President-elect Trump has rounded out his picks for the top 15 positions within his Cabinet, handpicking an array of establishment and unconventional officials for top posts in just three weeks.

Trump has moved at a rapid pace to shape his upcoming administration, which stands in contrast to his first run at the presidency in 2016.

The president-elect’s picks have diverse ideologies united under Trump’s Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement.

From Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s pro-choice stance to Oregon Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer’s pro-union stance and former George Soros adviser Scott Bessent, Trump’s Cabinet reflects a new era for Republican presidents.

GET TO KNOW DONALD TRUMP’S CABINET: WHO HAS THE PRESIDENT-ELECT PICKED SO FAR?

1. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. – Secretary of Health and Human Services

Kennedy, a former Democrat, has been open about his pro-choice stance, much to the chagrin of conservative Republicans. 

The former presidential candidate shared a video on social media this summer, writing in a post, “I support the emerging consensus that abortion should be unrestricted up until a certain point.” 

He suggested that this limit should be “when the baby is viable outside the womb.” Viability is understood to occur around 24 weeks gestation. 

Kennedy will likely be asked in his upcoming hearing the extent of his pro-choice stance. Several Republicans are wary of Trump’s pick for HHS, while others expressed confidence he would act in line with the administration.

“I would fully expect any of Trump’s nominees to be pro-life, as is President Trump,” Sen. Ted Budd, R-N.C., told Fox News Digital. “It does need to be addressed.”

RFK JR’S ABORTION ‘ISSUE’: SENATE GOP PLANS TO SCRUTINIZE TRUMP HHS PICK’S POSITION

“I believe what he’s going to do is do the right thing,” Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., said of Kennedy.

Trump’s softening stance toward abortion was a notable point during his campaign. Trump has said he would leave abortion to the states after of Roe v. Wade was overturned.

Trump notably opposes a federal abortion ban but has remained opposed to late-term abortions. In July, the Republican Party abandoned its long-standing position of advocating for abortions. 

Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, R-Ore., participates in a House Transportation Committee hearing June 27. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

2. Lori Chavez-DeRemer – Labor Secretary 

Chavez-DeRemer’s nomination received strong support from unions, which once stood at odds with Republican ideology.

The president-elect lauded her for working “tirelessly with both Business and Labor to build America’s workforce, and support the hardworking men and women of America.” 

“I look forward to working with her to create tremendous opportunity for American Workers, to expand Training and Apprenticeships, to grow wages and improve working conditions, to bring back our Manufacturing jobs,” Trump said in an Friday announcement.

During her short stint as a House Republican, Chavez-DeRemer championed labor rights. She co-sponsored the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, which increased penalties for employers who break labor law and makes it easier to unionize. She also co-sponsored the Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act, which would expand the powers of public sector unions.

Her candidacy for the post was backed by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters union, whose president thanked Trump for the pro-labor pick.

“North America’s strongest union is ready to work with you every step of the way to expand good union jobs and rebuild our nation’s middle class,” Teamsters President Sean O’Brien wrote on X. “Let’s get to work!” 

Similarly, AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler praised Chavez-DeRemer for having “built a pro-labor record in Congress.”

“But Donald Trump is the president-elect of the United States — not Rep. Chavez-DeRemer — and it remains to be seen what she will be permitted to do as secretary of labor in an administration with a dramatically anti-worker agenda,” Shuler said.

Scott Bessent, founder and CEO of Key Square Group LP, at an interview during the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee July 16.  (Vincent Alban/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

3. Scott Bessent – Treasury Secretary

President-elect Trump nominated Bessent as his top economic official to implement “Trumponomics.” 

Bessent made a name for himself at Soros Capital Management, where he worked as chief investment officer from 2011 to 2015. Following his work with Soros, he founded hedge fund Key Square Capital Management and was a key economic policy adviser and fundraiser for the Trump campaign.

He has been an advocate for economic policies like lower taxes, spending restraint and deregulation that have long made up the core of the Republican Party’s platform and has been supportive of Trump’s use of tariffs in trade negotiations.

In a statement, Consumer Bankers Association President and CEO Lindsey Johnson congratulated Bessent on the nomination.

“As an experienced and accomplished businessman, we applaud Mr. Bessent’s recent comments in which he has called for a surge in small business optimism, a smart deregulatory banking agenda and support for Main Street,” Johnson said.

“If confirmed, we look forward to working with Mr. Bessent to advocate for sound financial regulatory policy that enable banks to better support consumers, small businesses and the economy at large.”

