deal that would best serve their interests.
Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy - Government Performance and Results
Both are conservative entrepreneurs working in the high-tech sector. They will head a specially created Department of Government Effectiveness (DOGE). Their task is, on the one hand, to optimize the work of the state apparatus, and on the other hand, to reduce the influence of the so-called deep state, which often blocked Trump's initiatives during his first term.
Elon Musk, a South African-born billionaire, is also involved in other processes in Trump's environment, including a number of other appointments and international negotiations. In recent weeks, he has launched a campaign to support populist movements in Europe and Canada.
In early 2022, Musk provided Ukraine with Starlink systems. At the same time, he regularly declares the need to end the war, without any emphasis on preserving Ukraine's territorial integrity, and periodically trolls Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on his social network X.
Ramaswamy is an Indian-born entrepreneur with radical views on foreign policy. He has called for an end to the war at the expense of Ukraine's interests. Since his appointment, unlike Musk, he has focused on domestic politics and has hardly commented on world events.
Vivek Ramaswamy (Photo: Getty Images)
Keith Kellogg - Special Representative for Ukraine and Russia
He is a retired lieutenant general. He visited Ukraine after the full-scale invasion. He was the author of one of the preliminary plans for ending the war, back during Trump's election campaign.
Kellogg regularly makes statements about plans to end Russia's war against Ukraine. However, most of them lack specifics. He has expressed support for the decision to allow strikes by American weapons deep into Russian territory.
In January, Kellogg was expected to visit Ukraine to familiarize himself with the situation, but his trip has been postponed. Instead, he said that within a hundred days after Trump's inauguration, he would try to find ways to end the war in Ukraine.
Susan Wiles - White House Chief of Staff
Wiles managed Trump's election campaign. At the White House, she will be in charge of personnel, controlling access to the US president by unauthorized persons, and negotiating on his behalf with Congress and representatives of the executive branch.
In an interview with Axios, she noted that the most critical period for Trump's team will be between the inauguration and the midterm congressional elections in 2026. During these two years, Republicans will have full control of Congress and carte blanche to change the country. Wiles said the plan for this period includes getting off to a fast start and keeping that momentum going along with the expectation of excellence every day.
Nominees to be confirmed by US Senate
Many important appointments to the Trump team must be confirmed by the US Senate after the inauguration. And this is not a formal procedure at all. For example, Attorney General nominee Matt Gaetz was forced to withdraw from the nomination after even Trump's supporters protested against the appointment. Gaetz was involved in several scandals, including accusations of involvement in sex trafficking.
Hearings in the US Senate to confirm nominees for key positions in the Trump administration begin this week. Potential administration officials will be questioned about their background and qualifications for the position. This is part of the standard vetting procedure before senators confirm them.
Marco Rubio - Secretary of State
Senator from Florida. He has worked in government at various levels for more than 25 years, including the last 13 in the Senate. Rubio is distinguished by his predominantly hawkish views on national security and foreign policy.
A longtime supporter of a tough policy toward China and Russia. Previously, he was a supporter of Ukraine, but as he entered Trump's orbit, he changed his position to a more skeptical one, in line with Trump's views. Rubio is expected to be confirmed without any problems
Pete Hegseth - Secretary of Defense
Hegseth's candidacy is one of those whose appointment was questionable. Before his nomination, he was a TV host and had no managerial experience. So senators had doubts about his qualifications. In addition, Hegseth was criticized for allegations of sexual harassment and alcohol abuse.
However, according to CBS News, Senate Majority Leader John Thune privately told Trump that he believed Hegseth would have enough votes to be confirmed. To this end, the Trump team has made significant public and non-public efforts. Among other things, Hegseth said that he would not drink alcohol if he became Secretary of Defense.
Pete Hegseth (Photo: Getty Images)
In early 2022, Hegseth called Putin a war criminal who wanted to restore the USSR and advocated for faster aid to Ukraine. However, Hegseth does not have a clear position on Ukraine. Presumably, he will be guided by Trump's opinion.
John Ratcliffe - Director of CIA
In 2020-2021, he was the director of the US National Intelligence Agency, a coordinating structure that collects and summarizes data from individual intelligence agencies for the president.
He is considered to be personally loyal to Trump. In early 2022, Ratcliffe made many pro-Ukrainian statements, but his position on Ukraine is currently unknown.
Current CIA Director William Burns said in an interview with National Public Radio that he had already had several conversations with his successor, Ratcliffe, and promised him that he would ensure the smoothest possible transition.
Howard Lutnick - Secretary of Commerce
Among other things, Lutnick will be responsible for the trade wars that Trump has already announced to strengthen the American economy - against China, the European Union, and Canada. Lutnick is personally loyal to Trump, and he is a supporter of imposing tariffs on imports from other countries. However, his confirmation is in question due to a possible conflict of interest.
Lutnick is the chairman and CEO of the investment firm Cantor Fitzgerald, which operates in many sectors, from commercial real estate to cryptocurrencies.
Scott Bessent - Secretary of the Treasury
Will oversee the world's largest bond market, US tax collection, and economic sanctions. In addition, he plays an important role in providing Ukraine with funds from frozen Russian assets.
He is the founder and CEO of the Key Square Group hedge fund. It is believed that Bessent may oppose the introduction of excessive trade tariffs and thus balance Lutnik's influence. On other issues, including Ukraine, he is unlikely to act independently.
Sources: Axios, The Sunday Special program on Ben Shapiro's YouTube channel, NPR, and Reuters.
