President-elect Donald Trump is beginning to fill important positions in his second administration, focusing on aides and allies who were his closest supporters throughout the 2024 campaign, as well as those who have taken a hardline on immigration.
Here’s a look at who he has chosen thus far.
Susie Wiles, chief of staff
Wiles, 67, served as a top adviser and de facto manager for Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign.
Wiles has experience in Florida politics. She helped Ron DeSantis win his first race for governor of Florida. Six years later, she played a significant role in Trump’s defeat in the 2024 Republican primary.
Wiles’ hire was Trump’s first major decision as president-elect and one that could be a defining test of his incoming administration considering her close relationship with the president-elect. Wiles is said to have earned Trump’s trust in part by guiding what was the most disciplined of Trump’s three presidential campaigns.
Wiles was able to help keep Trump on track as few others have, not by criticizing his impulses, but by winning his respect by demonstrating his success after taking her advice.
Tom Homan, ‘border czar’
Homan, 62, has been tasked with carrying out Trump’s primary priority: the largest deportation operation in the country’s history.
Homan appeared on Fox News hours after being nominated border czar by Trump, dismissing criticism of practices he implemented during the president-elect’s first term that separated undocumented migrant children from their families.
“I don’t care what people think about me. Especially on the left,” Homan said, noting that aggressive measures were necessary “when you have a crisis this big.”
Homan suggested at a July conference in Washington that he would be willing to “run the biggest deportation operation this country’s ever seen.”
Democrats have criticized Homan for his defending Trump’s “zero tolerance” policy on border crossings during his first administration, which led to the separation of thousands of parents and children seeking asylum at the border.
Stephen Miller, deputy chief of staff for policy
Miller, also an immigration hardliner, was a vocal spokesperson during the presidential campaign for Trump’s priority of mass deportations. The 39-year-old was a senior adviser during Trump’s first administration.
Miller has been a central figure in some of Trump’s policy decisions, notably his move to separate thousands of immigrant families. He was also the chief architect of his controversial travel ban.
Trump argued throughout the campaign that the nation’s economic, national security and social priorities could be met by deporting people who are in the United States illegally.
Miller has been the head of America First Legal, a nonprofit formed by former Trump aides to challenge the Biden administration, media businesses, universities, and others on topics such as free speech and national security. Miller will work under Wiles.
Elise Stefanik, United Nations ambassador
Stefanik is a New York lawmaker and one of Trump’s staunchest supporters dating back to his first impeachment.
Stefanik was elected to the House in 2014 and was chosen by her GOP colleagues as House Republican Conference chair in 2021, when former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney was dismissed from the position after publicly criticizing Trump for falsely claiming he won the 2020 election.
Stefanik, 40, has served in that role ever since as the third-ranking member of House leadership.
Stefanik’s questioning of university presidents over antisemitism on their campuses helped lead to two of those presidents resigning, further raising her national profile.
If confirmed, she would represent American interests at the U.N. as Trump vows to end the war waged by Russia against Ukraine begun in 2022. He has also called for peace as Israel continues its offensive against Hamas in Gaza and its invasion of Lebanon to target Hezbollah.
Lee Zeldin, Environmental Protection Agency
Trump also announced Monday he has chosen former New York Rep. Lee Zeldin to serve as his pick to lead the Environmental Protective Agency.
Zeldin is a longtime supporter of the former president. In an interview Monday on Fox News, Zeldin, 44, said that he’ll seek to ensure that the United States is able to “pursue energy dominance … bring back American jobs to the auto industry and so much more.”
In the 2022 governor’s race, Zeldin vowed to reverse a fracking ban imposed by Democrats.
Zeldin was one of several Republicans in Congress who voted against certifying the 2020 election results. During his eight years in Congress, he did not serve on any committees overseeing environmental policy and received a lifetime League of Conservation Voters score of 14%.
