Donald Trump may have won a second term in the White House last week, but his recent administration appointments have already raised fears among some who believe his return to the White House will lead to an extremist agenda.

On immigration, Trump has chosen loyalists and hardliners: Stephen Miller will serve as deputy chief of staff for policy and as adviser to the Department of Homeland Security; Tom Homan as “border czar” and Kristi Noem, the governor of South Dakota, will lead the Department of Homeland Security.

Miller, previously an adviser to Trump, was instrumental in shaping Trump’s immigration policies during his first administration, including the Muslim ban. Homan was the former acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) under the first Trump administration and a proponent of family separation policies. Noem has been a vocal and strong ally of Trump for more than a decade.

This trio will likely help fulfill Trump’s campaign promise of the mass deportation of millions of undocumented immigrants living in the US.

On Wednesday, Trump stunned many by announcing he would nominate Republican Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz, one of his most prominent defenders, as attorney general. Gaetz represents a conservative district in the Florida Panhandle and rose to national prominence last year when he was a key player in the coup that ousted Kevin McCarthy as speaker of the House of Representatives.

Gaetz was also the subject of a federal sex trafficking investigation that ended in 2023 when Biden’s Justice Department declined to file charges. Gaetz had maintained all along that he was innocent of any wrongdoing.

Trump also nominated former Democratic Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence.

Gabbard, who served in the U.S. military in Iraq, spent four terms as a Democratic congressman representing Hawaii and ran for president in the 2020 Democratic primary before leaving the party in 2022 and becoming a Trump supporter.

On Tuesday, Trump shocked the Pentagon and the broader defense community by choosing Army veteran and Fox News host Pete Hegseth as the new defense secretary.

Hegseth, a staunch conservative, opposes what he calls “woke” military programs aimed at promoting equality and inclusivity, and has questioned the role of women in combat. He has also advocated for pardons for soldiers accused of war crimes.

He reportedly struck up a friendship with Trump during his appearances on Fox & Friends.

Speaking to Politico, Eric Edelman, who served as the Pentagon’s top policy official during the Bush administration, said Trump’s choices so far showed he “places the highest value on loyalty,” adding that one of the main criteria seemed to be “how well do people defend Donald Trump on television?”

Paul Rieckhoff, founder of Independent Veterans of America, criticized Hegseth’s appointment to X, describing the Fox News host as “arguably the least qualified SecDef nominee in American history” and “the most openly political.”

“Brace yourself, America,” he added.

Mike Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas who previously claimed that “there is no such thing as a West Bank,” was chosen as the next US ambassador to Israel, signaling a return to an explicitly pro-Israel administration reminiscent of the first from Trump.

The Jewish Democratic Council of America criticized Huckabee’s appointment, saying his “extremist views” on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict would not advance U.S. national security or prospects for peace.

New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, signaling a more combative U.S. stance toward the United Nations, has been chosen as the next ambassador. Stefanik has called for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees to be abolished.

Stefanik gained attention last year after her aggressive questioning of three college presidents about anti-Semitism on campuses.

Gerry Connolly, a Democratic representative, criticized Stefanik’s appointment, telling the Hill it was a “gift to Vladimir Putin” and adding that “she failed the Ukrainians in April” and “this is a further signal that Donald Trump and Maga withdraw from the world stage” .

On Saturday, Trump announced that Michael Pompeo, the former secretary of state who has criticized the former president and his policies over the years, and Nikki Haley, the former U.N. ambassador who challenged Trump in the Republican primaries, would not be part of his second presidency. administration.

The rejection of Haley and Pompeo can also be seen as the rejection of two individuals who supported US aid to Ukraine.

John Ratcliffe, a close Trump ally and former director of national intelligence, has been chosen as director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

Ratcliffe was director of national intelligence at the end of Trump’s first term, during which he was accused of releasing intelligence to help Trump and attack political opponents like Joe Biden, a claim his office has denied.

Lee Zeldin, the former New York congressman, has been chosen as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, sparking criticism from environmental groups.

As a representative, Zeldin voted against the Inflation Reduction Act, which earmarked billions of dollars to expand clean energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, as well as climate-related legislation, according to the environmental group League of Conservation Voters.

Ben Jealous, executive director of the Sierra Club, called Zeldin an “unqualified, anti-American worker who opposes efforts to protect our clean air and water,” adding that his selection “exposes Donald Trump’s intentions to once again give our health, our communities, our jobs and our future to corporate polluters.”

Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, will join Vivek Ramaswamy, a former Republican presidential candidate, to lead the Department of Government Efficiency, Trump said, which aims to cut federal bureaucracy by about a third.

Although not a government agency, it will operate externally to deliver important reforms and introduce an entrepreneurial approach to government.

Musk’s appointment was criticized by Public Citizen, a progressive consumer rights nonprofit.

“Not only is Musk ignorant of government efficiency and regulations, his own companies regularly run afoul of the rules he will be able to attack,” co-president Lisa Gilbert said in a statement.

Marco Rubio, the Florida senator known for his tough policies on China, Iran and Venezuela, is expected to be appointed Trump’s secretary of state, and Trump has tapped Mike Waltz, a congressman, a retired Green Beret and a longtime ally known for his tough approach, asked for stance on China, to become his national security adviser.

Rubio has received particular support from John Fetterman, the Democratic senator who stated on Tuesday that despite their political differences, he believes Rubio is a strong choice and looks forward to voting for his confirmation.

Other choices included Susie Wiles, Trump’s 2024 campaign manager, as chief of staff; the real estate investor and longtime friend and Trump donor Steve Witkoff will be his special envoy to the Middle East; and William Joseph McGinley, who served as Cabinet secretary during the first term and served as White House counsel, among other duties.

In his announcement, Trump said McGinley would help him “advance our America First agenda” as he “fights for election integrity and against the weaponization of law enforcement.”