Trump Assembles His Cabinet

The race is over but the games have just begun. Time ticks quickly as Trump prepares himself for the move to the White House. First thing on the list is to assemble his troops, or what professionals may call his cabinet. The cabinet can be extremely crucial during someone's presidency or not, it all depends on the president, his picks, and the time period. But still, the picks are extremely important. They can tell the population a lot about what the president values and what he may have not been so open about in his campaign. Political commentaries are calling Trump’s cabinet one of the most important ones in the last few presidencies, due to his inexperience as a politician. If he allows them, these fifteen people could really guide him and help him in his presidency.

There are a lot of claims that Trump is behind schedule with his transition, but records show that he has nominated earlier cabinet members than both Barack Obama and George Bush, who both had pretty smooth transitions. So we shouldn't be stressing over it just yet. He so far has appointed a couple of people, so lets to get to know them.

Education Secretary

Trump has appointed Betsy DeVos as the secretary of education. She graduated from Calvin College with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Business Administration. She is currently chairman of the Windquest Group, a private organization founded by her and her husband in 1989, that invests in novel technology. DeVos is also a member of the Foundation of Excellence in Education. The foundation preaches that their mission is to “build an American education system that equips every child to achieve his or her God-given potential.” The fact that she participates in such an organization can lead us to conclude that she is passionate about the field of education. Her most dynamic role in politics was being a chairman of the republican party for two years. She also highly supports charter schools. DeVos is a billionaire businesswoman, which are recurring characteristics of Trump’s cabinet picks so far. As secretary of education, she will be one of most influential people on federal education policies in the country.

United Nations Ambassador

One of Trump's most remarkable picks is Nikki R. Haley for U.N. ambassador. Hayley is the daughter of Indiana immigrants and is the current governor of South Carolina. If approved by the Senate, she will represent the voice of our government in the assemblies of the United Nations. She holds a bachelor's degree in accounting. Earlier in life, Hayley worked at her family's multi-million dollar company, Exotic International, an upscale clothing firm. Through her career in politics, we can see her in a constant fight to lower taxes. Hayley was a frequent critic towards Trump’s earlier campaign, calling for the attention of the press various times. “ I won't pretend to have been the president-elect’s biggest cheerleader, but I did vote for him and I was absolutely thrilled to see him win,” said Haley after Trump's victory. The tension that previously existed between them and Trump’s willingness to put it aside shows a lot about the character of president-elect Trump, and maybe there's much more to him than presented before.

C.I.A Director

Michael Pompeo majored in mechanical engineering at the U.S. Military Academy, and he then went on to get a Juris Doctor degree at Harvard Law School. Currently, he is in his 5th year as the U.S. Representative for Kansas's 4th congressional district. He takes radical Islam into extreme concern and he publicly opposes the Iran nuclear deal. “I look forward to rolling back this disastrous deal with the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism,” said Pompeo the day after he was announced as Donald Trump's pick for C.I.A Director. Michael Pompeo founded Thayer Aerospace. He served 5 years in the army and holds the military forces with extreme respect and a grand deal of importance.

If Pompeo is approved by the senate, he will be entering the office in what some may call chaotic times. He will have to immediately address the C.I.A “modernization” plan that director John O. Brennan put in place this year and choose whether or not to undo it.

Attorney General

Senator of Alabama, Jess Sessions, is Donald Trump’s pick for Attorney General. In 1969, he graduated with a bachelor of arts degree from Huntingdon College. Later in 1973, he graduated from the University of Alabama School of Law with a Juris Doctor degree. He served in the army with a rank of captain for 9 years. He has an extensive career in politics, being the assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama for six years, then being the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama nominated by Ronald Reagan for twelve years. Reagan also nominated him to be the judge of the District Court for the Southern District of Alabama, although his nomination was opposed. The Senate claims that the opposition was due to racially charged comments and actions Sessions had faced. This could likely become an issue at his upcoming hearing for his nomination as Attorney General. He holds a similar stringent view on immigration policies as Tump. He believes that the flow of immigrants to the United States should be reduced not only illegally but also legally. “It just can't be the policy of a nation who expects laws to be respected that if you can pass the border or if you can get a visa into the country and overstay nobody is going to have any intention of removing you or enforcing the agreement you have made,” said Sessions regarding immigration policies. In 2005, he was in favor of the war in Iraq. He also presents himself to believe that torture is a reasonable method that the armed forces and the government should be allowed to use. Session's is an extreme conservative, he opposes same-sex marriage and is also against the legalization of cannabis. If approved by the senate as Attorney General, Sessions will have the power to change how civil rights laws are enforced.

