Following an election season that rocked the country, former President Donald Trump is slated to return to the White House to become the next president of the United States. With his 312 electoral college votes set to be certified on Jan. 6, 2025, many are wondering what to expect for the coming weeks and first days of Trump’s presidency.
A peaceful transition of power is set to begin with the president-elect’s Inauguration Day on Jan. 25, 2025. Until then, the president-elect will be spending this transition period building his team of cabinet members and department heads to be approved by the appropriative legislative bodies. We can also expect updates to the former president’s pending lawsuits, with some expected to be dropped entirely.
Once Trump officially takes office, many will be looking towards him to begin instilling the Day 1 policies that he promised throughout his campaign. This includes drastic immigration changes, reform within the federal government through the firing of those he believes are against him, and the rolling back of certain policies pushed by the Biden administration.
“I want to close the border, and I want to drill, drill, drill,” said Trump about his Day 1 plans.
However, the biggest thing to watch within the first few months of Trump’s presidency is the confirmation of his cabinet. Within the past weeks, Trump has already begun announcing and naming picks for his cabinet. Once he officially takes office, those positions that require Senate approval will begin the confirmation process. Some of the standout picks that have already been announced are as follows.
Linda McMahon has been tapped to become the new head of the Department of Education. McMahon is a longtime Trump ally, served in Trump’s previous administration leading his Small Business Administration, and is a former professional wrestling executive. McMahon’s nomination was seen by many as unexpected due to her lack of experience with education policy. Her closest encounter with this type of work came in 2009 when she served for just over a year on the Connecticut State Board of Education. Despite this lack of experience, McMahon will have to face some of the biggest issues within education like the underfunding of schools and universities across the country. “We will send Education BACK TO THE STATES, and Linda will spearhead that effort,” Trump said in a statement announcing her nomination.
Pete Hegseth has been nominated to become Trump’s next defense secretary. Hegseth is a veteran and co-hosts the “Fox & Friends” broadcast show. Hegseth has stated previously that he believes that “wokeness” is one of the biggest issues facing our military, and has suggested reforms based on removing military officials who have supported DEI policies. “Pete is tough, smart and a true believer in America First,” shared Trump in an announcement following his nomination. “With Pete at the helm, America’s enemies are on notice — our military will be great again, and America will never back down.”
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is Trump’s choice for the Health and Human Services secretary position. Kennedy is best known for being a controversial anti-vaccine advocate, and nephew to former president John F. Kennedy. He was the chairman and founder of the Children’s Health Defense, an advocacy group that publishes anti-mask and anti-vaccine media surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. He has also previously expressed beliefs about vaccines leading to autism, and H.I.V. not being the true cause of A.I.D.S.
“Mr. Kennedy will restore these Agencies to the traditions of Gold Standard Scientific Research,” said Trump in a post published in Truth Social.
Florida Senator Marco Rubio is Trump’s Secretary of State nomination. Rubio was considered to be Trump’s running mate before he eventually chose J.D. Vance. He also ran against Trump in 2016. With Rubio’s nomination, it opens up the possibility of a newly vacant seat in the Senate.
Pam Bondi is Trump’s nomination for attorney general after Matt Gaetz, Trump’s first attorney general nomination, withdrew from consideration. Gaetz withdrew because of a congressional investigation into sexual misconduct and drug allegations against him. Pam Bondi, Florida’s first former attorney general, was named as his successor. Bondi formerly served in Trump’s first administration as a member of the Opioid and Drug Abuse Commission and was on Trump’s legal time during his impeachment. During her time as Florida attorney general, Bondi was particularly involved in human trafficking issues, pushing Florida lawmakers to be stricter on traffickers.
Trump announced that he will appoint former Immigrations and Customs Enforcement director Tom Homan as a “border czar.” The term “czar” is used to describe a high-ranking executive official in charge of a specific policy, in this case, Homan will focus on U.S. borders concerning immigration. As border czar, Homan would be in charge of “the Southern Border, the Northern Border, all Maritime, and Aviation Security” as well as “all Deportation of Illegal Aliens back to their Country of Origin,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“I will run the biggest deportation force this country has ever seen,” Homan said at a panel on immigration policy.
Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy have both been tapped to lead the “Department of Government Efficiency” as Trump has coined it. Known under the acronym DOGE, the new department will not be an official federal agency or commission but rather an advisory organization endorsed by Trump. DOGE will serve to provide recommendations and strategies to government leaders regarding things like cost savings and administrative reductions. Musk and Ramaswamy have been close allies to Trump’s campaign despite Ramaswamy running against him in the Republican primary. Trump’s announcement of DOGE raised lots of questions, wondering what its specific powers will be, and how exactly will it be funded.
Musk, at a Trump rally in New York, said that he could “cut 2 trillion dollars” out of the annual budget, which would account for around 30% of total federal spending.
