Trump tags NFL alum, Fox News contributor, and House race losers in Cabinet pick blitz

Trump named seven cabinet picks on Friday night, including leaders for the CDC, FDA and Department of Labor

By Griffin Eckstein

News Fellow

Published November 22, 2024 9:48PM (EST)

Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump, pumps his fist as he finishes speaking at a campaign rally at the Ed Fry Arena September 23, 2024 in Indiana, Pennsylvania. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump, pumps his fist as he finishes speaking at a campaign rally at the Ed Fry Arena September 23, 2024 in Indiana, Pennsylvania. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

President-elect Donald Trump flooded his Truth Social feed with a grip of key Cabinet nominations on Friday night, rounding out his administration less than two months ahead of his inauguration.

Among the picks, ex-NFL player and former Texas state Rep. Scott Turner was tapped to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The president-elect’s only Black Cabinet  nominee served in Trump’s first administration on the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council.

One-term Oregon congresswoman Lori Chavez-DeRemer was asked to lead the Department of Labor. Chavez-DeRemer, who lost her seat earlier this month, is a pro-labor pick for a largely anti-union administration. She was one of just three Republicans to back the PRO Act in the House. Teamsters President Sean O’Brien praised the Trump pick on social media Friday night.

Additionally, Trump brought alt-right political commentator Sebastian Gorka back into the White House, appointing him to serve as a deputy assistant to the president and a senior counterterrorism adviser. Trump also brought back Alex Wong to serve as assistant to the president.

“Since 2015, Dr. Gorka has been a tireless advocate for the America First Agenda and the MAGA Movement,” Trump said in a statement.

The president-elect tapped doctor and Fox News contributor Janette Nesheiwat for the role of surgeon general, citing her work during the COVID-19 pandemic and other natural disasters as qualifications for “MAKING AMERICA HEALTHY AGAIN.” 

Trump announced plans to install Johns Hopkins surgeon Marty Makary as the head of the Food and Drug Administration, Makary was a vocal critic of coronavirus lockdowns and argued the pandemic would end when Americans reached “natural immunity.” 

Trump said in a statement that Makary would “evaluate harmful chemicals poisoning our Nation's food supply and drugs and biologics being given to our Nation's youth.” Makary and Centers for Disease Control pick Dave Weldon, also announced on Friday night, will work alongside Department of Health and Human Services head Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to manage the nation’s health if all are confirmed.

Earlier on Friday, Trump confirmed reports that Project 2025 architect Russ Vought would lead the Office of Management and Budget and appointed hedge fund manager Scott Bessent to serve as Treasury secretary. 


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