Trump Cabinet Before Inauguration: How Does It Look Now?


The Trump cabinet seems complete just before the inauguration as former Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue is likely to be named as the nominee for the secretary of agriculture. The 70-year-old Republican will, however, have to wait for a confirmation from the Senate before he could join Donald Trump in his cabinet. Let’s have a look at the major names whom the U.S. president-elect has nominated for various important roles.

Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-SC) speaks during a news conference with a bipartisan group of House members outside the U.S. Capitol May 20, 2014 in Washington, DC. [Image Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images]

Mick Mulvaney as Director, Office of Management and Budget

The conservative hardliner is the founding member of the Freedom Caucus. He was a state legislator in South Carolina for four years and served the U.S. House for six years. He was quite articulate in his criticism about former Speaker John Boehner. The chances of his nomination getting a Senate confirmation is pretty strong. He is presently waiting for a hearing before the Senate Budget Committee.

Steven Mnuchin, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee as treasury secretary, walks into Trump Tower on December 12, 2016 in New York City. [Image by Spencer Platt/Getty Images]

Steven Mnuchin, Department of the Treasury

The Trump Cabinet wants the former Goldman Sachs executive to lead the Treasury. While Mnuchin has no government experience. as a successful businessman, he has lots of corporate experience. He bought IndyMac, a failed mortgage lender, from the government eight years back. Three years back, he sold it as OneWest and secured huge profit. Mnuchin also happens to be a Hollywood producer who has put his money on blockbusters like Avatar and the X-Men series.

Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee during his confirmation hearing to be the U.S. Attorney General January 10, 2017 in Washington, DC. [Image by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images]

Jeff Sessions, Department of Justice

He was the first senator to endorse Trump. Sessions is a strong critic of illegal immigration. The conservative is also against expanded legal immigration, The Atlantic notes. He has 20 years of experience of representing Alabama in the Senate. He has been one of those who opposed the Obama administration in almost every decision it made. His lifetime appointment to the federal bench was rejected in 1987 after he reportedly praised the KKK and made racist comments. But, this time, he may get the confirmation from the Senate.

Defense Secretary nominee, retired Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis, smiles during his Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill, on January 12, 2017 in Washington, DC. [Image by Mark Wilson/Getty Images]

General James “Mad Dog” Mattis, Department of Defense

The Trump cabinet wants the four-star Marine Corps general who has commanded forces in Iraq and Afghanistan in the post-9/11 era. His 44 years of experience in the military is his biggest achievement. He is often known for not being politically correct. But, Trump likes him because of his knowledge about ISIS. Mattis has been vocal in his criticism about the Obama administration and its Middle East strategy. There is a reason why he gained his nickname “Mad Dog.” His advice to Marines in Iraq sounds like a line straight from a Hollywood action movie.

“Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everyone you meet.”

Secretary of State-designate Rex Tillerson attends the Chairman’s Global Dinner with President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect Gov. Mike Pence (R-IN), at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium on January 17, 2017 in Washington, DC. [Image by Kevin Dietsch-Pool/Getty Images]

Rex Tillerson, Department of State

Another successful businessman with no government experience, Tillerson has made fortune while working as the CEO of Exxon Mobil for years. Trump earlier said that he was impressed with Tillerson’s record of successfully dealing with all kinds of foreign governments. Tillerson’s nomination, however, is difficult to get the Senate confirmation, majorly because of his Russian connections. Russian President Vladimir Putin awarded him the “Order of Friendship” in 2012. His intimacy with Putin may not impress many in the Senate.

Retired Marine Corps General John Kelly arrives at Trump Tower, November 30, 2016 in New York City. [Image by Drew Angerer/Getty Images]

Retired General John Kelly, Department of Homeland Security

The Trump cabinet has chosen Kelly who also has more than 40 years of experience in the military. He has served as a commander of the U.S. Southern Command. His jurisdiction included the military detention center at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. In 2010, he lost his son Lt. Robert Michael Kelly in a land mine explosion in Afghanistan. Kelly is the one who is concerned about illegal immigration through the U.S.-Mexico border, and that may be the reason why Donald Trump picked him. There is every possibility that he will get the green signal from the Senate.

The proposed names in the Trump cabinet also include Tom Price for the Department of Health and Human Services, Dr. Ben Carson for the Department of Housing and Urban Development and Rick Perry for the Department of Energy. It also includes Andrew Puzder for the Department of Labor, Elaine Chao for the Department of Transportation, Betsy DeVos for the Department of Education, Ryan Zinke for the Department of the Interior, Wilbur Ross for the Department of Commerce, Scott Pruitt as the administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency and Nikki Haley as the UN ambassador.

[Featured Image by Kevin Dietsch-Pool/Getty Images]

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