National Security Adviser

Unlike the above mentioned, Michael T. Flynn has already been approved by the Senate to be the National Security Adviser. From one point of view, we could say that Michael T. Flynn has a good amount of experience to hold the chair as National Security Adviser. He served in the military for 33 years, and his highest rank was Lieutenant General. Flynn graduated from the University of Rhode Island with a degree in management science, and he was also a Military Graduate of the Reserves Officers’ Training Corps. He earned a master’s in Business Administration and Telecommunications from Golden Gate University, a master’s in Military Art and Science from the United States Army Command and General Staff College, and a master’s in Arts in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College. He is also a graduate of the Military Intelligence Officer Basic Course and Advanced Course. He is a registered Democrat, differentiating him from the other president-elect’s cabinet nominees, although the National Security Adviser is not a part of the cabinet. He is anti-Islamists and preaches for an alliance between the U.S., Russia, and basically anyone who can help us fight against the Islamist militants, who he views as a critical problem, calling it a “world war.” “Russia and the United States working together and trying to work with the other partners that we all have in this region can come up with some other solutions.” stated Flynn on RT. He criticizes Obama and Hillary Clinton for not urging on the problem with the Islamist militants more. As National Security Adviser, he will have a huge influence on future proposed policies.

White House Chief of Staff

Reince Priebus as the White House Chief of Staff did not need approval by the Senate nor is it a legal obligation that the position is filled. Priebus is the current Chairman of the Republican National Committee and has been since 2011. Priebus majored in English and political science at the University of Wisconsin, then he achieved a J.D. degree at the University of Miami. After college, he worked as a lawyer for many years. One of his most notable acts as Chairman of the Republican party first term was to join the Wisconsin tea party movement with the mainstream Republican party organization, and in doing so avoided conflict. In accepting to be Chief of Staff, Priebus has accepted one of the most demanding and challenging jobs in Washington. Probably one of the worst parts of the job isn't that it's hard, but you don't get credit for it. There's an immense amount of pressure, responsibility, and work that comes with the job. As the Chief of Staff, he will have to attend to the president's agenda, account for the staff, and serve the pleasures of the president, being that the role of chief of staff can vary from president to president. According to the New York Times, Andy Card, who was George Bush's Chief of Staff, said her primary concern for Reince Priebus was the fact he had children, and the job will take up all of his time. On average, the Chief of Staff lasts about two years, so let's see how long Priebus will last.

Chief Strategist and Senior Counselor

Stephen K. Bannon was Chief Executive Officer of the 2016 presidential campaign of Donald Trump, and know Trump has appointed him as Chief Strategist and Senior Counsel. He is a media executive and businessman. Bannon graduated from Virginia Tech and holds a master's degree in National Security Studies from Georgetown University. He also received an M.B.A. degree from Harvard Business School. He was involved with the production of an enumerable amount of movies such as In the Face of Evil, a documentary about Ronald Reagan, and The Undefeated, another political documentary about Sarah Palin and her fight for her political voice. He was also one of the founding members of Breitbart News, a political and social commentary website. The role of Chief Strategist and Senior Counsel to the president are both relatively new in the White House and, like the chief of staff, they’re not legally required or defined. But Chief Strategists have been known to be the best man of the president. He helps the president organize his life, basically. He helps him decide what to say and where to go and he makes sure all the details are straightened out. While the Senior Counselor is more focused on speeches and the brand of the president.

There are still many more positions to be filled, such as the Housing and Urban Development Secretary, which is speculated to be Ben Carson. Others include Secretary of State, Treasury Secretary, Defense Secretary, Director of National Intelligence, Interior Secretary, Agriculture Secretary, Labor Secretary, Health and Human Services Secretary, Energy Secretary, Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Homeland Security Secretary, E.P.A. Administrator and U.S. Trade Representative.

What the people who have so far been nominated can tell us is that Donald Trump is firm on reforms on immigration policies, he likes business people, and he's not the hot head that he was made out to be. If he was so closed minded on his beliefs, he wouldn't have chosen Nikki Haley, someone who publicly opposed his immigration policies, to become the U.N. Ambassador. Allowing two women to hold such important chairs in his cabinet shows that he believes women have as much potential as men, making all rumors speculated by the press skeptical.