Since his election last Tuesday, President-elect Donald Trump has wasted no time in setting up his cabinet and other key staff positions. This time, of course, he has the benefit of having been down this road before. He also has the wind at his back, much more so than he did in 2016 — though he’ll undoubtedly face stiff opposition every step of the way.
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While some of his picks have set folks abuzz — and set off speculation as to whether they’ll make it through the confirmation process — others won’t need sign-off by the Senate (or a recess appointment in the alternative). These include two White House staff announcements made early Friday afternoon: Steven Cheung as Assistant to the President and Director of Communications and Sergio Gor as Assistant to the President and Director of the Presidential Personnel Office.
Trump-Vance Transition Team spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt shared the announcement on X:
🚨PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP ANNOUNCES ADDITIONAL WHITE HOUSE STAFF
Congratulations @StevenCheung and @SergioGor! pic.twitter.com/HdSqUTSFS8
— Karoline Leavitt (@kleavittnh) November 15, 2024
The full announcement reads:
Mar-A-Lago, Florida — Today, President of the United States, Donald J. Trump, announced additional White House Staff:
STEVEN CHEUNG will return to the White House as Assistant to the President and Director of Communications. Cheung was Director of Communications on the Trump-Vance 2024 Presidential Campaign and previously served in the Trump White House as Director of Strategic Response.
SERGIO GOR will serve as Assistant to the President and Director of the Presidential Personnel Office. Previously, Gor was CEO of Winning Team Publishing, while also running the pro-Trump Super PAC, Right For America.
“Steven Cheung and Sergio Gor have been trusted Advisors since my first Presidential Campaign in 2016, and have continued to champion America First principles throughout my First Term, all the way to our Historic Victory in 2024,” President Trump said. “I am thrilled to have them join my White House as we, Make America Great Again!”
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As streiff reported earlier, Trump’s also been rounding out the legal team with the appointment of several of his own lawyers to key legal roles.
PLOT TWIST: Trump Appoints His Former Legal Defense Team to Key Department of Justice Offices
In addition to Todd Blanche, Emil Bove, and John Sauer being added to those roles, Trump named Jay Clayton the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. Clayton served as Chair of the Security and Exchange Commission in Trump’s first term.
The statement regarding Clayton’s appointment reads:
I am pleased to announce that Jay Clayton, of New York, the Chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission during my first term, where he did an incredible job, is hereby nominated to be the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. Jay is a highly respected business leader, counsel, and public servant. Jay received Engineering and Law degrees from the University of Pennsylvania, and an Economics degree from the University of Cambridge. Before chairing the SEC, Jay was a partner at Sullivan & Cromwell, and served on the Management Committee. He is currently a Senior Policy Advisor to Sullivan & Cromwell, a Board Member of several public and private companies, and an Adjunct Professor at the Wharton Business School, and the Carey Law School at the University of Pennsylvania. Jay is going to be a strong Fighter for the Truth as we, Make America Great Again.
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Things are rounding out nicely for the second Trump term and, as Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) explained on Friday, the new Senate plans to get right to work vetting the nominees in committee as soon as they’re sworn in on January 3 so that when Trump is inaugurated on January 20, they can hit the ground running and vote the nominees out of committee and onto the Senate floor.
Cotton on Fox on confirming Trump administration picks: I expect us to move very promptly. The new Senate will be sworn in on January 3rd, that 17 days before Donald Trump is inaugurated, on January 20th, we can have committee hearings on these nominees before President Trump is…
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) November 15, 2024
