While President-elect Donald Trump has yet to announce who will be at the helm of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), he has indicated several steps he would take to slash “gender-affirming” care for minors across the country.

In a video posted to Truth Social in February 2023, Trump said his plan “to stop the chemical, physical and emotional mutilation of our youth” would involve issuing an executive order directing all federal agencies to halt any programs that support or promote sex changes at any age.

“I will then ask Congress to permanently stop federal taxpayer dollars from being used to promote or pay for these procedures and pass a law prohibiting child sexual mutilation in all 50 states,” Trump said in the video.

TRUMP TO PICK FLORIDA’S RUBIO TO SERVE AS SECRETARY OF STATE

Trump announced plans to ban any hospital or healthcare provider involved in gender-transition treatments for minors from participating in Medicaid and Medicare. He also pledged to support legal actions allowing affected individuals to sue doctors who performed these procedures on minors.

“The Department of Justice will investigate Big Pharma and the big hospital networks to determine whether they have deliberately covered up horrific long-term side effects of sex transitions in order to get rich at the expense of vulnerable patients,” Trump added.

Trump honed in on transgender issues during the last leg of his campaign with a successful ad that focused on men in women’s sports and Vice President Kamala Harris’ track record of ushering in sex change procedures for incarcerated people in California.

HOUSE LEADERS MOVE QUICKLY TO CONSOLIDATE POWER IN SHOW OF CONFIDENCE FOR REPUBLICAN MAJORITY

A transgender flag unfurled on a pole. Texas SB 14 would ban gender-affirming treatments and therapies for transgender youth if signed by Gov. Greg Abbott. (Getty Images)

“Kamala is for they/them, President Trump is for you,” the narrator of Trump’s campaign ad said. Experts say the TV spot had a substantial influence on swing voters.

Over the last four years, the Biden-Harris administration used federal agencies, including the Department of Justice, to expand access to surgical procedures for minors. Under Biden, HHS created a regulation that interpreted “sex discrimination” within the Affordable Care Act to include gender identity and sexual orientation.

The expanded definition under Title IX meant that any medical provider not offering sex change procedures for any age was at risk of losing federal funding under the Biden-Harris regulation. The rule was blocked by the Supreme Court in August. 

GOP REP. MIKE WALTZ TAPPED TO BE TRUMP’S NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER

President Biden, right, meets with President-elect Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

In June, health officials in the Biden administration urged the international transgender health nonprofit, World Professional Association for Transgender Health, to omit the age limit in its guidelines for transgender surgical procedures for adolescents – and succeeded – according to unsealed court documents.

More than 25 states in the U.S. have enacted bans and restrictions on surgical procedures and hormonal prescriptions for transgender youth. Roughly 24 states still permit gender transition surgeries and drugs for children.

In recent days, Trump has been announcing his administration’s appointments much quicker than he did during his first term. HHS candidates Fox News Digital has learned include Robert F. Kennedy Jr., former Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, Eric Hargan, former HUD Secretary Ben Carson, Seema Verma, Paul Mango, Joseph Ladapo, Roger Severino, Brian Blase and Joe Grogan.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Trump-Vance transition team for comment.

Since winning the election last week, President-elect Donald Trump has begun evaluating and rolling out his picks for his Cabinet and other top roles. 

Here’s a roundup of whom Trump has picked to fill top jobs in his administration: 

Publicly announced

Chief of Staff – Susie Wiles

Wiles has been widely lauded for heading Trump’s successful campaign this year, having run Trump’s campaign operations in Florida in 2016 and 2020. She maintained close ties with the president-elect throughout the Biden administration and signed on as CEO of Trump’s Save America PAC in 2021. 

“Susie is tough, smart, innovative and is universally admired and respected. Susie will continue to work tirelessly to Make America Great Again. It is a well deserved honor to have Susie as the first-ever female Chief of Staff in United States history. I have no doubt that she will make our country proud,” Trump said in a statement. 

THESE ARE THE TOP NAMES IN CONTENTION FOR DEFENSE SECRETARY UNDER TRUMP

US Ambassador to the United Nations – Elise Stefanik

The New York Republican representative and current House GOP Conference Chair has been an attack dog for Trump in Congress. She is a staunch supporter of Israel, having made headlines for her combative lines of questioning of Ivy League university presidents over their handling of anti-Israel protests, some of which prompted the presidents to resign.

President-elect Trump picked Elise Stefanik to be the next ambassador to the United Nations. (ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)

National Security Adviser – Michael Waltz 

On Tuesday, Trump announced the Florida Republican representative and former Army Green Beret would be his national security adviser. He’s decidedly a hawk on China and Iran. 

“Mike retired as a Colonel, and 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. 

“Mike has been a strong champion of my America First Foreign Policy agenda, and will be a tremendous champion of our pursuit of Peace through Strength!”

On Tuesday, Trump announced Rep. Michael Waltz, a Florida Republican and former Army Green Beret, would be his national security adviser. He’s decidedly a hawk on China and Iran. (John Nacion/Getty Images)

“Border Czar” – Tom Homan 

Homan, the former acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, was an architect of Trump’s zero-tolerance policy during his first administration, one that led to backlash from family separations at the border. 

