Donald Trump continues to hold consultations on selecting cabinet members

Washington: US President-elect Donald Trump continues to engage in intensive discussions with his key aides and top Republican leadership on selecting members of his administration including those for the Cabinet. There was no official word from the presidential transition team on the Cabinet formation, but several media outlets reported that former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani was being considered for the position of Secretary while Ben Carson, a former presidential aspirant, has refused to be part of the administration. Among other names being floated around were that of Indian-American Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal as Secretary of Health, Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions as Defense Secretary and Steven Mnuchin as the Treasury Secretary. [caption id=“attachment_3106820” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] US president-elect Donald Trump. AP[/caption] If nominated, Jindal would be the first Indian-American in a presidential cabinet. His prospects have brightened after Carson withdrew his name. Trump, 70, spent most part of the day in meeting with his vice president-elect Mike Pence and several other leaders including Senator Ted Cruz, his former rival in the Republican presidential primary. Pence spent nearly six hours in Trump Towers. “The American people rose up and spoke overwhelmingly to say that the path we’re on, it didn’t work,” Cruz said. “It is now time for us to deliver. I look forward to working hard to help lead the fight to actually accomplish the conservative agenda that Donald Trump and Mike Pence and Republicans across this country campaigned and promised the voters to deliver,” he said. But he refused to answer questions related to him being nominated to the Supreme Court and taking a spot in the Administration. “I am looking forward to fighting hard, to actually accomplish and deliver the promises we made,” he said. “I think that it is time for us to turn this economy around, it is time for us to protect the Constitution and Bill of Rights, and I look forward to working very closely with the president-elect, the Vice President-elect to repeal Obamacare and to confirm a strong conservative Supreme Court justice to protect the rights of all Americans,” Cruz said. Lt Gen (rtd) Keith Kellogg, a close aide of Trump, said the President-elect was making and receiving a lot of phone calls from leaders. “He’s having people come in. He’s just talking as it’s appropriate. I really do mean this: He’s going to be a great president. He’s going to be a great President, he’s got a great team, he’s got great people. “They believe in him, they believe in the Republic, it’s going to be just fine. I feel really good about it. Obviously, because I’m on the winning team. I couldn’t be happier for the nation,” Kellogg said. He also advocated for a better relationship with Russia. “I do know that, from my position, what I would see is, as any American would, is they’re a global power, they’re a global nuclear power and you need to have good relations with them and I think that’s valid. I think it’s an appropriate way that world leaders talk. So I think it’s great,” he said.