Trump transition live updates: Trump selects Elon Musk, John Ratcliffe, Mike Huckabee
Editor's note: See Wednesday's live coverage as President-elect Donald Trump makes pivotal picks for his second administration.
While President-elect Donald Trump is busy picking top aides to serve in his incoming administration, his allies are adding their voices to another high-stakes election: The race to succeed Mitch McConnell as the Senate Republican leader.
Trump allies Tucker Carlson, Vivek Ramaswamy, Elon Musk, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and others are weighing in on the critical vote to become McConnell’s heir. The new Senate leader will play a major role in the incoming administration's vision for the country.
The president-elect is also ramping up his choices for his second term: Trump announced former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee would be his pick for U.S. Ambassador to Israel, saying in a statement, "Mike has been a great public servant, Governor, and Leader in Faith for many years." Trump is also widely expected to pick South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem to lead the Department of Homeland Security.
Trump's choices come as Republicans are poised to keep control of the House. Remember, a party needs 218 seats to lead the lower chamber, and Republicans have locked up 213 so far compared to Democrats' 205.
Keep up with live coverage from the USA TODAY Network.
Trump selects Pete Hegseth as defense secretary
Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that he will nominate Pete Hegseth as his secretary of Defense in his second term. Hegseth is a veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, has been involved in veteran advocacy groups and is currently a host at Fox News. He was a widely unexpected choice for the pivotal role.
"Pete has spent his entire life as a Warrior for the Troops, and for the Country," Trump said in a statement.
Trump says Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy to lead 'efficiency' push
Donald Trump announced Tuesday night that Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy will lead the "Department of Government Efficiency," a new organization that the president-elect said will try to "dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies."
Trump long said on the campaign trail that Musk would be involved in efforts to cut government spending, though not necessarily in a traditional cabinet role. Ramaswamy rose to conservative prominence last year when he ran in the Republican primary before dropping out and backing Trump.
- Marina Pitofsky
Trump picks William McGinley for White House counsel
Donald Trump has tapped William McGinley to serve as his White House counsel as the former president rapidly assembles the key players in his next administration.
McGinley, a partner at the Washington-based law firm Holtzman Vogel, worked as Trump's White House Cabinet secretary during Trump's first presidency. During the 2024 election, McGinley held a role with the Republican National Committee's "Outside Counsel for Election Integrity," which the Trump-led RNC assembled to target election fraud.
"Bill is a smart and tenacious lawyer who will help me advance our America First agenda while fighting for election integrity and against the weaponization of law enforcement," Trump said in a statement Tuesday.
McGinley has also served as general counsel at the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
– Joey Garrison
Trump names real estate investor Steven Witkoff his Middle East special envoy
Donald Trump on Tuesday named Steven Witkoff, a New York real estate tycoon, his special envoy to the Middle East.
Witkoff, co-chair of Trump's inaugural committee and a regular Trump golf partner, has played a key role helping connect Trump with the Jewish business community.
Witkoff was with the president-elect when he was the target of a second attempted assassination at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida, in September.
“Steve is a Highly Respected Leader in Business and Philanthropy, who has made every project and community he has been involved with stronger and more prosperous. Steve will be an unrelenting Voice for PEACE, and make us all proud,” Trump said in a statement.
– Joey Garrison
Donald Trump names former intelligence chief John Ratcliffe to CIA director
President-elect Donald Trump designated his former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe, to become director of the Central Intelligence Agency.
Prior to being appointed by Trump, Ratcliffe served as a Republican House member from Texas. From his seats on the Judiciary and Intelligence committees, Ratcliffe was a strong defender of Trump's. Some political observers viewed Ratcliffe as a contender to serve as the next attorney general.
– Bart Jansen
Sarah Huckabee Sanders celebrates Mike Huckabee's appointment
After Donald Trump announced that former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee will serve as the U.S. ambassador to Israel under his White House, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Mike Huckabee's daughter and the current governor of Arkansas, celebrated the move.
"I went to Israel for the first time with my dad when I was eleven and it changed my life. There is no one President Trump could have picked with a greater love for the Israeli people and commitment to the unbreakable bond between America and Israel than him," she shared on X.