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

4. Marco Rubio – Secretary of State

As America’s top diplomat, Rubio was plucked from his Senate term in Florida to serve in Trump’s upcoming administration.

Rubio, a former critic of Trump, has supported strong relations with foreign alliances, including NATO, advocating for a robust U.S. presence in the world. He has also publicly supported Israel’s war against Hamas and spoken out against continued aid to Ukraine.

“It is my Great Honor to announce that Senator Marco Rubio, of Florida, is hereby nominated to be The United States Secretary of State. Marco is a Highly Respected Leader, and a very powerful Voice for Freedom,” Trump said in a statement. “He will be a strong Advocate for our Nation, a true friend to our Allies, and a fearless Warrior who will never back down to our adversaries.”

INCOMING SENATE DEM ELISSA SLOTKIN TORCHES IDENTITY POLITICS IN 2024 AUTOPSY: ‘GO THE WAY OF THE DODO’

In a statement, Rubio, 53, said he was “honored” by the trust Trump “has placed in me.”

“As Secretary of State, I will work every day to carry out his foreign policy agenda,” Rubio wrote on X. “Under the leadership of President Trump we will deliver peace through strength and always put the interests of Americans and America above all else.”

WATCH:

5. Pete Hegseth – Secretary of Defense

A combat veteran and former Fox News host, Hegseth was picked as the senior executive in the Department of Defense, which oversees the U.S. military and Pentagon. 

Hegseth, who served as an Army infantryman in Iraq and Afghanistan as a member of the Minnesota National Guard, has been a vocal critic of the Biden administration’s national security approach.

Hegseth has been under increased scrutiny after former Rep. Matt Gaetz’s decision to drop out following sexual misconduct allegations. Hegseth is also facing sexual misconduct allegations from a 2017 encounter. Scrutiny increased late Wednesday night after police in Monterey, California, released a report about the allegations.

“The matter was fully investigated, and I was completely cleared,” Hegseth told reporters on Capitol Hill Thursday. Through his attorney, he has also acknowledged the sexual encounter but has said it was consensual.

Former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi addresses the Republican National Convention in 2020.   (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

6. Pam Bondi – Attorney General

Following Gaetz’s removal from consideration for the nation’s top cop, Trump chose Bondi as his attorney general pick.

Bondi, a former Florida attorney general, was named by Trump hours after Gaetz withdrew. Bondi is a longtime Trump supporter who served on his legal team during his impeachment trial.

“For too long, the partisan Department of Justice has been weaponized against me and other Republicans – Not anymore,” Trump wrote in his announcement. “Pam will refocus the DOJ to its intended purpose of fighting Crime, and Making America Safe Again.

“I have known Pam for many years – She is smart and tough, and is an AMERICA FIRST Fighter, who will do a terrific job as Attorney General!”

WATCH:

7. Doug Burgum – Secretary of the Interior

North Dakota Gov. Burgum, a staunch advocate of expanded fossil fuel production, was picked as Trump’s secretary of the interior. Trump also named him to the newly created “energy czar” position.

Burgum has been an ally of Trump since he suspended his own presidential campaign. Burgum made energy and natural resources a key part of his campaign for the GOP nomination.

The president-elect said in a statement the newly formed National Energy Council “will oversee the path to U.S. ENERGY DOMINANCE by cutting red tape, enhancing private sector investments across all sectors of the Economy, and by focusing on INNOVATION over longstanding, but totally unnecessary, regulation.”

Brooke Rollins, president and CEO of AFPI, during the America First Policy Institute’s America First Agenda Summit in 2022. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

8. Brooke Rollins – Agriculture Secretary 

Rollins, who grew up on a farm in Glen Rose, Texas, was a surprise pick for the position. Others, including former Sen. Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga., were floated as top contenders.

Rollins served as director of the Office of American Innovation and acting director of the Domestic Policy Council during the first Trump administration. Since her time in the Trump White House, Rollins co-founded the pro-Trump America First Policy Institute think tank.

“A proud Graduate of Texas A&M University, Brooke earned a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Agriculture Development, and J.D., with Honors,” the announcement said. “From her upbringing in the small and Agriculture-centered town of Glen Rose, Texas, to her years of leadership involvement with Future Farmers of America and 4H, to her generational Family Farming background, to guiding her four kids in their show cattle careers, Brooke has a practitioner’s experience, along with deep Policy credentials in both Nonprofit and Government leadership at the State and National levels.”

