Trump nominates Scott Bessent to lead US treasury
In a statement on Friday, Donald Trump said:
Scott has long been a strong advocate of the America First Agenda … he will help me usher in a new Golden Age for the United States, as we fortify our position as the World’s leading Economy … while always, and without question, maintaining the UD Dollar as the Reserve Currency of the World.
As a lifelong Champion of Main Street America and American Industry, Scott will support my Policies that will drive US Competitiveness, and stop unfair Trade imbalances, work to create an Economy that places Growth at the forefront, especially through our coming World Energy Dominance.
Key events
Evening summary
Thank you for reading along with the Guardian’s liveblog as we cover the slew of nominations to various cabinet positions that Trump announced today. Here are some of the key moments from the day in US politics.
-
Trump’s choice to lead the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is surgeon Marty Makary. He has advocated for re-examining the use of hormone replacement treatment in menopausal women, reducing overuse of antibiotics and reforms to medical education. Makary also raised concerns about a number of public health issues during the Covid pandemic, touting the protection from natural immunity and opposing Covid vaccine mandates.
-
Donald Trump nominated hedge fund executive Scott Bessent to lead the US treasury. In a statement on Friday Trump said, “Scott has long been a strong advocate of the America First Agenda … he will help me usher in a new Golden Age for the United States, as we fortify our position as the World’s leading Economy … while always, and without question, maintaining the UD Dollar as the Reserve Currency of the World.
-
Vivek Ramaswamy appeared to confirm he and Elon Musk will try to stop the flow of funds that go to Planned Parenthood. “The federal government shouldn’t be in the business of giving away free money to non-governmental organizations. That should be obvious,” a Thursday post on X by Ramaswamy read.
-
Tom Homan, Donald Trump’s pick for “border czar”, sent a message specifically to the Los Angeles city council: “If you don’t help, get the hell out of the way,” Homan said on Newsmax on Wednesday.
-
Donald Trump has been granted permission by the New York Judge Juan Merchan on Friday to seek dismissal of his hush money criminal case. The permission follows his presidential victory on 5 November and multiple sentencing delays surrounding the case of which he was found guilty earlier this year.
-
After resigning from congress and withdrawing from consideration to be the next US attorney general, Matt Gaetz is taking his talents to Cameo, an app that lets users pay for personalized video messages from celebrities and other notable figures like Gaetz and George Santos. The news website Semafor first reported the move on Friday.
Donald Trump is considering tapping Richard Grenell, his former intelligence chief, to be a special envoy for the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Reuters reports. While there is currently no special envoy dedicated solely to resolving the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Trump is considering creating the role, according to the four sources Reuters spoke to, who requested anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.
Trump vowed on the campaign trail to swiftly end the conflict, although he has not said how he will do it. His strategies will continue to be questioned if Grenell is confirmed since some of his stances could give Ukraine’s leaders pause.
During a Bloomberg roundtable in July, Grenell advocated for the creation of “autonomous zones” as a means of settling the conflict, which began after Russia invaded Ukrainian sovereign territory. He also suggested he would not be in favor of Ukraine joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in the immediate future, a position he shares with many Trump allies.
NFL veteran Scott Turner picked to lead housing and urban development
Donald Trump said on Friday he has picked NFL veteran Scott Turner to serve as housing and urban development secretary. This will be the athlete and motivational speaker’s second time as a member of the Trump administration; he first served as the executive director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council.
Turner, a Republican, has been involved in politics for more than a decade. After playing for the team now known as the Washington Commanders (Trump used the team’s old name in his statement), Turner made a failed bid for Congress in California before being elected to the Texas House in 2012, the Texas Tribune reported.
Trump confirms pick of Marty Makary to lead FDA
Trump’s choice to lead the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is surgeon Marty Makary.
The FDA is the world’s most influential drug regulator with a more than $7bn budget. It is responsible for approving new treatments and ensuring they are safe and effective before entering the biggest and most lucrative market. It has regulatory authority over human and veterinary drugs, biological medicines, medical devices and vaccines.
The agency is also responsible for maintaining safety standards for the food supply, tobacco, cosmetics and products that emit radiation.
Makary’s most recent book, Blind Spots, was published in September. In interviews promoting the book, he spoke against what he called “massive overtreatment” in the US that he called “an epidemic of inappropriate care”.
