Trump transition live updates: Johnson says he, Trump didn't discuss Gaetz Ethics Committee report

Trump's picks include RFK Jr., Marco Rubio, Elon Musk, Matt Gaetz and more.

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Last updated: Tuesday, November 19, 2024 11:30AM GMT
Trump energy pick, Biden SA visit show opposing climate change views
President-elect Donald Trump's energy secretary pick and President Joe Biden's visit to South America show their opposing views on climate change.

After a sweeping victory over Vice President Kamala Harris on Nov. 5, President-elect Donald Trump is now set to become just the second ever to serve nonconsecutive terms in office.

Trump has wasted no time in moving to assemble his team for a second term in the White House -- naming Susie Wiles as his chief of staff, Florida Rep. Mike Waltz as his national security adviser and Tom Homan as his "border czar," among other positions.

Inauguration Day is Jan. 20.

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Nov 18, 2024, 4:23 PM

List: Trump's picks for cabinet, key roles in next administration

President-elect Donald Trump is naming cabinet members and adding other key positions to his administration.

These team members will have a direct impact on implementing Trump's policies in his second term.

MORE | Here's a look at the president-elect's other appointees so far.

This split image shows Robert F. Kennedy Jr., left, Sen. Marco Rubio, middle, and former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla, right.
This split image shows Robert F. Kennedy Jr., left, Sen. Marco Rubio, middle, and former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla, right.
Nov 16, 2024, 11:09 PM GMT

Trump taps fracking company executive for energy secretary

President-elect Donald Trump announced Saturday that Chris Wright is his nominee to lead the Department of Energy.

Wright, who must be approved by the Senate, is the chief executive of Liberty Energy - the world's second-largest fracking services company - and is one of the industry's most outspoken critics of the effort to combat climate change.

"There is no climate crisis, and we're not in the midst of an energy transition either," Wright said in a video posted to LinkedIn last year.

A 2021 study published in the environmental journal Environmental Research Letters, found that 99% of climate scientists agree that humans are causing global warming and climate change.

"I think by far the biggest challenge with climate change today is policies pursued in the name of climate change that make energy more expensive and less reliable," Wright told the Heritage Foundation last year.

According to the World Resources Institute, "solar and wind now provide the cheapest power for 67% of the world" and in the United States, wind is the cheapest source of new bulk electricity per megawatt-hour.

"As Secretary of Energy, Chris will be a key leader, driving innovation, cutting red tape, and ushering in a new 'Golden Age of American Prosperity and Global Peace,'" Trump said.

-ABC News' Lalee Ibssa, Peter Charalambous and Matthew Glasser

Nov 16, 2024, 9:02 PM GMT

Trump names another one of his lawyers to White House staff

President-elect Donald Trump announced Saturday that William Owen Scharf, an attorney who represented him in several cases including the Supreme Court case involving presidential immunity, will serve as assistant to the president and White House staff secretary.

"Will is a highly skilled attorney who will be a crucial part of my White House team," Trump said in a Truth Social Post.

-ABC News' Lalee Ibssa

ByKelsey Walsh, Lalee Ibssa and Soo Rin Kim ABCNews logo
Nov 16, 2024, 12:23 AM GMT

Trump announces Karoline Leavitt as White House press secretary

President-elect Donald Trump announced Friday that he selected Karoline Leavitt, a longtime communications staffer, as his White House press secretary.

Karoline Leavitt, Republican 1st Congressional District candidate, speaks as she concedes the election to Rep. Chris Pappas, D-N.H., Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022, in Rye, N.H.
Karoline Leavitt, Republican 1st Congressional District candidate, speaks as she concedes the election to Rep. Chris Pappas, D-N.H., Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022, in Rye, N.H.

Leavitt, 27, previously served as an assistant press secretary in Trump's first administration and was the national press secretary for his reelection campaign.

"Karoline is smart, tough, and has proven to be a highly effective communicator," Trump said in a Truth Social post.

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Nov 16, 2024, 12:16 AM GMT

Doug Burgum announced as interior secretary pick, chair of new 'National Energy Council'

Trump announced he has chosen North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum as his interior secretary in a post on social media Friday.

Former President Donald Trump, right, and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum attend a caucus night rally, Feb. 8, 2024, in Las Vegas.
Former President Donald Trump, right, and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum attend a caucus night rally, Feb. 8, 2024, in Las Vegas.

The president-elect teased his pick for the position, which requires Senate confirmation, during remarks at Mar-a-Lago Thursday night.

Trump also announced that Burgum will be joining his administration as chairman of the "newly formed, and very important, National Energy Council."

The council will consist of all departments and agencies "involved in the permitting, production, generation, distribution, regulation [and] transportation" of American energy, Trump said.

Burgum was seen as a possible running mate of Trump's. He was one of his busiest surrogates, campaigning for the former president and raising money for his reelection campaign.