Howard Lutnick, chairman and CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald and co-chair of the Trump 2024 Transition Team, speaks during a campaign rally at Madison Square Garden in New York Oct. 17. (Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images)

9. Howard Lutnick – Commerce Secretary 

Lutnick, 63, has served as the co-chair of Trump’s transition team and was a key fundraiser for Trump’s 2020 and 2024 campaigns.

“I am thrilled to announce that Howard Lutnick, Chairman & CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, will join my Administration as the United States Secretary of Commerce,” Trump said in a statement. “He will lead our Tariff and Trade agenda, with additional direct responsibility for the Office of the United States Trade Representative.”

The Commerce Department plays a key role in regulating international trade with the U.S. as well as promoting economic growth domestically.

There are several notable bureaus within the Commerce Department, including the Census Bureau, the Bureau of Economic Analysis and the Bureau of Industry and Security, which work on issues related to national security and sensitive technologies by enforcing export controls and promoting the health of the U.S. defense industrial base.

Scott Turner at the America First Policy Institute’s America First Agenda summit in Washington, D.C., in 2022.  (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

10. Scott Turner – Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development

Turner, 52, Trump’s choice to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development, is a former NFL player. 

He served in Trump’s first administration as executive director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council.

“Scott is an NFL Veteran, who, during my First Term, served as the First Executive Director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council (WHORC), helping to lead an Unprecedented Effort that Transformed our Country’s most distressed communities,” Trump said in a statement Friday.

WATCH:

11. Sean Duffy – Secretary of Transportation

Duffy is a former Wisconsin congressman and former Fox News contributor and FOX Business co-host.

“Sean has been a tremendous and well-liked public servant, starting his career as a District Attorney for Ashland, Wisconsin, and later elected to the U.S. House of Representatives for Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District,” Trump said in his announcement Monday. 

“Sean will use his experience and the relationships he has built over many years in Congress to maintain and rebuild our Nation’s Infrastructure, and fulfill our Mission of ushering in The Golden Age of Travel, focusing on Safety, Efficiency, and Innovation. Importantly, he will greatly elevate the Travel Experience for all Americans!”

HERE ARE THE MOST TALKED-ABOUT CANDIDATES FOR TOP POSTS IN TRUMP’S ADMINISTRATION

Shortly after the announcement, a spokesperson for Fox News Media released the following statement: “Sean Duffy provided valuable insights and analysis in co-hosting the FOX Business Network program ‘The Bottom Line.’ As Duffy departs FOX News Media effective today, we wish him the best of luck in his return to Washington. Moving forward, ‘The Bottom Line’ will continue with Dagen McDowell joined by rotating co-hosts.”

Liberty Oilfield Services Inc. CEO Chris Wright, center, on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. (Reuters)

12. Chris Wright – Secretary of Energy

Wright, the CEO and founder of Liberty Energy, will lead the Department of Energy.

“I am thrilled to announce that Chris Wright will be joining my Administration as both United States Secretary of Energy, and Member of the newly formed Council of National Energy,” Trump said in a statement. 

TRUMP NAMES SUSIE WILES AS FIRST FEMALE WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF IN HISTORY

According to Liberty Energy’s website, Wright graduated from MIT with a degree in mechanical engineering. He also completed graduate work in electrical engineering at the University of California, Berkeley and MIT.

“[Wright] is a self-described tech nerd turned entrepreneur and a dedicated humanitarian on a mission to better human lives by expanding access to abundant, affordable, and reliable energy,” the company’s website says.

The key Cabinet position announcement comes after Trump made energy independence and bolstering oil and gas production a cornerstone of his campaign.

President Trump shakes hands with Linda McMahon, the outgoing administrator of the Small Business Administration, March 29, 2019. (Reuters/Joshua Roberts)

13. Linda McMahon – Secretary of Education

McMahon serves as co-chair of Trump’s transition team and is a major GOP donor and a retired World Wrestling Entertainment executive.

Clips of McMahon’s body slams have resurfaced across social media in the days since the announcement of her appointment. 

McMahon served on the Connecticut Board of Education for a year starting in 2009. She told lawmakers at the time she had a lifelong interest in education and once planned to become a teacher. She attempted two runs at the Senate as a Connecticut Republican, losing the 2010 race to Richard Blumenthal and the 2012 race to Chris Murphy. 