Homan has served under six administrations and presidents in both parties, dating back to the Reagan era, as a rank-and-file Border Patrol agent. He was appointed to the position of executive associate director of enforcement and removal operations for ICE under President Obama.

While serving at a “czar” level rather than in an official Cabinet position, Homan will be in charge of “the Southern Border, the Northern Border, all Maritime, and Aviation Security,” Trump announced on Truth Social. 

“I’ve known Tom for a long time, and there is nobody better at policing and controlling our Borders,” Trump wrote. “Likewise, Tom Homan will be in charge of all Deportation of Illegal Aliens back to their Country of Origin. Congratulations to Tom. I have no doubt he will do a fantastic, and long awaited for, job.”

Tom Homan was tapped by President-elect Donald Trump to be his “border czar.” (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Ambassador to Israel – Mike Huckabee 

Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas, is a staunch supporter of Israel, prompted by his evangelical faith. 

“Mike has been a great public servant, Governor, and Leader in Faith for many years. He loves Israel, and the people of Israel, and likewise, the people of Israel love him”, a statement attached to Trump’s Truth Social post said. “Mike will work tirelessly to bring about Peace in the Middle East!”

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee will be Trump’s ambassador to Israel. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator – Lee Zeldin 

Zeldin, a former House Republican from New York, had a notably strong, but unsuccessful, showing in the race for governor against Kathy Hochul in 2022. During that race, he called for New York to lift its ban on fracking. He also lost his House race for re-election in 2022 but has maintained ties with the Trump team.

Lee Zeldin will lead the EPA will lead the EPA. (Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Middle East Envoy – Steven Witkoff

Witkoff, a real estate investor, landlord, and the founder of the Witkoff Group, was tapped as Trump’s Middle East enjoy. He campaign with Trump during the campaign.

In his announcement, Trump said that Witkoff would be an “unrelenting Voice for PEACE” in the highly-contentious region.

Steve Witkoff, founder and chief executive officer of Witkoff Group LLC, speaks during a campaign event with former US President Donald Trump, not pictured, at Madison Square Garden in New York, US, on Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024.  (Adam Gray/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

White House Counsel – William McGinley

McGinley, who served in Trump’s first presidential term as White House cabinet secretary, returns to the White House for Trump’s second term. The White House Counsel conducts key behind-the-scene research into potential Supreme Court nominees.

William J. McGinley speaks at an event hosted by BNA on new lobbying laws. (Tom Williams/Roll Call/Getty Images)

CIA Director – John Ratcliffe

Ratcliffe previously served under Trump during his first term as Director of National Intelligence (DNI). He will head the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). 

In 2020, he was awarded the National Security Medal, the nation’s highest honor for distinguished achievement in the field of intelligence and national security. 

John Ratcliffe is President-elect Trump’s pick to lead the CIA. (Getty Images)

Department of Government Efficiency – Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy 

Billionaire Elon Musk and former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy were tapped to lead the Department of Government Efficiency.

Trump said that the pair will work together to “dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies.”

“It will become, potentially, ‘The Manhattan Project’ of our time,” the announcement on Tuesday evening said. “Republican politicians have dreamed about the objectives of ‘DOGE’ for a very long time.”

Vivek Ramaswamy and Elon Musk have been tapped by President-elect Donald Trump to lead the Department of Government Efficiency. (Getty Images/AP Images)

Secretary of Defense – Pete Hegseth  

Trump nominated Hegseth to lead the Department of Defense. He would need to be confirmed by the Senate to assume the position. Hegseth has long championed a strong military and veterans causes. 

He served in Iraq and Afghanistan as an Army infantry officer, being awarded two Bronze Stars and the Combat Infantryman’s Badge. 

“Nobody fights harder for the Troops, and Pete will be a courageous and patriotic champion of our ‘Peace through Strength’ policy,” Trump said. 

Pete Hegseth has been tapped by Trump to be his secretary of defense.  (Roy Rochlin/Getty Images)

Homeland Security Secretary – Kristi Noem

Trump announced on Tuesday that South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem is his pick for secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. Noem would need to be approved by the Senate to assume the position.

DHS oversees U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the U.S. Secret Service and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.  

“She was the first Governor to send National Guard Soldiers to help Texas fight the Biden Border Crisis, and they were sent a total of eight times,” the Trump transition team said in a statement on Tuesday. “She will work closely with ‘Border Czar’ Tom Homan to secure the Border, and will guarantee that our American Homeland is secure from our adversaries.”

Gov. Kristi Noem, R-N.D., speaking during the first day of the Republican National Convention, Monday, July 15, 2024, in Milwaukee.  (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

GOP REP. MIKE WALTZ TAPPED TO BE TRUMP’S NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER

Likely picks 

Secretary of State – Marco Rubio

Sources tell Fox News Trump has settled on Rubio, another Iran and China hawk, to run the State Department. Rubio, a Republican from Florida and top GOP member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, ran for president in 2016 when he and Trump traded barbs, with Trump calling him “little Marco.” 

