Will Indian-Americans Vivek Ramaswamy, Kash Patel be part of Trump's team?

Donald Trump is returning to the White House with a resounding victory on Wednesday as tens of millions of Americans looked past his criminal charges and divisive rhetoric.

All eyes are on his Cabinet as he gets ready for his second presidential term .

Several well-known Americans of Indian descent, such as Vivek Ramaswamy, Kash Patel and Bobby Jindal, have emerged as potential contenders.

All of them have been closely linked to Trump’s political agenda and have the potential to be key players in his administration. But will they be rewarded? Let’s take a look.

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Vivek Ramaswamy

Businessman-turned-politician Vivek Ramaswamy’s political career is far from done, even if he has suspended his 2024 presidential campaign following a lacklustre effort in the Iowa caucuses.

At 38, Ramaswamy, who is known for his ‘Ten Truths’ platform, was the youngest candidate running for the 2024 Republican Party’s presidential nomination.

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Throughout the campaign, Trump praised him for his bold ideas and aggressive rhetoric, which have struck a chord with younger conservative supporters.

Trump hailed Ramaswamy as “smart as hell” and hinted at the likelihood of a significant role for him in his administration during a rally in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

“We can put him in charge of one of these big monsters (in government), and he’ll do a better job than anybody you can think of,” Trump said.

Ramaswamy advocates for restoring America’s greatness. This message fits in with Trump’s “America First” philosophy and might place him as an important contender for a key cabinet post.

Kash Patel

Kashyap ‘Kash’ Patel is seen as a potential candidate for national security posts.

Born in New York’s Garden City in 1980, he is a former Republican House staffer with extensive experience in defence and intelligence during Trump’s first term.

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Patel has been floated as a potential Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) director, although getting Senate confirmation could be difficult. If he does not get the Senate vote, the Trump administration will probably offer him a job in the National Security Council.

Patel has been active on the campaign trail, urging people to back Trump and supporting a tough stance against political rivals.

The staunch Trump loyalist was assigned to the top chair in a team of advisors that Trump had appointed during his previous administration when he was dealing with criticism over the war in Ukraine.

In 2019, Patel, who had previously served on the House Intelligence Committee’s National Security Council staff, impressed the former President with his views on a number of military and security concerns that still plague the US.

He is not new to controversies. Last year, in an interview with Trump supporter Steve Bannon, he pledged to “come after” journalists and politicians who were thought to be the president-elect’s opponents.

Some more seasoned national security officials disliked Patel during Trump’s first term because they believed he was volatile and overly eager to appease the then-president.

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Bobby Jindal

Bobby Jindal , the former governor of Louisiana, is another possible contender for a key cabinet position due to his experience in health policy.

He is likely to be given a position in Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), according to a Politico report.

Jindal, who currently serves as the chair of the Centre for a Healthy America, strongly supports Trump’s goals, especially those related to health reform and lessening the impact of the Affordable Care Act.

Trump 2.0

Trump’s new administration is set to begin on January 20, 2025.

His emphasis on loyalty and alignment with his policy aims will make his Cabinet choices keenly monitored.

Speaking candidly about the lessons he learnt from his first administration, the 78-year-old president-elect told podcaster Joe Rogan, “The biggest mistake I made… I picked some people that I shouldn’t have picked."

In his second term, Trump has vowed to pursue an agenda centred on dramatically reshaping the federal government and pursuing retribution against his perceived enemies.

His plans include launching the largest deportation effort in the country’s history, using the Justice Department to punish his enemies, dramatically expanding the use of tariffs and again pursuing a zero-sum approach to foreign policy that is likely to threaten upending longstanding foreign alliances , including the NATO pact.

With inputs from agencies