Billionaires, trusted allies, media personalities. These are the people Trump picked for top roles
Billionaires, trusted allies, media personalities. These are the people Trump picked for top roles
President Donald Trump speaks at the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) dinner at the National Building Museum in Washington, Tuesday, April 8, 2025. (Pool via AP)
President Donald Trump speaks during an event with auto racing champions at the South Portico of the White House Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in Washington, (Pool via AP)
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, speaks during a news conference to announce the re-launch of the VOICE office, Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement, with families of victims behind her, at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement headquarters, Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent speaks to reporters outside the West Wing of the White House, Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks to reporters outside the West Wing of the White House, Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer testifies during a House Committee on Ways and Means hearing on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)
President Donald Trump speaks during an event with auto racing champions at the South Portico of the White House Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in Washington, (Pool via AP)
President Donald Trump speaks at the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) dinner at the National Building Museum in Washington, Tuesday, April 8, 2025. (Pool via AP)
President Donald Trump speaks at the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) dinner at the National Building Museum in Washington, Tuesday, April 8, 2025. (Pool via AP)
President Donald Trump speaks during an event with auto racing champions at the South Portico of the White House Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in Washington, (Pool via AP)
President Donald Trump speaks during an event with auto racing champions at the South Portico of the White House Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in Washington, (Pool via AP)
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, speaks during a news conference to announce the re-launch of the VOICE office, Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement, with families of victims behind her, at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement headquarters, Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, speaks during a news conference to announce the re-launch of the VOICE office, Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement, with families of victims behind her, at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement headquarters, Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent speaks to reporters outside the West Wing of the White House, Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent speaks to reporters outside the West Wing of the White House, Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks to reporters outside the West Wing of the White House, Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks to reporters outside the West Wing of the White House, Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer testifies during a House Committee on Ways and Means hearing on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer testifies during a House Committee on Ways and Means hearing on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)
President Donald Trump speaks during an event with auto racing champions at the South Portico of the White House Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in Washington, (Pool via AP)
President Donald Trump speaks during an event with auto racing champions at the South Portico of the White House Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in Washington, (Pool via AP)
President Donald Trump prioritized loyalty as he built out a team for his second term, surrounding himself with people who served faithfully in his first administration or who worked on one or more of his three campaigns.
Those are not the only ties that connect the people in the highest ranks of his administration. Several are billionaires or campaign donors, or both. There also are media personalities, former lawmakers and people who worked on Project 2025, the conservative blueprint for slashing government that Trump insisted he had no affiliation with as he campaigned for the White House.
Some people in key roles have personal relationships with Trump that go back years, from a onetime caddy at one of Trump’s golf courses to his son’s former fiancée. Others came around after opposing Trump in the past; examples include his vice president and a handful of Republicans and Democrats who once ran against him.
These are some of the people Trump picked for top roles in his second administration — and a look at what they have in common, according to a review by The Associated Press.
Who’s who:
Tom Barrack, ambassador to Turkey
Scott Bessent, treasury secretary
Pam Bondi, attorney general
Doug Burgum, interior secretary
Lori Chavez-DeRemer, labor secretary
Doug Collins, veterans affairs secretary
Sean Duffy, transportation secretary
Tulsi Gabbard, director of national intelligence
Jamieson Greer, trade representative
Kimberly Guilfoyle, ambassador to Greece
Kevin Hassett, National Economic Council director
Pete Hegseth, defense secretary
Pete Hoekstra, ambassador to Canada
Tom Homan, border czar
Mike Huckabee, ambassador to Israel
Jared Isaacman, NASA administrator
Ronald Johnson, ambassador to Mexico
Keith Kellogg, special envoy for Ukraine and Russia
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., health and human services secretary
Karoline Leavitt, White House press secretary
Kelly Loeffler, administrator of the Small Business Administration
Howard Lutnick, commerce secretary
Dr. Marty Makary, Food and Drug Administration commissioner
Linda McMahon, education secretary
Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff
Elon Musk, Department of Government Efficiency
Peter Navarro, White House senior counselor on trade and manufacturing
Janette Nesheiwat, surgeon general
Kristi Noem, homeland security secretary
Dr. Mehmet Oz, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Kash Patel, FBI director
David Perdue, ambassador to China
John Ratcliffe, CIA director
Brooke Rollins, agriculture secretary
Marco Rubio, secretary of state
Dan Scavino, White House deputy chief of staff
Rodney Scott, Customs and Border Protection commissioner
Scott Turner, housing secretary
JD Vance, vice president
Russell Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget
Mike Waltz, national security adviser
Matthew Whitaker, ambassador to NATO
Susie Wiles, White House chief of staff
Steven Witkoff, special envoy
Chris Wright, energy secretary
Lee Zeldin, Environmental Protection Agency administrator
What they have in common:
Worked in the Trump administration during his first term: Rollins, Scavino, Greer, Ratcliffe, Leavitt, Patel, Kellogg, Hassett, McMahon, Whitaker, Hoekstra, Navarro, Scott, Johnson, Vought, Turner, Miller, Homan.
Is from Florida, Trump’s home when he’s not in the White House and site of his estate, Mar-a-Lago: Guilfoyle, Rubio, Waltz, Bondi, Johnson, Witkoff, Wiles, Barrack.
Gave money to Trump’s campaign or a pro-Trump PAC, according to campaign finance data: Wright, Musk, Lutnick, Loeffler, Zeldin, McMahon, Hoekstra, Bessent, Witkoff, Wiles, Barrack.
Employed by Trump’s 2016, 2020 or 2024 campaign (or for more than one): Scavino, Leavitt, Guilfoyle, Miller, Wiles.
Previously served in state or federal public office: Perdue, Burgum, Collins, Vance, Ratcliffe, Loeffler, Noem, Zeldin, Chavez-DeRemer, Rubio, Huckabee, Waltz, Bondi, Hoekstra, Turner, Duffy, Gabbard.
Formerly opposed Trump, by being openly critical of him or running against him for president: Burgum, Musk, Vance, Rubio, Kennedy, Gabbard.
Hosted a TV show, was employed by a TV network as a paid contributor or owns a social media company: Nesheiwat, Oz, Musk, Guilfoyle, Huckabee, Hegseth, Duffy.
Has a personal wealth of $1 billion or more, according to AP reporting: Musk, Lutnick, Isaacman, Loeffler, McMahon, Bessent, Witkoff, Barrack.
Was an author or contributor to the conservative policy playbook known as Project 2025: Ratcliffe, Hoekstra, Navarro, Vought, Homan.
Has a personal relationship with Trump, such as a longtime friend, business colleague or person with other close ties to Trump family members: Scavino, Guilfoyle, McMahon, Witkoff, Barrack.
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Reporting and research from Sara Burnett, Lolita C. Baldor, Bill Barrow, Thomas Beaumont, Collin Binkley, Matt Brown, Cathy Bussewitz, Jill Colvin, Bernard Condon, Tara Copp, Matthew Daly, Jack Dura, Alanna Durkin Richer, Adriana Gomez Licon, Fatima Hussein, David Klepper, Matthew Lee, Aamer Madhani, Scott McFetridge, Matthew Perrone, Michelle L. Price, Amanda Seitz, Brian Slodysko, Mike Stobbe, Darlene Superville and Eric Tucker.