By Gram Slattery

(Reuters) -President-elect Donald Trump has made a flurry of picks for his cabinet and other high-ranking administration positions following his election victory.

Here are the announced choices and top contenders for some of the key posts overseeing defense, intelligence, health, diplomacy, trade, the justice department, immigration and economic policymaking.  

MARCO RUBIO, secretary of state

Trump tapped U.S. Senator Marco Rubio to be his secretary of state, putting the Florida-born politician on track to be the first Latino to serve as the United States' top diplomat.

Rubio, 53, was arguably the most hawkish option on Trump's shortlist for secretary of state. The senator has in past years advocated for a muscular foreign policy with respect to U.S. geopolitical foes, including China, Iran and Cuba.

Over the last several years he has softened some of his stances to align more closely with Trump's views. The president-elect accuses past U.S. presidents of leading the U.S. into costly and futile wars and has pushed for a less interventionist foreign policy.

PETE HEGSETH, defense secretary

Trump picked Fox News commentator Pete Hegseth as his secretary of defense. Hegseth, 44, is a veteran who has expressed disdain for the so-called "woke" policies of Pentagon leaders, including its top military officer.

If confirmed by the Senate, Hegseth could make good on Trump's campaign promises to rid the U.S. military of generals whom he accuses of pursuing progressive policies on diversity in the ranks that conservatives have rallied against.

It could also set up a collision course between Hegseth and the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force General C.Q. Brown, whom Hegseth accused of "pursuing the radical positions of left-wing politicians."

Hegseth has denied allegations made in a newly released police report that he sexually assaulted a woman in 2017.

TULSI GABBARD, director of national intelligence

Trump named Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democratic representative and critic of the Biden administration, as his director of national intelligence.

Gabbard, 43, left the Democratic Party in 2022 to become an independent, then joined the Republican Party, and has little direct experience with intelligence work. If confirmed, she would become the top official in the U.S. intelligence community after Trump starts his second term in January.

ROBERT F. KENNEDY, JR., health and human services secretary

Trump chose former independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an environmental activist who has spread misinformation about the dangers of vaccines, to lead the United States' top health agency.

Kennedy, 70, has suggested he would gut the 18,000-employee Food and Drug Administration, which ensures the safety of food, drugs and medical devices, and replace hundreds of employees at the National Institutes of Health. 

The Department of Health and Human Services oversees the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health and the massive Medicare and Medicaid Services programs, which provide health coverage for the poor, those aged 65 and older, and the disabled.

KRISTI NOEM, homeland security secretary

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem has been picked to serve as the next homeland security secretary, Trump said.

Noem, 52, once seen as a possible running mate for Trump, is currently serving her second four-year term as South Dakota's governor. She rose to national prominence after refusing to impose a statewide mask mandate during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Department of Homeland Security is responsible for everything from border protection and immigration to disaster response and the U.S. Secret Service.

TOM HOMAN, 'border czar'

Trump said Tom Homan, the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement during Trump's first administration, will be in charge of the country's borders.

Trump made cracking down on people in the country illegally a central element of his campaign, promising mass deportations.

Homan, 62, said he would prioritize deporting immigrants illegally in the U.S. who posed safety and security threats as well as those working at job sites.

HOWARD LUTNICK, commerce secretary

The co-chair of Trump's transition effort and the longtime chief executive of financial services firm Cantor Fitzgerald, Howard Lutnick has been picked to head the Commerce Department, the agency that has become the U.S. weapon of choice against China's tech sector.

A bombastic New Yorker like Trump, Lutnick, 63, has uniformly praised the president-elect's economic policies, including his use of tariffs.

He has at times given elaborate, unvarnished opinions about what policies will be enacted in Trump's second term. Some Trump allies complained privately that he too often presented himself as speaking on behalf of the campaign.

ELON MUSK AND VIVEK RAMASWAMY, heads of Department of Government Efficiency

Trump named tech billionaire Elon Musk and former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy to lead a newly created Department of Government Efficiency, rewarding two of his well-known supporters from the private sector.

Trump said Musk, 53, and Ramaswamy, 39, will reduce government bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut waste and restructure federal agencies. Trump said the new department would bring in external expertise and work with the White House and the Office of Management and Budget.

PAM BONDI, attorney general

Trump picked former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi on the day his previous choice Matt Gaetz withdrew from consideration in the face of opposition from Senate Republicans over his past conduct.

Bondi was the top law enforcement officer of the country's third most populous state from 2011 to 2019. She served on Trump's Opioid and Drug Abuse Commission during his first administration.

LEE ZELDIN, EPA administrator

Trump announced he had appointed Lee Zeldin, a former congressman from New York state, as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.

Zeldin, 44, a staunch Trump ally, served in Congress from 2015 to 2023. In 2022, he lost the New York governor's race to Democratic incumbent Kathy Hochul.

Trump has promised to overhaul U.S. energy policy, with the aim of maximizing the country's already record-high oil and gas production by rolling back regulations and speeding up permitting.

MIKE WALTZ, national security adviser

Trump said he had picked Mike Waltz, a Republican U.S. representative, to be national security adviser. Waltz, 50, is a retired Army Green Beret who has been a leading critic of China.

Waltz, a Trump loyalist who also served in the National Guard as a colonel, has criticized Chinese activity in the Asia-Pacific and has voiced the need for the U.S. to be ready for a potential conflict in the region.

The national security adviser is a powerful role that does not require Senate confirmation. Waltz will be responsible for briefing Trump on key national security issues and coordinating with different agencies.

