Who might be in a potential Trump administration?

Donald Trump has made no secret of his enemies, who range from those “within” the US to foreign governments and institutions he has expressed disdain for.

The former president is much more complimentary of his allies. Whilst who will take which job in Trump’s administration hasn’t been officially confirmed, speculation and rumours have surrounded several figures for the new cabinet’s top jobs. Let’s meet some of them.

Mike Pompeo

Last month, Trump said he was mulling four or five choices for defence secretary on an appearance on the Hugh Hewitt Radio Show.

One of those is former secretary of state Mike Pompeo, who headed the CIA before he was the previous Trump administration’s chief foreign affairs adviser.

Pompeo ran his own presidential bid in 2024, but has since come out in support of Trump, most recently publicly backing him at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on Monday.

In Trump’s previous government, Pompeo pushed for strong support for Israel. He is also an advocate for Ukraine, co-authoring a proposed “peace plan” for the country in the Wall Street Journal in July which proposed “real sanctions on Russia” and delivering crucial weapons.

Richard Grenell

Grenell, the former acting director of national intelligence, once hunkered down in Nevada to push accusations of voter fraud in the state after the 2020 elections, according to the New York Times.

The former US ambassador to Germany, Grenell has become an influential adviser on foreign policy in Trump’s entourage, continuing to meet with foreign leaders in support of the former president.

Earlier this year, he travelled to Guatemala, backing right-wing efforts to block the inauguration of liberal president-elect Bernardo Arévalo on the basis of voter fraud.

Trump has reportedly called the politician “my envoy” and he has been tipped to become the next secretary of state if Trump wins.

Mike Waltz

Waltz is another name Trump says he’s considering for defence secretary, although has also been tipped by US media reports as a contender for secretary of state.

The retired National Guard Special Forces colonel has frequently appeared on television supporting Trump. Waltz has said he is open to the job, but firstly focused on helping Trump win.

He has defended Trump on key issues including his stance on Ukraine, on which he has said that the US should defend its own border rather than provide more military aid to the war-torn country.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr

Kennedy seems to think he has a shot of having a role in a potential Trump administration — and with good reason.

At a rally this week Trump said of his former presidential rival he would let him “do what he wants” with women’s healthcare if he makes it to the White House.

Despite this, senior members of Trump’s campaign have ruled out Kennedy getting a job in the administration’s department of Health.

The news is yet to reach Trump himself however, since this he said Kennedy would have a “big role in the administration”. At his rally in Madison Square Garden, Trump said Kennedy would be able to “go wild” on food and medicines if he won.

The anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist has claimed he is in communication with Trump and could have an influential role in a new government, if not an official one.

Howard Lutnick

Trump said in an interview with Bloomberg in June he was considering JPMorgan’s CEO Jamie Dimon as treasury secretary, but later backtracked.

US media has also tipped Howard Lutnick as a potential candidate, among others, for treasury secretary. He has helped promote support for Trump in Wall Street and has appeared publicly to boost his campaign — raising more than $75 million (€68 million) for Trump overall.

Lutnick currently plays a leading role in Trump’s transition team, where he oversees personnel for a potential second Trump term.

The billionaire is ardently pro-Israel, according to the Jewish Insider, and has said his decision to become more active in Trump’s campaign was made after Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October.

Robert Lighthizer

Former US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, who was a key figure in Trump’s first term and has remained close to the former president, has also been tipped for treasury secretary if Trump wins the keys to the White House.

He previously pushed for the US to take a nationalist approach to trading and has been a keen proponent of Trump’s tariff proposals.

Elon Musk

Something of a wild card, Trump has laid the compliments thick on the tech billionaire — and his significant financial support to the Republican campaign.

Musk has called for drastically cutting government spending, although has failed to provide specifics about where the axe would fall.

He also pitched the idea of a new Department of Government Efficiency, which would be tasked with auditing the federal government and recommending reforms.

Earlier this week, Trump seemed to rule out the possibility of Musk having an official cabinet role.

“[Musk] doesn’t want to become a secretary of something. I mean, I’d love to have him to be honest with you… but he’s doing a couple of other things,” Trump said at a rally in Arizona.

Nevertheless, he said he wanted Musk to have an unspecified role in his new government.

This week, however, Lutnick told CNN Musk would be “adjacent” to Trump’s potential government.

“I think adjacent to it and writing software for the government and then giving the software to the government and helping the government,” Lutnick said.

“It’s going to be amazing.”