– Marina Pitofsky
Who'd replace Marco Rubio? DeSantis gets to pick if Trump taps senator for Cabinet
Gov. Ron DeSantis could soon have a Marco Rubio-sized hole to fill in the U.S. Senate.
Rubio is widely reported to be President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to be the next Secretary of State. Those same reports say the decision isn’t final, but if Rubio is selected and confirmed by his colleagues in the U.S. Senate, DeSantis would get to name his replacement.
It would present DeSantis, who ran against Trump for the GOP nomination in 2024 and lost, with a major decision that could affect his possible future aspirations to run for president in 2028.
The person selected would serve until 2026, when a special election would be held to serve out the remaining two years of Rubio’s term. DeSantis, a former U.S House member, could pick someone who would run in 2026, or someone who would be a placeholder if he chose to attempt to return to Washington ahead of a potential 2028 run for president.
The initial list of possible picks includes Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nu?ez, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody and DeSantis’ chief of staff James Uthmeier.
– Gray Rohrer
Biden invited Trump to the White House because 'he believes in the institution,' White House press secretary says
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday that President Joe Biden invited his predecessor, and soon to be president, again, Donald Trump, to meet with him because it is the norm.
"Because he believes in the norm, he believes in the institution, he believes in the peaceful transfer of power," she said during the White House press briefing.
She said that Biden reached out to Trump and asked for them to meet in the Oval Office.
"That is what is supposed to happen. And also that is what the American people deserve," she said.
– Francesca Chambers
Trump picks Mike Huckabee for U.S. Ambassador to Israel
President-elect Donald Trump announced former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee would be his pick for U.S. Ambassador to Israel. "Mike has been a great public servant, Governor, and Leader in Faith for many years," Trump said.
"He loves Israel, and the people of Israel, and likewise, the people of Israel love him. Mike will work tirelessly to bring about Peace in the Middle East!" Huckabee's daughter, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who is now the governor of Arkansas, formerly served as Trump's press secretary during his first term.
Trump formally taps Mike Waltz for national security adviser
Trump (finally) made it official: Florida congressman Mike Waltz will be his new national security adviser. The former Green Beret "is a nationally recognized leader in National Security, a bestselling author, and an expert on the threats posed by China, Russia, Iran, and global terrorism," Trump said in a statement about Waltz's appointment.
Sources said Monday that Waltz was the national security adviser pick.
The political world still awaits Trump comments about other members of his national security team, including reports that Florida Sen. Marco Rubio may become secretary of State and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem will head up the Department of Homeland Security.
– David Jackson
Trump plans to meet with Congressional leaders tomorrow
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told reporters Tuesday that President-elect Donald Trump plans to come to Capitol Hill to meet with Johnson and the next Senate Majority Leader, who will be elected tomorrow morning.
Johnson said he expects the meeting to take place in the morning before Trump meets with President Joe Biden at the White House at 11 a.m. The Senate leadership election is scheduled for 9:30 a.m.
Trump has already drafted two sitting House members -- Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., and Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla. -- to serve in his administration.
That may cause problems for the House GOP, which is on track to hold the majority in the lower chamber on a razor-thin margin.
"President Trump fully understands and appreciates the math here," Johnson said, adding that he doesn't expect Trump to select any more current House members, but noted that's up to Trump.
- Riley Beggin
Three senators vying to become Senate Republican leader
Three senators are running to succeed Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, who is stepping down from the position in January.
The two main contenders to become McConnell’s heir are Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., who is currently second-in-command in the Senate GOP as Republican whip, and Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, who has also served as whip and previously led the Senate GOP’s campaign arm.
But several of President-elect Donald Trump’s most recognized allies, including billionaire tech titan Elon Musk, are mounting a campaign to get Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., elected to the post. They argue Scott is the only candidate who has been sufficiently loyal to Trump and would be best equipped to represent the president-elect’s interests.
The election will be held Wednesday behind closed doors.
? Riley Beggin
Donald Trump expected to tap Marco Rubio as Secretary of State: Reports
Donald Trump is expected to tap Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida to serve as his Secretary of State, according to news reports.