SUSIE WILES, chief of staff

Trump announced that Susie Wiles, one of his two campaign managers, will be his White House chief of staff.

While the specifics of her political views are somewhat unclear, Wiles, 67, is credited with running a successful and efficient campaign. Supporters hope she will instill a sense of order and discipline that was often lacking during Trump's first four-year term, when he cycled through a number of chiefs of staff.

ELISE STEFANIK, UN ambassador

Trump announced that Elise Stefanik, a Republican congresswoman and staunch Trump supporter, would be his ambassador to the United Nations.

Stefanik, 40, a U.S. representative from New York state and House Republican conference chair, took a leadership position in the House of Representatives in 2021 when she was elected to replace then-Representative Liz Cheney, who was ousted for criticizing Trump's false claims of election fraud.

Stefanik will arrive at the U.N. after bold promises by Trump to end the Russia-Ukraine war and Israel's war in Gaza.

DOUG BURGUM, interior secretary and 'energy czar'

Burgum, 68, a wealthy former software company executive, has portrayed himself as a traditional, business-minded conservative. He ran against Trump for the Republican presidential nomination before quitting and becoming a loyal Trump supporter.

The Interior Department manages public lands and minerals, national parks and wildlife refuges. The department also carries out the U.S. government's trust responsibility to Native Americans. In the energy czar role, he is expected to coordinate with several agencies to boost oil and gas output. 

JOHN RATCLIFFE, CIA director

Trump said he had picked John Ratcliffe, who was director of national intelligence at the end of Trump's first term, to serve as director of the Central Intelligence Agency in his second administration.

A former congressman and prosecutor, Ratcliffe, 59, is seen as a hardcore Trump loyalist who could likely win Senate confirmation.

Still, during his time as director of national intelligence, Ratcliffe often contradicted the assessments of career civil servants, drawing criticism from Democrats who said he politicized the role.

LINDA McMAHON, education secretary

Trump tapped Linda McMahon, a co-chair of his transition effort and the co-founder of the professional wrestling franchise WWE, to be his education secretary.

In this role, McMahon, 76, who served as the chief of the Small Business Administration during Trump's first term, will oversee a department that Trump has pledged to eliminate.

A former member of the Connecticut State Board of Education, McMahon has been critical of DEI programs, which are meant to boost diversity in workplaces, universities and other institutions.

KEVIN WARSH, potential treasury secretary

Trump is considering Kevin Warsh, 54, a former investment banker who served on the Federal Reserve Board, for treasury secretary, according to news reports. He is seen as a fiscal hawk and proponent of higher savings rates.

MARC ROWAN, potential treasury secretary

Trump is considering Marc Rowan, 62, who co-founded Apollo Global Management and became the firm's CEO in 2021, for treasury secretary, according to news reports.

BILL HAGERTY, potential treasury secretary

Republican U.S. Senator Bill Hagerty of Tennessee is also in the running for treasury secretary, according to the Wall Street Journal. Trump met the 65-year-old at Mar-a-Lago last week.

SCOTT BESSENT, potential treasury secretary

Scott Bessent, a key economic adviser to Trump, is seen as a candidate for treasury secretary. A longtime hedge fund investor who taught at Yale University for several years, Bessent has a warm relationship with the president-elect.

While Bessent has long favored the laissez-faire policies that were popular in the pre-Trump Republican Party, he has also spoken highly of Trump's use of tariffs as a negotiating tool. He has praised the president-elect's economic philosophy, which rests on a skepticism of both regulations and international trade.

ROBERT LIGHTHIZER, potential trade czar or treasury secretary

A loyalist who served as Trump's U.S. trade representative for essentially the then-president's entire term, Lighthizer will almost certainly be invited back. 

Like Trump, Lighthizer, 77, is a trade skeptic and a firm believer in tariffs. He was one of the leading figures in Trump's trade war with China and the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, with Mexico and Canada during Trump's first term.

TODD BLANCHE, potential attorney general

Trump said he would nominate Todd Blanche, an attorney and former prosecutor who represented Trump in several of his recent legal cases, to be deputy attorney general. But the decision by former Republican U.S. Representative Matt Gaetz to withdraw his name from consideration as Trump's attorney general, means Blanche, 50, could be in the running to replace Gaetz.

Trump's inner circle has described the attorney general as the most important member of the administration after Trump himself, key to his plans to carry out mass deportations, pardon Jan. 6, 2021 rioters, and seek retribution against those who prosecuted him over the past four years.

MATT WHITAKER, potential attorney general

Trump chose Matt Whitaker, a lawyer and Trump loyalist to be U.S. ambassador to NATO. Gaetz's withdrawal, however, makes him a potential candidate for attorney general.

Whitaker, 55, served as acting attorney general for three months during Trump's first term as president. He was an outspoken critic of a special counsel investigation into alleged collusion between Trump's 2016 campaign team and Russia in the run-up to the 2016 election. 

ROBERT GIUFFRA, potential attorney general

Robert Giuffra, a graduate of both Princeton and Yale, is a partner at New York law firm Sullivan & Cromwell. He is a seasoned trial attorney, and over a career spanning decades has served as a lawyer in Congress and in the White House.

KASH PATEL, potential candidate for national security posts or FBI director

A former Republican House staffer who served in various high-ranking staff roles in the defense and intelligence communities during Trump's first term, Kash Patel, 44, frequently appeared on the campaign trail to rally support for Trump in his latest presidential bid.

Any position requiring Senate confirmation may be a challenge, however. During Trump's first term, Patel, seen as the ultimate Trump loyalist, drew animosity from some more experienced national security officials, who saw him as volatile and too eager to please the then-president.