McMahon then provided $6 million to help Trump’s candidacy after he secured the Republican presidential nomination in 2016. She served as administrator of the Small Business Administration during Trump’s first term from 2017 to 2019.

Rep. Doug Collins, R-Ga., speaks during a campaign event in Buford, Ga., in 2020.  (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

14. Douglas Collins – Secretary of Veterans Affairs

Former Rep. Collins, R-Ga., is an Air Force Reserve chaplain.

Collins, 58, last ran for office in 2020 when he vied for a Georgia Senate seat and served two years as a Navy chaplain before joining the Air Force as a chaplain after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Trump praised Collins in the appointment announcement, saying he would be a “great advocate for active-duty service members, veterans and military families to ensure they have the support they need.”

“We must take care of our brave men and women in uniform,” Trump said. “Thank you, Doug, for your willingness to serve our country in this important role.”

Former President Trump listens as South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem speaks during the Buckeye Values PAC Rally in Vandalia, Ohio, March 16. (Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images)

15. Kristi Noem – Homeland Secretary 

Noem, who has served as South Dakota’s governor since 2019, has been a staunch Trump ally throughout his campaigns.

The Department of Homeland Security oversees U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Secret Service and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

If selected, Noem would work with Tom Homan, who was announced as Trump’s “border czar,” and Stephen Miller, who was announced as the White House deputy of staff for policy.

Richard “Ric” Grenell, the former acting director of National Intelligence in President-elect Trump’s first administration, is reportedly under consideration to be special envoy for the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Currently, there is no special envoy responsible for bringing an end to the war in Eastern Europe. Trump is strongly considering whether to create the role, Reuters reported, citing four sources familiar with the president’s deliberations.

If he does create the new position, Grenell is said to be a leading candidate, though Trump may select someone else, the sources told Reuters. There is also no guarantee that Grenell would accept the position if it were offered to him, the sources reportedly said. 

HERE ARE THE MOST TALKED-ABOUT CANDIDATES FOR TOP POSTS IN TRUMP’S ADMINISTRATION

Fox News Digital was previously told Grenell was under consideration to be U.S. Secretary of State. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio was instead named to lead the State Department.

Neither Grenell nor the Trump transition team responded to requests for comment. 

GET TO KNOW DONALD TRUMP’S CABINET: WHO HAS THE PRESIDENT-ELECT PICKED SO FAR?

Former Acting Director of National Intelligence of the U.S. Richard Grenell, Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), U.S. Republican presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump and conservative radio host Glenn Beck participate in a private roundtable discussion during a campaign rally at Findlay Toyota Center on October 13, 2024, in Prescott Valley, Arizona. (Rebecca Noble/Getty Images)

Trump repeatedly made campaign promises to quickly resolve the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, if elected, although he has never laid out a specific plan to end the war.

Grenell, an outspoken Trump loyalist, has made statements in the past that may be of concern to Ukrainian leadership.

‘NEW’ RUSSIAN MISSILE USED AGAINST UKRAINE NOT HYPERSONIC, DEFENSE OFFICIALS SAY

Former Acting Director of National Intelligence Ric Grenell speaks on stage on the third day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum on July 17, 2024, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

During a Bloomberg round table in July, he advocated for the creation of “autonomous zones” as a means of settling the conflict, which began after Russia invaded Ukrainian sovereign territory. He also suggested he would not be in favor of Ukraine joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in the immediate future, a position he shares with many Trump allies.

Grenell’s supporters note he has had a long diplomatic career and has a deep knowledge of European affairs. In addition to serving as ambassador to Germany, Grenell was also a special presidential envoy for Serbia and Kosovo peace negotiations.

CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Prior to working for the first Trump administration, Grenell was a U.S. State Department spokesman to the United Nations under President George W. Bush. He has advised various Republican candidates and was a foreign policy spokesman for Mitt Romney during the 2012 presidential campaign.

Grenell was previously a Fox News contributor. 

Reuters contributed to this report.

Donald Trump said violent crime was exploding across the U.S.

It wasn’t.

He said Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, were “eating the dogs. They’re eating the cats.”

They weren’t.

He said the Federal Emergency Management Agency diverted disaster relief money to fund benefits for people in the country illegally.

It hadn’t.

Trump lied incessantly and extravagantly in his bumptious bid for president, after racking up more than 30,500 false or misleading statements during four years in the White House, according to fact-checkers at the Washington Post.

Trump won anyway. Some voters might even have backed him because of his relentless falsehoods.

Which raises several questions.

