Trump names Labour Secretary, FDA, CDC chiefs & more in the latest flurry of appointments

In a late “Friday flurry,” President-elect Donald Trump has announced his latest picks to take over key positions in his upcoming administration. Two sources familiar with the matter said that Trump was eager to announce the names before the holiday weekend. The source told CNN that the Republican firebrand was especially eager to announce his pick for the Treasury Department before the weekend, to ensure it got more news coverage.

Trump released the names of his latest picks within an hour on Friday night. While releasing the list, the president-elect also managed to fill two key positions in the cabinet, i.e. Treasury and Labour secretaries. While he named hedge-fund investor Scott Bessent as treasury secretary, he tapped Oregon Representative Lori ChavezDeRemer to be the next Secretary of Labour.

Trump fills top brass in Friday flurry

Here’s a rundown of Trump’s Friday picks:

• Scott Bessent: Trump picked hedge fund manager and billionaire Scott Bessent to lead the US Department of Treasury. The 62-year-old has taught at Yale University for several years.

• Lori Chavez-DeRemer: The president-elect chose the Oregon representative to be the Secretary of Labour. It is pertinent to note that Chavez-DeRemer lost reelection to Oregon’s 5th District earlier this month.

• Russell Vought: Trump tapped Vought to lead the Office of Management and Budget. What makes the appointment interesting is the fact that Vought was one of the key authors of Project 2025, the controversial conservative policy blueprint, which Trump has attempted to distance himself from. Vought was Trump’s budget director during his first administration.

• Dr. Dave Weldon: Trump picked former congressman, to lead the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC falls under Health and Human Services, which will be headed by  Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

• Dr. Janette Nesheiwat: Meanwhile, he chose Dr Nesheiwat as the next surgeon general. “Dr. Nesheiwat is a fierce advocate and strong communicator for preventive medicine and public health. She is committed to ensuring that Americans have access to affordable, quality healthcare, and believes in empowering individuals to take charge of their health to live longer, healthier lives,” he said in a statement.

• Alex Wong: The Republican leader picked Wong to be his principal deputy national security.

• Sebastian Gorka: He will be the senior director for counterterrorism.

• Dr Marty Makary: Trump named Dr Makary to be the Commissioner for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

• Scott Turner: The former NFL player will be leading the Department of Housing and Urban Development, known colloquially as HUD.

RFK Jr. played a key role in picking top health roles

A source close to the Trump team told CNN that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. played a key role in selecting the names to fill out the Department of Health and Human Services, most of which were announced on Friday. These positions included picking the FDA commissioner and the CDC director.

Last week, Kennedy was named by the president-elect to lead the Health Department which oversees 80,000 employees.

With inputs from agencies.