Trump ramps up transition moves with key appointments

US Republican presidential hopeful and former US President Donald Trump greets US Representative Elise Stefanik (R-NY) during a campaign event in Concord, New Hampshire, on January 19, 2024. FILE PHOTO/Agence France-Presse

WASHINGTON — US President-elect Donald Trump named new members for his incoming administration on Monday, tapping loyalists for several key posts after signaling his desire to have his cabinet confirmed without Senate oversight.

His staffing picks are the subject of intense speculation and scrutiny, with Trump vowing that his second administration will oversee a radical shake-up of the federal government.

The 78-year-old Republican tycoon said Sunday he would nominate hardline immigration official Tom Homan as the country’s “border czar,” while Lee Zeldin, an early political ally, was proposed as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) chief.

READ: Trump rules out Pompeo, Haley from new White House team

New York congresswoman Elise Stefanik got the nod for UN ambassador, while US media say Stephen Miller, who was the architect of Trump’s so-called Muslim ban immigration policy during his first term, was set to be his deputy chief of staff with a broad portfolio.

The choices underline Trump’s desire to deliver on key campaign messages, with Homan’s hardline stance on deportations and previous work as head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) making him a widely expected choice.

Trump has promised to carry out the “biggest deportation operation in the history of our country” at the start of his term — a goal Homan has previously embraced.

READ: Trump announces immigration official Tom Homan as ‘border czar’

Stefanik, who has voiced strong support for Israel, will represent the administration as the UN grapples with the ars in Gaza and Lebanon.

Stefanik’s and Zeldin’s nominations would need approval by the Senate, but Trump is hoping to bypass the upper chamber by making appointments while it is in recess.

He has turned the issue into a loyalty test, insisting Saturday that any Republican seeking to be the leader of the Senate “must agree” to recess appointments.

The three senators jockeying for the post immediately issued statements saying they supported the move, or were at least open to the idea.

Deregulation

Trump will not be inaugurated until January, and had previously made one cabinet-level appointment, naming his campaign manager Susie Wiles as his White House chief of staff, a position that does not require Senate confirmation.

Homan, a former acting director of ICE, holds hardline views on immigration, as does Miller, who served as Trump’s senior advisor and speechwriter during his first term.

Curbing illegal immigration served as one of Trump’s central campaign promises as he pledged to launch the largest deportation operation of undocumented migrants in US history beginning on day one.

“I’ve known Tom for a long time, and there is nobody better at policing and controlling our Borders,” Trump said of Homan on Truth Social, adding that he will be in charge of “all Deportation of Illegal Aliens back to their Country of Origin.”

As Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) head, Trump said Zeldin would be tasked with making “fair and swift deregulatory decisions” with the Republican president promising to shred rules on safety and pollution that he considers an impediment to business owners.

Stefanik, a key Trump ally now in her fifth term in office, has been a staunch defender of Israel and will head to the UN as the wars in Gaza and Lebanon dominate diplomacy.

“The work ahead is immense as we see antisemitism skyrocketing, coupled with four years of catastrophically weak US leadership that significantly weakened our national security and diminished our standing in the eyes of both allies and adversaries,” she said in a statement on Monday.

Israel welcomed the appointment.

“At a time when hate and lies fill the halls of the UN, your unwavering moral clarity is needed more than ever,” its UN ambassador Danny Danon wrote on X, wishing her “success in standing firm for truth and justice.”