‘TV doc’, investor and Project 2025 architect: Trump’s fresh picks
US President-elect Donald Trump has announced that he will nominate well-known international investor Scott Bessent for Treasury Secretary, Congresswoman Lori Chavez-DeRemer for Labor Secretary, and Dr Janette Nesheiwat as the next Surgeon General of the US. Making a slew of announcements for top administrative positions on Friday, Trump appointed Alex Wong as Principal Deputy National Security Advisor and Dr Sebastian Gorka as Senior Director for Counterterrorism. Former Congressman Dr Dave Weldon has been nominated to serve as Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Marty Makary for FDA (Food and Drug Administration) Commissioner, and Scott Turner as Housing and Urban Development Secretary. All the appointments would come into effect on January 20, 2025, when Trump would be sworn in as the 47th president of the US.
Trump choosing family medicine doctor and Fox News contributor Dr Nesheiwat to be the Surgeon General has again indicated his preference for a television personality as the face of his incoming administration.
“Dr Nesheiwat is a fierce advocate and strong communicator for preventive medicine and public health,” Trump said in a statement. “She is committed to ensuring that Americans have access to affordable, quality healthcare, and believes in empowering individuals to take charge of their health to live longer, healthier lives.”
Meanwhile, Trump chose Russ Vought, a key architect of Project 2025, the controversial conservative plan to overhaul the government, to be Director of the US Office of Management and Budget, a powerful agency that helps decide the President’s policy priorities and how to pay for them.
Vought, who was the OMB chief during Trump’s 2017-2021 term, would play a major role in setting budget priorities and implementing Trump’s campaign promise to roll back government regulations.
Since Trump left office, Vought has been deeply involved in Project 2025, a series of policy proposals for Trump’s second term drawn up by high-profile conservatives. Project 2025 calls for a broad expansion in presidential power by boosting the number of political appointees and increasing the president’s authority over the Justice Department.