Rubio, the top Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee, is Trump’s choice to become the nation’s top diplomat, according to CNN and The New York Times. Rubio, a Cuban American, would be the first Latino to serve as Secretary of State. The Times noted, however, that its sources said Trump could still change his mind at the last minute.
Rubio has deep foreign policy experience and has transformed from a Trump opponent to a close ally who was a finalist to serve as Trump's vice president. Rubio has expressed support for Ukraine's war effort against Russia, but voted against additional aid for the country last year.
? Riley Beggin and Michael Collins
Donald Trump to pick Kristi Noem to head Homeland Security: Reports
Donald Trump is expected to pick South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem to lead the Department of Homeland Security, according to multiple news reports.
CNN first reported that Noem was Trump's choice to become Homeland Security secretary. Noem, a longtime Trump loyalist who joined Trump on the 2024 campaign trail, served as a South Dakota Republican congresswoman from 2011 to 2019. She was elected the state's first female governor in 2018 and was reelected in 2022.
A rancher, farmer and small-business owner, the 52-year-old Noem was briefly under consideration as Trump's vice presidential running-mate this year. But her bid quickly crumbled amid a public backlash after Noem acknowledged in a memoir earlier this year that she shot and killed her dog Cricket for being "untrainable."
? Joey Garrison
Donald Trump picks Mike Waltz as national security adviser
Donald Trump has asked Florida congressman Mike Waltz to serve as his national security adviser, according to two sources familiar with his selection.
Waltz, 50, is set join the new administration as it navigates several tense geopolitical fights, including the Ukraine-Russia and Israel-Hamas wars. The role Trump asked Waltz to serve in does not require Senate confirmation.
The three-term lawmaker has been a member of the House Armed Services Committee, served in civilian roles at the Pentagon and is a decorated Green Beret combat veteran. He's also an outspoken critic of the Defense Department’s diversity programs.
? Tom Vanden Brook and David Jackson
Donald Trump picks Lee Zeldin, former New York congressman, to lead EPA
Donald Trump tapped former Rep. Lee Zeldin to serve as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.
As the head of the EPA, Zeldin is expected to be tasked with rolling back many of the environmental regulations from the Biden administration while Trump pushes an expansion of fossil-fuel energy.
"Lee, with a very strong legal background, has been a true fighter for America First policies," Trump said in a statement. "He will ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions that will be enacted in a way to unleash the power of American businesses, while at the same time maintaining the highest environmental standards."
? Joey Garrison
Stephen Miller named Donald Trump's deputy chief of staff for policy
Donald Trump has tapped Stephen Miller, one of his longest-serving top immigration advisers, as deputy chief of staff for policy in the incoming White House.
Vice President-elect JD Vance congratulated Miller on his new role in a post on X after CNN first reported the move. "This is another fantastic pick by the president," Vance said.
Miller's appointment comes after Trump campaigned for president in 2024 on mobilizing mass deportations of undocumented immigrants who are in the country unlawfully.
Miller, 39, served as senior advisor to Trump and director of speechwriting during the Republican's first term in the White House and is credited with shaping Trump’s immigration policies, which included separating migrant children from their families and a ban on travel from predominantly Muslim countries. Miller played a central role in Trump's 2024 campaign.
– Joey Garrison
Who is Elise Stefanik? Donald Trump picks major House ally to be next UN ambassador
Donald Trump named Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., to be the next ambassador to the United Nations, according to multiple reports. The New York lawmaker has accepted the offer.
Trump's nomination of Stefanik, a longtime congressional ally, is his first cabinet pick after being reelected Tuesday for a second, nonconsecutive term in the White House.
One of Stefanik's most prominent moments came last year during a congressional hearing with college presidents from Harvard University, the University of Pennsylvania and MIT. During the hearing, she asked them whether calling for the genocide of Jews warranted disciplinary action.
All three presidents waffled and dodged the question, instead offering legal responses without directly condemning calling for the genocide of Jews. Two of the presidents, Penn's Liz Magill, and Harvard's Claudine Gay, have since left their posts.
– Savannah Kuchar
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump transition live updates: Trump tas Ratcliffe, Witkoff, Huckabee