Trump begins to fill foreign policy and national security teams for 2nd term

A second Donald Trump administration is taking shape, one new appointee at a time. Tuesday, the president-elect tapped more of his closest allies to fill some of the government’s top posts. Among them is Sen. Marco Rubio, putting Trump’s one-time foe on track to becoming the first Latino to serve as the nation’s top diplomat. Laura Barrón-López reports.
Amna Nawaz:
Welcome to the “News Hour.”
A second Donald Trump administration is taking shape one new appointee at a time. Today, the president-elect tapped more of his closest allies to fill some of the government’s top posts.
Geoff Bennett:
Among them, Senator Marco Rubio, putting Trump’s one-time foe on track to become the first Latino to serve as the nation’s top diplomat.
Laura Barron-Lopez has more.
Laura Barron-Lopez:
From 2016 rivals to loyal surrogate on the campaign trail. Florida Senator Marco Rubio is now slated to join president-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet. PBS News can confirm Trump will nominate Rubio for secretary of state.
On foreign policy, he’s known as a China hawk. But after Trump’s win, he pledged a — quote — “pragmatic approach.” Rubio largely sees eye to eye with the president-elect on a number of issues, including more recently on Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL):
What we are funding here is a stalemate war and it needs to be brought to a conclusion because that country is going to be set back a hundred years.
Laura Barron-Lopez:
Also today, Trump announced his pick for the U.S. ambassador to Israel, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee. An evangelical Christian, Huckabee has long been a vocal supporter of Israel. As recently as June, he opposed cease-fire efforts between Israel and Hamas.
Trump said in a statement that Huckabee — quote — “loves Israel and the people of Israel and likewise the people of Israel love him.”
As for Trump’s secretary of homeland security, another loyalist.
Gov. Kristi Noem (R-SD):
The only person in the race that I trust to do what needs to be done on these issues is President Trump.
Laura Barron-Lopez:
Multiple reports say Trump has picked Kristi Noem, South Dakota’s Republican governor, for the job. Like Rubio, Noem stumped for Trump on the campaign trail and was herself an early contender to be his running mate.
Noem has echoed Trump’s anti-immigration rhetoric and she along with Trump’s so-called border czar will be critical to fulfilling a top campaign promise, mass deportations on day one. Tom Homan, the former acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, will step into that role.
On FOX News last night, he sent a stark message to all undocumented immigrants.
Thomas Homan, Former Acting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director: If you’re in the country illegally, you shouldn’t feel comfortable, absolutely not. When you enter this country illegally, you have committed a crime. You are a criminal, and you’re not off the table.
Laura Barron-Lopez:
One by one, the positions are filling out. But, still, the House of Representatives hangs in the balance with more than a dozen races too close to call, even as Trump pulls from their ranks and narrows the margins.
Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA):
Many of them can serve in really important positions in the new administration. But President Trump fully understands and appreciates the math here, and it’s just a numbers game. We believe we’re going to have a larger majority than we had last time.
Laura Barron-Lopez:
One of those appointees is New York Representative Elise Stefanik, picked to be the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. She’s a staunch defender of Trump, dating back to his first impeachment.
Trump today named three-term Florida Representative Mike Waltz as his national security adviser, leaving another House seat up for grabs. Waltz is a retired Army National Guard officer who served multiple tours in Afghanistan, and, like Senator Rubio, another China hawk.
And Lee Zeldin, a former representative from New York, was chosen to lead the Environmental Protection Agency. He has little to no experience in environmental issues, but he will be critical in Trump’s pledge to dismantle the EPA’s climate rules.
Fmr. Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY):
So day one and the first 100 days, we have the opportunity to roll back regulations that are forcing businesses to be able to struggle. Advancing America first policies is one of the reasons why President Trump got elected.
Laura Barron-Lopez:
For the PBS NewsHour, I’m Laura Barron-Lopez.
Geoff Bennett:
And, late today, president-elect Trump announced he’s appointing Bill McGinley as White House counsel. McGinley served in the White House during the first Trump term.
And Mr. Trump announced another major selection, John Ratcliffe as the director of the CIA.
Foreign affairs and defense correspondent Nick Schifrin is here with more on the president-elect’s picks.
So, Nick, what should we know about John Ratcliffe?
Nick Schifrin:
Ratcliffe was director of national intelligence in the last year of the first Trump administration after being a congressman from Texas and a member of the House Intelligence Committee.
A Trump ally who’s involved in the intelligence community in the past, told me tonight: “This is a credible, knowledgeable and excellent choice.”
But, back in 2020, when he was initially nominated, there was bipartisan criticism and an attempt to kill his nomination by the Senate Intelligence chairman, Senator Burr, and the vice chairman, Senator Warner, over concerns that he wasn’t qualified for the job, and over concerns about inflating his resume.
That was then, though. He did become director of national intelligence. And a U.S. official today said that some of the concerns about him were that he believed that CIA was part of a — quote — “deep state” trying to take down Donald Trump. As Trump — when he nominated Ratcliffe at first, he said the intelligence community agencies had — quote — “run amok,” and Ratcliffe would try to rein them in. And it appears that he is going to be back to do that just now.
Geoff Bennett:
OK. Nick Schifrin, thanks. As always, thank you.