MONITORING (SW) – Donald Trump has appointed SpaceX chief Elon Musk and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy to head a newly formed government efficiency department as the president-elect rounds out his new cabinet with loyal allies.
In a surprise appointment, Trump also said he would nominate Fox News host Pete Hegseth to be secretary of defence, giving the 44-year-old army veteran the job of leading America’s military amid growing global uncertainty.
The statements came amid a flurry of cabinet announcements.
One week after his decisive election victory over Kamala Harris, Trump has asked South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem to head the US Department of Homeland Security, placing her at the centre of his tough-on-immigration policy, reported AP.
Florida senator Marco Rubio is expected to be named secretary of state, making him the top diplomat to carry out Trump’s foreign policy objectives, particularly when it comes to China.
Musk and firebrand libertarian conservative Ramaswamy “will pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies”, Trump said in a statement.
The Department of Government Efficiency’s acronym, DOGE, is a nod to Musk’s favourite cryptocurrency, dogecoin. Trump said in a statement that Musk and Ramaswamy would work from outside the government to offer the White House “advice and guidance”. It’s not clear how the organisation will operate.
Trump described Fox News Channel host Hegseth as “tough, smart and a true believer in America First”.
Hegseth, 44, is a co-host of Fox & Friends Weekend and has been a contributor with the network since 2014, where he developed a friendship with Trump, who made regular appearances on the show. A fellow tough-on-China politician, Mike Waltz, has been named Trump’s national security adviser, taking up the crucial post amid prolonged conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.
The picks are emblematic of Trump’s desire to rapidly round out his administration with loyal allies before Inauguration Day on January 20.
On Tuesday, Trump said he would nominate former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee as ambassador to Israel and ex-director of national intelligence John Ratcliffe to lead the CIA.
