Official presidential photo of Donald Trump

As United States President, Donald Trump appoints the top officials of federal departments and agencies. Unlike prior Presidents, Trump chose to let each cabinet member choose his own team rather than having the White House personnel office select the positions below each cabinet officer. Some of President Trump's cabinet members have been reliably conservative, while others are more moderate and establishment-minded.

## Contents

* 1 Reaction from leftists and the media
* 2 Conservative orientation
* 3 Members
* 3.1 Cabinet-level positions
* 4 See also
* 5 References

## Reaction from leftists and the media[edit]

The liberal media continuously attacked Trump's cabinet nominations, but this is to be expected, considering their favorite Hillary Clinton lost the election even with their overwhelming support.

Additionally, Senate Democrats unduly delayed Trump's cabinet nominees at historic and unprecedented proportions[1]—by February 8, 2017, only George Washington had fewer cabinet nominees confirmed by this length of time into his presidency.[2] Trump's last cabinet secretary was confirmed on April 27, 2017,[3] and Trump's last cabinet-level member assumed office on May 15, 2017.[4]

## Conservative orientation[edit]

According to the American Conservative Union, Trump's cabinet was even more conservative than that of Ronald Reagan.[5]

The media noted how conservative President Trump's cabinet was. The mainstream media went hysteric over the credentials of President Trump's cabinet members because they did not come from the leftist political establishment. While the leftist media frequently exaggerates the level of conservativism of various people or groups, their hysteria shows that President Trump's cabinet is conservative.

Newsweek wrote that "Donald Trump is Building the Most Conservative Presidential Cabinet in U.S. history."[6] Other media outlets, such as Politico,[7] the Los Angeles Times,[8] The Hill,[9] and CNN,[10] made similar statements.

President Trump's cabinet was expected to favor deregulation,[11] and it did pursue a pro-deregulation agenda.

## Members[edit]

Formation of Donald Trump's cabinet in late 2016 and early 2017

President Trump's cabinet:[12][13][14]

Office  |  Cabinet member  |  Predecessor

|
|

Vice President | Mike Pence | Joseph Biden
Secretary of State | Rex Tillerson (2017–2018)
Mike Pompeo (2018–present) | John Kerry
Secretary of the Treasury | Steven Mnuchin | Jack Lew
Secretary of Defense | James Mattis (2017–2018)
Pat Shanahan (Acting; 2019)
Mark Esper (Acting; 2019–present) | Ashton Carter
Attorney General | Jeff Sessions (2017–2018)
Matthew G. Whitaker (Acting; 2018–2019)
William Barr (2019–present) | Loretta Lynch
Secretary of the Interior | Ryan Zinke (2017–2019)
David Bernhardt (2019–present) | Sally Jewell
Secretary of Agriculture | Sonny Perdue | Tom Vilsack
Secretary of Commerce | Wilbur Ross | Penny Pritzker
Secretary of Labor | Alexander Acosta[15] | Thomas Perez
Secretary of Health and Human Services | Tom Price (2017)
Alex Azar (2018–present) | Sylvia Mathews Burwell
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development | Ben Carson | Julian Castro
Secretary of Transportation | Elaine Chao | Anthony Foxx
Secretary of Energy | Rick Perry | Ernest Moniz
Secretary of Education | Betsy DeVos | John King
Secretary of Veterans Affairs | David Shulkin (2017–2018)
Robert Wilkie (2018–present) | Robert McDonald
Secretary of Homeland Security | John F. Kelly (2017)
Kirstjen Nielsen (2017–2019)
Kevin McAleenan (Acting; 2019–present) | Jeh Johnson

### Cabinet-level positions[edit]

Cabinet members who are department and outside agency heads require Senate confirmation. Some position within the Executive Office of the President requires Senate approval as well. A president, however, is free to seek advice from anyone, including elevating a member of his personal staff to cabinet-level rank. According to the White House, President Trump's cabinet also comprises these officials:[12]

Office  |  Cabinet member

|

White House Chief of staff |  Reince Priebus (2017)
John F. Kelly (2017–2019)
Mick Mulvaney (2019–present)
United States Trade Representative |  Robert Lighthizer
Director of National Intelligence |  Dan Coats
Director of the Office of Management and Budget |  Mick Mulvaney
Director of the Central Intelligence Agency |  Mike Pompeo (2017–2018)
Gina Haspel (2018–present)
Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency |  Scott Pruitt (2017–2018)
Andrew Wheeler (2018–present)
Administrator of the Small Business Administration |  Linda McMahon (2017–2019)
Chris Pilkerton (Acting; 2019–present)

## See also[edit]

* Donald Trump achievements
* Trump Administration
* Trump Supreme Court
* Cabinet of the United States

## References[edit]

1. ↑ No President has Ever Waited This Long to Get a Cabinet Approved. CNBC (February 24, 2017). Retrieved on February 27, 2017.
2. ↑ Singman, Brooke (February 8, 2017). Trump facing historic delays in confirmation push. Fox News. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
3. ↑ Kellman, Laurie (April 27, 2017). Senate confirms last member of Trump cabinet at 100th day in office nears. The Washington Times. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
4. ↑ Moons, Michelle (May 15, 2017). President Donald Trump’s Cabinet Complete with Swearing-In of U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer. Breitbart News. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
5. ↑ Multiple references:
* Bedard, Paul (February 9, 2017). CPAC-ACU: Trump's Cabinet the most conservative, surpassing Reagan. Washington Examiner. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
* Rodack, Jeffrey (February 9, 2017). ACU: Trump Cabinet Most Conservative in Modern History. Newsmax. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
See also:
* Berry, Susan (October 13, 2017). Bill Bennett Touts Trump Has ‘More Conservative Cabinet’ Than Reagan. Breitbart News. Retrieved October 13, 2017.
6. ↑ Cooper, Matthew (December 9, 2016). Donald Trump is Building the Most Conservative Presidential Cabinet in U.S. History. Newsweek.
7. ↑ Trump's Conservative Dream Team. Politico (November 30, 2016). Retrieved on February 17, 2017.
8. ↑ Trump's Cabinet Picks are Among the Most Conservative in History. What that Means for His Campaign Promises. Los Angeles Times (December 15, 2016). Retrieved on February 17, 2017.
9. ↑ Trump's Unorthodox Cabinet. The Hill (December 15, 2016). Retrieved on December 15, 2016.
10. ↑ "Donald Trump's Cabinet a Boon for Conservatives", CNN, December 20, 2016. Retrieved on December 27, 2016.
11. ↑ Donald Trump's Cabinet Selections Signal Deregulation Moves Are Coming. The Wall Street Journal (December 8, 2016). Retrieved on December 10, 2016.
12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 President Donald J. Trump Announces His Cabinet. whitehouse.gov. February 8, 2017. Retrieved February 17, 2017.
13. ↑ [1], CNN.
14. ↑ [2], The Cabinet .
15. ↑ Trump originally nominated Andrew Puzder, but he withdrew.