WashingtonDonald Trump comes to the White House with almost absolute power in his hands. The Supreme Court has a conservative majority and the Senate is in Republican hands. Trump, however, will not be the only custodian of the country’s reins. The president-elect of the United States is surrounded by faithful men and women who whisper in his ear when making decisions. Figures that are almost as important as Trump himself due to their ability to influence him. There are signings that are new additions, like billionaire Elon Musk, and some that are old acquaintances, like DanaFrederick White.
Others have starred in almost fraternal struggles to climb positions closer to the tycoon and thus count on his favor and attention.
This is the case of Chris LaCivita, one of the minds behind the campaign that has allowed the tycoon to defeat the Democrat Kamala Harris this week and return to the presidency of the country. LaCivita, for example, has been embroiled in a cold war with one of Trump’s former 2016 campaign strategists, Corey Lewandowski. Some of the names surrounding Trump are also part of the discussions about the possible positions to be held within the new administration. Others, directly, have already been confirmed. Susie Wiles, the other strategist of the current Trumpist campaign, will be the chief of staff of the White House, while the name of Mike Davis, a Republican lawyer, sounds like a possible new attorney general of Trump.
Davis has stated on her X profile that she will build a “special gulag for left-wing white women,” and in a podcast she explained her agenda for a “reign of terror” if she gets into office. Stephen Miller is also one of the other names within the galaxy that deserve to be highlighted for their association with white supremacism in the United States.
Tell me who you’re with and I’ll tell you who you are, says the phrase. This is the orbit, the closest circle, of who will be the new president of the United States. Trump demands and rewards loyalty. Now, let no one trust: the tycoon has already shown during the first term that he has few manias when it comes to doing without names that, in principle, had all his confidence.
1st level: the heavyweights
JD Vance, the vice president
At 39, Vance will become one of America’s youngest vice presidents. Vance flaunts his humble origins in Ohio and prides himself on being one red-neck more of the Rust Belt. A supposed class hero who went to an elite university and has ended up under Trump’s wing thanks to the connections he made in Silicon Valley during his years working there. Despite being more moderate than the mogul in style, Vance is more Trumpist than Trump. The senator from Ohio attacked childless women saying they are “bitter” and “single women with cats”. In 2022, in a television interview he advocated a nationwide ban. In an interview with youtuber Shawn Ryan said the US would stop supporting NATO if Europe tried to regulate X, Elon Musk’s social network.
Elon Musk, the new star
“A star is born!” Trump shouted to introduce Musk when it was confirmed that they had won the election. The South African billionaire who voted for Biden in 2020 has now become one of Trump’s most trusted men. Musk contributed at least $130 million to the Republican’s campaign and put X at his service. Loyalty will be rewarded with a post as an adviser to a public spending efficiency commission. Musk, whose companies have benefited from public subsidies, will be the one to say where to cut the scissors. It is not difficult to imagine who will be the first affected.
Robert Kennedy Jr., an anti-vaccine head of Health
The incorporation of Robert Kennedy Jr. in Trump’s orbit has been one of the many surprises of this campaign. Initially, Kennedy tried to push for an independent candidacy and starred in some of the most high-profile moments of the election race, such as the day he claimed that a worm had eaten part of his brain. Just the day after the Democratic Convention ended, Kennedy announced that he was supporting Trump and joining forces with him. Since then, the alliance has been renamed Make America Healthy Again (MAHA), for the supposed public health campaign that Kennedy wants to lead. He is known to be an outspoken anti-vaccine, and now Trump has promised to put him in charge of the country’s “public health agencies”.
Susie Wiles, vella escola
Susie Wiles is the epitome of how Trump rewards loyalty. Wiles has been one of the strategists of the Trump campaign that have allowed him to return to the presidency, and now she will be the first woman in the history of the country to be the chief of staff of the White House. It is one of the most important positions there is, since the chief of staff is the one who coordinates the different agencies and organizes the day to day of the president. Trump has defined her as “the ice lady”, and it is well known that Wiles also has a very good rapport with the Trump family. Despite being a veteran of Florida politics, she remains one outsider How Washington works in the federal government.
Chris LaCivita, campaign mind
Chris LaCivita is the other mastermind behind the campaign that has returned Trump to the White House. LaCivita has worked for years in the orbit of the Republican Party as a consultant and strategist for other campaigns. Some of the people who have worked with him describe him as “ruthless”. Throughout the election race, LaCivita has been waging an internal battle against former Trump campaign adviser Corey Lewandowski. Both have been attacking each other with the aim of being in a better position under the eyes of the now elected president.
2nd level: circle of influence
Tucker Carlson
Fox News star i influencer of the conservative movement.
Richard Grenell
One of the foreign policy advisers Trump listens to the most.
Stephen Miller
Miller is one of Trump’s key figures in immigration policies.
Dana Frederick White
A good friend of Trump’s for 20 years. Dana Frederick White is a businessman at the head of the UFC, a mixed martial arts organization with an international presence.
Mike Pompeo
During Trump’s first term he was already Secretary of State and now he could be Secretary of Defense.
Mike Davis
He has a good relationship with Donald Trump Jr., who has singled him out as the potential new attorney general.
Marco Rubio
Of Cuban origin, he played an important role during the previous Trump administration in relations with Latin America. It is expected to repeat.
Steve Cheung
Trump’s spokesman is known for his penchant for insulting the press, though he has now moderated.
Elise Stefanik
He brought down the chancellor of Harvard and now she could be the US ambassador to the UN.
3rd level: friends of the world
- Vladimir Putin, President of Russia
- Kim Jong-un, president of North Korea
- Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel
- Víktor Orbán, Prime Minister of Hungary
- Marine Le Pen, leader of the French National Regrouping
- Jair Bolsonaro, exresident of Brazil
- Javier Milei, president of Argentina
- Naarendra Modi, Prime Minister of India