Is honesty, as in telling the truth, no longer a requirement for seeking and holding public office? Has veracity become one of those quaint relics of a bygone era, like straw boaters and torchlight parades? Should candidates of any and every persuasion feel free to emulate Trump and lie their heads off?

Maybe.

Not necessarily.

First, before we go on, an obligatory nod to the what-about chorus. Yes, politicians of all stripes have been known to lie, fib or shade the truth. It’s been ever thus. But no one in modern memory has done so with the velocity, shamelessness and torrential outpouring of Trump.

Indeed, there may be some hope and comfort in the notion the 45th and soon-to-be 47th president of these United States is sui generis, a one-off, a fabulist political unicorn.

As Kevin Madden, a veteran Republican communications strategist noted, Trump “was a celebrity first and a politician second” after marinating for decades in New York’s saucy tabloid culture, then residing in America’s living rooms as a make-believe boardroom baron in “The Apprentice.”

Simply put, Trump has never been viewed the same way other office seekers are, which is arguably his greatest strength. Even after nearly a decade in which he’s utterly dominated the nation’s political discourse — four of them in its highest elected office — many still don’t see Trump as a politician.

“He’s a unique figure with a unique set of capabilities that defy gravity,” Madden said, and any imitators would find themselves quickly plummeting to earth. “He blocks out the sun against any of his critics. He controls the media cycle with one click on his phone, with one sound bite every single day.”

Does truth even matter?

“Truth always matters,” said Whit Ayres, a Republican pollster and strategist, who said any client thinking otherwise would be shown the door. “That doesn’t mean it always prevails, but it always matters. Reality matters.”

And yet.

An NBC News survey, taken in mid-October, showed Democrat Kamala Harris holding a 10-point lead over Trump on the question of which candidate was viewed as honest and trustworthy. The findings were consistent with other polls conducted throughout the Trump era.

Even so, Trump didn’t just win a second lease on the White House, sweeping all seven of the decisive battleground states. He is on track to narrowly win the popular vote, something he failed to manage in either of his previous two presidential campaigns.

Christine Matthews, a pollster for center-right campaigns and causes, has researched Trump‘s political appeal.

Although certain facts are objectively true — about the crime rate falling, about Haitians not devouring household pets, and so on — Matthews said those truths weren’t necessarily getting through to Trump supporters who took in their information “through highly siloed, very fractured sources. In some cases it’s social media, or memes. It’s YouTube. It’s TikTok. It’s ‘what people are saying.’ ”

And even if they saw Trump’s deceptions for what they were, Matthews said, those inclined to support the GOP nominee — out of concern for inflation, border security or because they didn’t like Harris’ policies or her laugh — found plenty of reasons to excuse his hyperbole and outright lies. Such as: “He exaggerates. He’s a loudmouth. He says things, but he doesn’t really mean them.”

That sound you hear is a thousand fact-checkers, weeping.

Joe Trippi, who has spent decades managing Democratic campaigns from the local to presidential levels, said the party and its candidates can no longer count on conventional media — the three major broadcast networks, CNN, MSNBC, newspapers such as this one — or most social media to counter the lies and distortions billowing from Fox News, Elon Musk’s execrable X or other assertively pro-Trump outlets.

“Journalism and a party that relies on buying ads to combat the lies doesn’t work,” said Trippi, who has started his own social media platform, Sez Us, in hopes of boosting a media ecosystem that elevates civility, credibility and truth-telling.

Jane Kirtley is a professor of media ethics and law at the University of Minnesota, who’s spent years writing about those subjects.

She said the erosion of truth-telling standards and the rise of what Kellyanne Conway, the Trump advisor, famously called “alternative facts” have been a long time coming. “The issue goes back decades in terms of lack of media literacy, lack of critical thinking, platforms that are now viewed by many as news delivery systems when they’re little more than propaganda,” Kirtley said.

Despite the challenges — shrinking audiences, political antagonism, a dire economic landscape — she said independent media must continue “to call out lies and call them lies, if that’s what they are” and, whenever possible, refute them “with concrete evidence.”

But she has no illusions. Kirtley has a relative, she said, who shuts down any familial fact-checking by stating, “ ‘I have other sources of information than you do.’” And that ends the discussion.

“It may be insurmountable, and if that’s true, we may as well give up,” Kirtley said of efforts to fight truth decay and make politicians pay a price for flagrantly lying. “But I’m not quite ready to give up.”

Neither am I.