President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday announced the newest members of his second administration.
Here are Trump’s latest picks for his new team:
Health Secretary: RFK Jr.
Trump said he was “thrilled to announce” Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as his nominee for secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) in a statement on social media.
“For too long, Americans have been crushed by the industrial food complex and drug companies who have engaged in deception, misinformation, and disinformation when it comes to Public Health,” Trump wrote on social media platform X as part of his announcement.
“HHS will play a big role in helping ensure that everybody will be protected from harmful chemicals, pollutants, pesticides, pharmaceutical products, and food additives that have contributed to the overwhelming Health Crisis in this Country,” Trump wrote.
The HHS, created in 1979, oversees 13 separate agencies. The most well-known of these are the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the National Institutes of Health.
In recent days, Kennedy has said he will eliminate the nutrition departments of the FDA because they are not protecting children and recommended to Trump that pharmaceutical advertising on television be banned.
Kennedy, who is the son of former U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy and nephew of former President John F. Kennedy, is the founder of Children’s Health Defense (CHD). The 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, according to its website, works to end “childhood health epidemics by eliminating toxic exposure.”
The CHD website highlights potential problems linked to vaccines administered to children under the recommendation of the CDC. The organization questions whether that vaccine regimen is linked to children’s health problems.
Secretary of the Interior: Doug Burgum
Trump says he’s nominating North Dakota Republican Gov. Doug Burgum to lead the Department of the Interior.
The president-elect made the announcement informally, during a gala on Thursday at Mar-a-Lago.
He told the crowd of Burgum, “Actually he’s going to head the Department of the Interior.”
The Department of the Interior, created in 1849, “protects and manages the Nation’s natural resources and cultural heritage; provides scientific and other information about those resources; and honors its trust responsibilities or special commitments to American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and affiliated Island Communities.”
The agency includes the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Reclamation, the U.S. Geological Survey, the National Park Service, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Interior controls 20 percent of all land in the United States and handles matters related to the United States’ insular areas, which include various Pacific islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
It also includes the Bureau of Land Management and the Bureau of Ocean Management, both critical to energy policy for an administration whose incoming head vowed while campaigning to “drill, baby, drill.”
Secretary of Veterans Affairs: Doug Collins
Trump has picked Doug Collins, a lawyer, veteran, and former congressman, to lead the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
“We must take care of our brave men and women in uniform, and Doug will be a great advocate for our Active Duty Servicemembers, Veterans, and Military Families to ensure they have the support they need. Thank you, Doug, for your willingness to serve our Country in this very important role!” Trump wrote in a statement on the pick.
Collins was deployed to Iraq during the Iraq War.
“Honored to accept [Trump’s] nomination as Secretary of Veterans Affairs. Our heroes deserve the best care and support,” Collins wrote on social media platform X after the announcement was made.
“We’ll fight tirelessly to streamline and cut regulations in the VA, root out corruption, and ensure every veteran receives the benefits they’ve earned.”
Deputy Attorney General: Todd Blanche
Trump has selected his attorney Todd Blanche as deputy attorney general.
“Todd is an excellent attorney who will be a crucial leader in the Justice Department, fixing what has been a broken System of Justice for far too long,” Trump said in a statement.
“Todd is going to do a great job as we, Make America Great Again.”
As deputy attorney general, Blanche will be “authorized to exercise all the power and authority of the Attorney General, except where such power or authority is prohibited by law from delegation or has been delegated to another official,” according to the DOJ.
Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General: Emil Bove
Trump said his attorney Emil Bove, who has helped him in multiple cases, is set to serve as principal associate deputy attorney general but will serve as acting deputy attorney general while Blanche goes through the Senate confirmation process.
“Emil is a tough and strong attorney, who will be a crucial part of the Justice Department, rooting out corruption and crime,” Trump said.
Solicitor General: Dean John Sauer
Trump also announced his selection of Dean John Sauer as U.S. solicitor general.
Sauer was Trump’s lead counsel in his immunity case before the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled that the former president is immune from prosecution for official acts in office.
“John is a deeply accomplished, masterful appellate attorney, who clerked for Justice Antonin Scalia in the United States Supreme Court, served as Solicitor General of Missouri for six years, and has extensive experience practicing before the U.S. Supreme Court and other Appellate Courts,” Trump said in a statement on the choice.
Sauer’s expected role, which is currently held by U.S. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar, is responsible for, among other things, defending the government’s laws before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Epoch Times reporters Sam Dorman, Austin Alonzo, and Nathan Worcester contributed to this report.