Trump names SEC chair, new White House counsel, army secretary, and other roles, including a post for Peter Navarro.
President-elect Donald Trump has made a new round of selections for his administration while also changing up some staff he already named.
In a series of Dec. 4 Truth Social posts, the incoming president named many of the men and women on pace to serve on his team. Many names are familiar from the first administration, including Peter Navarro.
Here’s a rundown of Trump’s latest big moves.
Trump Names SEC Chair, Deputy Treasury Secretary, Antitrust Official
Trump chose Paul Atkins to chair the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
Gary Gensler, current chair of the SEC, has clamped down on cryptocurrency during his stint at the head of the agency, drawing the ire of many developers and investors in the sector.
Atkins was an SEC commissioner under President George W. Bush. He also belonged to Trump’s Strategic and Policy Forum during his first term.
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Trump also named Michael Faulkender as deputy treasury secretary. That follows the president-elect’s decision to nominate financier Scott Bessent as secretary of the Treasury.
Trump also picked Gail Slater to serve in a key antitrust role, as assistant attorney general for the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division. Slater served in multiple roles during the first Trump administration and is an ally of Vice President-elect JD Vance.
The incoming administration has pledged to crack down on big tech.
Peter Navarro to Return
Trump revealed that Peter Navarro, an architect of his first term’s revolutionary trade policies, would serve in his second term as senior counselor for trade and manufacturing.
Peter Navarro, director of the White House National Trade Council, at the Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor, Md., on March 1, 2019. Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times
Navarro led the National Trade Council and the Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy during Trump’s first term.
Navarro, who has a doctorate in economics from Harvard University, served four months in prison earlier this year. He was convicted of contempt of Congress because he declined to appear before a congressional body investigating the events of Jan. 6, 2021. Podcaster and Trump ally Steve Bannon served a four-month sentence under similar circumstances.
Trump Names Heads of IRS, Small Business Administration
Trump also selected former Rep. Billy Long (R-Mo.) to lead the Internal Revenue Service. Long, a tax advisor and auctioneer who represented Missouri and campaigned for Trump in this election cycle.
“Taxpayers and the wonderful employees of the IRS will love having Billy at the helm. He is the consummate ‘people person,’ well respected on both sides of the aisle,” Trump wrote in his announcement of the pick.
The president-elect went with another former Republican lawmaker, Kelly Loeffler, to lead the Small Business Administration.
The businesswoman served as a senator from Georgia after then-Sen. Johnny Isakson stepped down due to illness. Gov. Brian Kemp named her as Isakson’s replacement. In 2020, she lost her state’s Senate special election and a subsequent runoff to current Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.).
Loeffler, who grew up on a farm, was previously discussed as a possible pick to lead the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Trump ultimately selected Texas attorney Brooke L. Rollins for that role.
“She will focus on ensuring that SBA [Small Business Administration] is accountable to taxpayers by cracking down on waste, fraud, and regulatory overreach,” Trump wrote in his statement on Loeffler.
Trump Names Army Secretary, Hostage Affairs Envoy, NASA Leader, Chief of Protocol
The president-elect also announced on Dec. 4 his nomination for secretary of the Army, Daniel Driscoll.
Trump also selected Adam Boehler as a special envoy for hostage affairs. Boehler led the U.S. International Development Finance Corp. during the president-elect’s first term.
Adam Boehler walks on the South Lawn at the White House toward Marine One prior to a departure with President Donald Trump on July 27, 2020. Alex Wong/Getty Images
Trump’s other Dec. 4 picks included Jared Isaacman, CEO of the defense aerospace firm Draken, to lead NASA.
Trump also chose Monica Crowley as U.S. ambassador and chief of protocol. The chief of protocol position, vital in handling visits from foreign leaders to the United States, is in the State Department. Crowley is another Trump administration veteran, having served as assistant Treasury secretary for public affairs.
Whatley to Keep Leading RNC
The incoming president voiced his support for Michael Whatley to continue as chair of the Republican National Committee. Whatley subsequently made it clear that he intends to stay.
Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley speaks at the 2024 Road to Majority Conference in Washington on June 22, 2024. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times
Whatley took the position in a mostly ceremonial vote earlier this year after Ronna Romney McDaniel announced that she was stepping down. McDaniel faced criticism in the months ahead of that decision, including on the presidential debate stage from then-presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. Whatley previously led the North Carolina GOP.
Trump Picks New White House Counsel
Trump also switched out his original choice for White House counsel, Republican attorney William McGinley.
He announced that McGinley would instead be counsel to the Department of Government Efficiency, the time-limited presidential advisory commission that will be led by Ramaswamy and Elon Musk.
President-elect Donald Trump greets Elon Musk (L) as he arrives to attend a viewing of the launch of the sixth test flight of the SpaceX Starship rocket in Brownsville, Texas, on Nov. 19, 2024. Brandon Bell/Getty Images
Vought was Trump’s final Office of Management and Budget director during his first term.
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