It’s all seemingly water under the bridge now. Rubio was reportedly on a short list for VP picks earlier this year. 

Could self-flagellating Democrats and their gleeful critics please calm down for one stinkin’ minute?

Before remaking an entire party based on one election loss — albeit a devastating one — let’s look at some numbers.

As the final votes are tallied, it appears that President-elect Donald Trump has received 75.1 million votes while Vice President Kamala Harris received 71.9 million. That is a victory margin of just about 2 percentage points.

In 2020, when President Biden beat then-President Trump, he received nearly 81.3 million votes to Trump’s 74.2 million, a victory margin of 4.5 percentage points.

Did Republicans call for introspection? Did they spill barrels of ink wondering where they went wrong? Did they slit their wrists in frustration and vow to start courting the college-educated “coastal elites” they’d spent years vilifying?

Oh please. We all saw what happened next.

Led by Trump, Republicans engaged in a systematic and illegal scheme attempting to overturn the results of the election. To this day, they cling to the fantasy that Trump won. I laugh when Trump tells his rally-goers that he received more votes in 2020 than any other previous presidential candidate. That was true. But he failed to add that Biden received even more votes than Trump, something Trump is pathologically unable to accept.

(And, I hate to break it to the president-elect, but to this day, Biden has received more votes than any other single presidential candidate. Oh, and in case anyone has forgotten, Barack Obama’s 2009 inauguration crowd was much, much bigger than Trump’s in 2017.)

Of course Democrats must engage in serious analysis about what went wrong and how to win back the young men, Latino men and so many working-class voters who deserted the party this year. But that does not mean all the fundamentals of the Democratic platform and philosophy are wrong.

Democrats were disadvantaged in a number of ways. Biden’s decision to stay in the race long after he should have bowed out proved disastrous. After he handed the nomination to Harris, she had a mere 100 days to establish herself, to differentiate herself from him and his deeply unpopular policies. She failed to do so in a way that was persuasive to voters.

Her failure was also in thinking that positivity could counteract negativity. The failure was in not fully grasping the amnesia Americans were experiencing about Trump’s disastrous response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The failure was in not being able to convey the successes of the Biden administration.

Trump whipped up hatred, resentment and fear, which, ugly and disingenuous as it was, helped persuade voters that he cared about their struggles. Sure, inflation is down, wages are up and the economy is humming along strong. But high prices smack you in the face every time you shop for groceries.

And if someone tells you often enough that you are in pain, or that you were better off when the pandemic was in fact killing hundreds of thousands of Americans, you might actually start to believe him.

Bill Clinton, whose move to the right in 1992 felt like a betrayal to the left wing of his party, was able to persuade voters that he felt their pain. Harris was not.

And of course, Harris’ failure was in not being able to counteract the right-wing information sphere. Trump figured out how to court the bro vote. Harris did not. MAGA Republicans were immeasurably aided and abetted by social media algorithms — which trade on rage and anger for engagement — by billionaire tech bros such as Elon Musk, who turned X largely into an alt-right cesspool, and of course by the conservative-dominated media conglomerates that spout lies that rile up voters.

Fox News, guiltier than any other single outlet for spreading the 2020 big election lie, ended up agreeing to pay Dominion Voting Systems nearly $800 million for defaming the company, whose ballot machines worked perfectly well. That is three-quarters of a billion dollars, folks. Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s personal lawyer, spread so many vicious lies about Georgia poll workers Ruby Freeman and her daughter Wandrea “Shaye” Moss that a court ruled he should pay them $148 million for defamation.

Countless other Trump believers are in jail, bankrupt or unable to practice their professions because Republicans simply could not bear the idea that they had lost.

Despite all of that, the Republican Party in its current form never, not even once, had a great public moment of introspection.

Instead, it doubled down on lies and on whipping up fear about vulnerable populations while exploiting Democrats’ weaknesses.

“The people who watched Trump’s television ads during sporting events had not been harmed by a transgender person, or by an immigrant, or by a woman of color,” wrote the historian Timothy Snyder in the New Yorker. “The magic lies in the daring it takes to declare a weaker group to be part of an overwhelming conspiracy.”

Instead of the circular firing squad Democrats have formed post-election, they should hunker down for the fight against the cruel, inhumane and potentially earth-shattering policies coming our way. And be open to learning from the voters who deserted them, or split their votes between Trump at the top and a Democrat further down the ballot.

New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, whose progressive politics have made her a favorite target of Republicans, asked her social media followers to explain why they cast their ballots for both her and Trump.

“I actually want to learn from you and hear what you’re thinking,” she said.

The responses were enlightening.

“Real simple,” wrote one. “Trump and you care for the working class.”

“I feel like Trump and you are both real.”

“Voted Trump, but I like you and Bernie. I don’t trust either party’s establishment politicians.”

Democrats should take these sentiments to heart and act accordingly. It’s not their policies — it’s their messaging.

Threads: @rabcarian