Musk was a major Trump backer and donated more than $100 million to the campaign, including controversial payments of $1 million per day to registered voters in seven battleground states. Musk also promoted the campaign, along with far-right accounts, on X, the social media platform he owns.

Trump’s choices so far: What we know

• Chief of Staff: Trump appointed his senior campaign adviser Susie Wiles as White House Chief of Staff, the first woman in history to hold that title. The Florida political consultant largely stays out of the spotlight but is credited with helping Trump’s political comeback.
• Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy: Longtime Trump advisor, Stephan Molenaar has been tapped to serve as deputy chief of staff for policy in the next Trump administration. The 39-year-old served as Trump’s senior adviser and director of speechwriting during the Republican’s first term in the White House and is credited with shaping Trump’s immigration policies.
• Ambassador to the UN: Trump nominated Elise Stefanik, a five-term Republican representing a district in upstate New York, as his pick for U.N. ambassador. She is chairman of the Republican Conference in the House of Representatives and a former candidate for Trump’s running mate.
• ‘Border Tsar’: Trump has appointed Tom Homan overseeing deportation policies and aviation security. Homan was a Border Patrol agent for 34 years and served in the first Trump administration as acting ICE director. He sparked controversy for strict immigration enforcement, including the “zero tolerance” policy that separated families of undocumented immigrants.
• EPA head: Trump has appointed Lee Zeldin as administrator of the United States Environmental Protective Agency (EPA). Zeldin served as congresswoman for parts of Long Island, New York and ran but lost to Kathy Hochul in the 2022 governor’s race.
• National Security Advisor: Trump has mentioned Florida Representative Mike Waltz as his national security advisor. Waltz has held civilian positions at the Pentagon, served on the House Armed Services Committee and supported Trump’s isolationist view of foreign relations.
• US Ambassador to Israel: Trump has announced that he will nominate the former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee as its American ambassador to Israel. Huckabee is a Baptist minister and former Fox News host who has twice unsuccessfully run for Republican presidential nomination. His daughter is Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the governor of Arkansas, who served as White House press secretary during Trump’s first presidency.
• Director of the Central Intelligence Service: Trump has designated his former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe as CIA director. Ratcliffe previously served as a member of the House of Representatives from Texas before serving as director of national intelligence at the end of Trump’s first presidency.
• Minister of Defense: Trump appointed Fox News host Piet Hegseth to the Minister of Defense. Hegseth served in the U.S. Army National Guard and had led veterans advocacy groups.
• Secretary of Homeland Security: Trump announced his choice for South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem to become Secretary of Homeland Security. The choice gives the hardline conservative governor, who has sent the state’s National Guard to the southern border, a key role on immigration.
• White House Advisor: Trump tapped William McGinley to serve as his counsel in the White House. McGinley, a partner at the Washington-based law firm Holtzman Vogel, worked as White House Cabinet secretary during Trump’s first presidency.

The South Dakota government will lead homeland security

Trump praised Noem in the announcement for sending the South Dakota National Guard to the U.S.-Mexico border. This choice makes her play a key role in controlling the number of immigrants entering the country without permission.