In July 2023, Kennedy sparked backlash after saying there is an “argument” that COVID-19 was “ethnically targeted.” He claimed that COVID-19 is “aimed at attacking white people and black people” while sparing Ashkenazi Jewish people and Chinese people, which is not true.

Trump has previously said he would allow Kennedy to “go health-wise.”

Trump’s announcement is an indication that he plans to nominate Kennedy for Senate confirmation, but Trump has raised demands that Republican Senate leadership allow recess appointments to end the confirmation process.

Trump’s Cabinet Chooses 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 remains largely out of the spotlight but is credited with helping Trump’s political comeback.
• Attorney General: Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida has been nominated as the next attorney general to oversee the Justice Department, which he has long criticized.
• State Secretary: US Senator Marco Rubio of Florida is nominated as the next Secretary of State. He will bring foreign policy experience through his roles on the Senate Intelligence Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He is a Cuban-American and will be the first Latino to become secretary of state.
• Director of the National Intelligence Service: Former Congressman Tulsi Gabbard is nominated as director of national intelligence. The former Democratic presidential candidate turned Republican represented Hawaii’s 2nd Congressional District from 2013 to 2021.
• 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 United Nations: Trump nominated Elise Stefanika 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 U.S. 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 twice unsuccessfully ran 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 appointed 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 has nominated Fox News host Piet Hegseth to the Minister of Defense. Hegseth, a Fox News commentator, served in the U.S. Army National Guard and had led veterans advocacy groups.
• Secretary of Homeland Security: Trump announced his choice South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem to become Secretary of Homeland Security. The choice puts the conservative governor, who has sent the state’s National Guard to the southern border, in 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.
• Minister of Veterans Affairs: Called Trump Doug Collins to become his secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Collins, a former congressman from 2013 to 2021 and a trusted Trump loyalist, is a chaplain for the United States Air Force Reserve Command.