Introducing Donald Trump's Cabinet, including Real World alum Sean Duffy and Robert F. Jr., but not Elon Musk
Donald Trump's second Cabinet is now fully confirmed, with all 15 nominations approved by the U.S. Senate. Marco Rubio, serving as Secretary of State, received unanimous bipartisan support, a rare feat in today's political climate. On the other hand, Pete Hegseth's confirmation as Defense Secretary faced significant hurdles, requiring Vice President J.D. Vance to cast a tie-breaking vote after three Republicans voted nay joined Democrats who received zero support in opposition.
Quite the mix of smooth sailing and stormy seas for these confirmations.
Indeed, Trump assembled his desired Cabinet, which includes the vice president and the heads of 15 departments, as outlined in Article II, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution. These officials, known as secretaries (except for the attorney general), form the principal advisory body to the president who oversees the Department of Justice. And yes, despite his prominence, Elon Musk is not part of this lineup.
There are also 10 Cabinet level posts, some of which require Senate confirmation (CIA director, ambassador to the United Nations) while others (White House chief of staff) do not.
Adding those officials to the bunch, Trump’s Cabinet is almost full, the commander-in-chief having withdrawn New York Rep. Elise Stefanik’s nomination to be U.N. Ambassador so as not to subject her vacated seat in Congress to a special election.
While Trump has broken the mold in a variety of ways with his approach to governing, the Cabinet has been around since the beginning, in one form or another. (For instance, in 1790 Thomas Jefferson became the first Secretary of State, under President George Washington, but there was no Department of Energy until President Jimmy Carter signed it into law in 1977.)
During Trump's first term, only two of his Cabinet picks—Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and HUD Secretary Ben Carson—served the entire four years, not leaving their posts until President Joe Biden was sworn in Jan. 20, 2021. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao almost stayed the whole time, but both resigned on Jan. 7, 2021.
Donald Trump's second Cabinet lineup, in order of presidential succession, starts with Vice President J.D. Vance, followed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The list continues with Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and Attorney General Pam Bondi. Other notable members include Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Secretary of Education Linda McMahon.
Quite the mix of personalities and backgrounds shaping this administration.