Donald Trump’s new personal details: Elon Musk as a cost cutter

Shortly before a meeting with current incumbent Joe Biden in the White House, US President-elect Donald Trump caused a stir with several personnel decisions. Trump surprisingly announced that in times of great international tensions and military conflicts he wants to appoint a television presenter as defense minister: Pete Hegseth is best known to viewers of the right-wing conservative TV channel Fox News and was once a soldier himself, but has no political experience or expertise in national security.

Tech billionaire Elon Musk, in turn – in an unusual role outside the government but in collaboration with the White House – is supposed to help Trump cut spending and reduce bureaucracy. This personality is also highly controversial, as the richest person in the world and boss of various companies could be suspected of having some conflicts of interest – and as the head of the online platform

The future president announced further decisions regarding senior personnel, such as the head of the Department of Homeland Security, and is thus accelerating in putting together his government team. Trump is scheduled to replace Biden in the White House on January 20th.

Part of the complex procedure for the transfer of power is a meeting between the incumbent president and his chosen successor, which is scheduled for today: The two political rivals sit down in the Oval Office, the president’s office in the White House. Such a meeting is part of normal business. However, Trump broke with tradition in 2020 and neither invited Biden to the White House nor attended his inauguration. It is unclear whether Trump’s wife Melania will also come to the government headquarters – and thus follow an invitation from the current First Lady Jill Biden.

Before his appointment at the White House, Trump plans to meet with leading Republicans in Congress. It is still unclear whether the Republicans will have the say in both chambers of Parliament in the future. They have already secured a majority in the Senate. Many of Trump’s personal details have to be confirmed there. And when it comes to filling the top positions at the Pentagon, even Trump’s party colleagues might have some questions.

The candidate for Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, has no political experience apart from an unsuccessful bid for a seat in the Minnesota State Senate – but is expected to head one of the most important departments in the USA, the Pentagon. CNN quoted a Pentagon official as saying: “Everyone is just shocked.”

Trump, on the other hand, enthused that Hegseth had spent “his life fighting for the troops and the country” and was a staunch supporter of the “America First” policy. With him at the helm, “America’s enemies have been warned.” Trump highlighted Hegseth’s military experience, including in Iraq and Afghanistan. As a presenter on Fox News and as an author, Hegseth campaigned for veterans for many years.

In the newly created “Department of Government Efficiency”, the eccentric businessman Musk and the former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy are supposed to help streamline government spending, reduce bureaucracy and eliminate unnecessary regulations. The advisory body will not be part of the government, but should work closely with the White House to advance comprehensive structural reforms, Trump said. The work should be completed by July 2026.

Musk donated around $120 million to Trump’s campaign and sees reducing government spending as an urgent task. However, his new role poses potential conflicts of interest, as his car company Tesla receives government funding and the space company SpaceX, which is also run by Musk, benefits from billions in government contracts. In addition, an investigation by the US traffic safety authority NHTSA against Tesla is currently underway.

With South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, Trump has chosen a staunch supporter to lead the Department of Homeland Security. The department is responsible for immigration and border protection – and Trump has made mass deportations a central priority of his term in office.

Noem was “very committed to border security” and was the first governor to send National Guard soldiers to “help Texas combat the Biden border crisis,” Trump said. Noem was at times discussed as his running mate during the election campaign, but her memoirs made negative headlines: In it, Noem described how she shot her young dog, Cricket, with her own hands because she was unsuitable as a hunting dog. She later explained that this showed her willingness to make tough decisions.

Trump wants to entrust the CIA foreign intelligence service to his long-time companion John Ratcliffe. The former congressman from Texas already worked as intelligence coordinator in Trump’s first term in office and was criticized at the time. The Democrats accused him, among other things, of abusing his position for political purposes. Before his appointment, there were also cross-party doubts about his professional qualifications for the post. Trump now praised Ratcliffe as a “fighter for the truth.”

Trump also wants Republican Representative Mike Waltz at his side as national security adviser. Real estate investor Steven Witkoff is to become special envoy to the Middle East, and lawyer Bill McGinley is to serve as legal advisor in the White House. Trump had announced further personal details in the days before.