Donald Trump’s cabinet picks to rock the Washington elite

The world’s richest man has been given 18 months to slash the size of the US government, and a Fox News host has been tapped to serve as Pentagon chief as Donald Trump shakes up DC.

Elon Musk, left, and former Republican presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy, right, are together tasked by Donald Trump, centre, with slashing the size and cost of the US government. Picture montage: AFP

Donald Trump is set to shake up Washington after unveiling a slew of appointments rewarding allies, tasking the world’s richest man with slashing the size of the US government and tapping a Fox News TV host to serve as defence secretary in a shock selection.

Tech titan Elon Musk and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy have been asked to lead a new entity from outside of government – the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE – which Mr Trump said would ­potentially become “The Manhattan Project of our time”.

The president-elect has given the pair 18 months until July 2026 to “drive large-scale structural reform, and create an entrepreneurial approach to government never seen before” while eliminating “massive waste and fraud which exists throughout our annual $US6.5 trillion dollars of government spending”.

“Together, these two wonderful Americans will pave the way for my administration to dismantle government bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure federal agencies,” he said.

Pete Hegseth. Picture: AFP

The DOGE will partner with the White House and Office of Management and Budget, with Mr Trump saying its work would conclude “no later than July 4, 2026”.

“A small government with more efficiency and less bureaucracy will be the perfect gift to America on the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence,” he said.

Fox News host and army combat veteran Pete Hegseth is the surprise choice as the new Pentagon chief, with Mr Trump describing the television presenter as “tough, smart and a true believer in America First”.

“With Pete at the helm, America’s enemies are on notice: our military will be great again, and America will never back down,” he said. “Peter has been a host at Fox News for eight years, where he used that platform to fight for our military and veterans. Pete’s recent book, The War on Warriors, spent nine weeks on The New York Times bestsellers list, including two weeks at No..”

The nomination caught national security and defence officials off guard, with the selection being viewed as a blatant move by Mr Trump to install a loyalist in the job rather than someone with experience.

Kristi Noem at the 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. Picture: AFP

Founder of the independent Veterans of America, Paul Rieckhoff, posted on X that Mr Hegseth was the “least-qualified nominee for SecDef in American history”.

In a day in which he made nine key personnel decisions, Mr Trump opted for South Dakota Governor and former congresswoman Kristi Noem as the new secretary of the Department of Homeland Security – a position that will require her to work closely with border tsar Tom Homan.

“She was the first governor to send National Guard soldiers to help Texas fight the Biden border crisis, and they were sent a total of eight times,” Mr Trump said.

Official confirmation was also provided by Mr Trump that China hawk and former Green Beret Mike Waltz would be his pick for national security adviser.

The director of national intelligence from 2020-21, John Ratcliffe, the co-chair at the centre for American security at the America First Policy Institute, was confirmed as Mr Trump’s CIA chief.

John Ratcliffe is sworn in for a hearing on his nomination for Director of National Intelligence in Washington during the first Trump administration. Picture: AFP

Mr Trump described him as a “fearless fighter for the constitutional rights of all Americans.”

“From exposing fake Russian collusion to be a Clinton campaign operation, to catching the FBI’s abuse of civil liberties at the FISA Court, John Ratcliffe has always been a warrior for truth and honesty with the American public,” Mr Trump said.

William Joseph McGinley was unveiled as White House counsel, with Mr Trump describing him as a “smart and tenacious lawyer who will help me advance our America First agenda while fighting for elec­tion integrity and against the weaponisation of law enforcement”. There were also two key decisions affecting US diplomacy, with Steven Witkoff unveiled as Mr Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East and former governor of Arkansas Mike Huckabee nominated as ambassador to Israel. Mr Trump said Mr Witkoff was a “highly respected leader in business and philanthropy, who has made every project and community he has been involved with stronger and more prosperous”.

The president-elect has gone out of his way to signal a strong pro-Israel stance in his foreign ­policy, including through the appointment of Elise Stefanik as his ambassador to the UN.