He has advocated for re-examining the use of hormone replacement treatment in menopausal women, reducing overuse of antibiotics and reforms to medical education. Makary also raised concerns about a number of public health issues during the Covid pandemic, touting the protection from natural immunity and opposing Covid vaccine mandates.
Dave Weldon has been a doctor for 40 years, served in the US army and had stints on House subcommittees dealing with issues related to the CDC and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), including enacting a ban on patents for human embryos.
Trump said in a statement: “The current Health of Americans is critical, and CDC will play a big role in helping to ensure Americans have the tools and resources they need to understand the underlying causes of disease, and the solutions to cure these diseases.
“As a father of two and a husband of 45 years, Dave understands American Family Values, and views Health as one of utmost importance. Dave will prioritize Transparency, Competence, and High Standards at CDC. Dave will proudly restore the CDC to its true purpose, and will work to end the Chronic Disease Epidemic, and Make America Healthy Again!”
Dave Weldon, former Florida representative, named as Trump’s pick for CDC director
Donald Trump has announced Dave Weldon as his choice to serve as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, a sweeping US agency with a $17.3bn budget used as a public health model around the world.
Weldon, 71, is a medical doctor and former lawmaker who served in the US House of Representatives, representing Florida.
Sebastian Gorka returns to White House with counterterrorism brief
Sebastian Gorka, the controversial adviser from Trump’s first term, is making a return to the White House – after Trump has named him as deputy assistant to the president and senior director for counterterrorism.
Gorka – a former Breitbart writer and longtime rightwing Maga supporter – was let go from the White House in 2017. Now Trump has decided to give him a job in his new administration and praised what he called Gorka’s “more than 30 years of national security experience”.
Born in the UK to Hungarian-born parents, Gorka spent much of his career in the Hungarian ministry of defense working on issues of counter-terrorism. Since he became a fixture of the Trump campaign and administration, numerous experts have raised questions about his formal credentials and his work in the field of counter-terrorism, and noted his connections to the “alt-right” in the US and fringe rightwing groups in Hungary.
Trump picks Alex Wong as deputy national security adviser
Donald Trump has chosen former state department official Alex Wong to serve as deputy national security adviser.
Wong, who served as deputy special representative for North Korea during the first Trump administration, “helped negotiate my Summit with North Korean Leader, Kim Jong Un”, Trump said in a statement.
Dr Janette Nesheiwat picked as surgeon general
We’re not yet done with job announcements. Amid the Friday night flurry, Trump has also named his pick for surgeon general – Dr Janette Nesheiwat.
Nesheiwat is a double board-certified medical doctor, a regular Fox News contributor and the author of Beyond the Stethoscope: Miracles in Medicine.
In a statement, Trump described her as a “fierce advocate” for preventive medicine and public health. He added: “Her expertise and leadership have been pivotal during some of the most challenging Healthcare crises of our time.
“Dr Janette provided on-the-ground medical treatment to Americans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the Joplin tornadoes. She is also a member of Samaritan’s Purse Disaster Assistance, Relief Team, and has provided lifesaving care during crises in Morocco, Haiti, and Poland.”
Trump names Lori Chavez-DeRemer as pick for labor secretary
Donald Trump has picked Lori Chavez-DeRemer as labor secretary. Chavez-DeRemer lost her Oregon congressional seat to Democrat Janelle Bynum in the 2024 election.
Chavez-DeRemer had narrowly won the seat in 2022, which was the first election held in the district after its boundaries were significantly redrawn following the 2020 census.
Announcing Chavez-DeRemer on Friday night, Trump wrote in a social media post:
I look forward to working with her to create tremendous opportunity for American Workers, to expand Training and Apprenticeships, to grow wages and improve working conditions, to bring back our Manufacturing jobs …
“Lori’s strong support from both the Business and Labor communities will ensure that the Labor Department can unite Americans of all backgrounds.
Labor secretary is a post that needs Senate confirmation.
Donald Trump has praised Russ Vought as a “cost cutter” in a statement after nominating him for the OMB.
The president-elect wrote on Truth Social: “He did an excellent job serving in this role in my First Term – We cut four Regulations for every new Regulation, and it was a Great Success!”
Trump went on to say Vought is “an aggressive cost cutter and deregulator who will help us implement our America First Agenda across all Agencies”.
