Donald Trump's Cabinet Selections

(Reuters) – Donald Trump has begun the process of choosing a cabinet and selecting other high-ranking administration officials following his U.S. presidential election victory.

Contenders for Key Posts

Commerce Department

LINDA MCMAHON
McMahon is seen as a top contender for Commerce secretary. She served as head of the Small Business Administration in the first Trump administration and is chair of the pro-Trump America First Action super political action committee. She serves on the board of social media platform Truth Social and is a major Trump donor.

ROBERT LIGHTHIZER
A loyalist who served as Trump's U.S. trade representative for essentially the president-elect's entire first term, Lighthizer will almost certainly be invited back. He is considered a contender for top jobs at Treasury, the Commerce Department, and the U.S. Trade Representative's office. A firm believer in tariffs, he was a key figure in Trump's trade war with China.

VIVEK RAMASWAMY
A Republican presidential candidate until he dropped out in January, Ramaswamy is a potential choice for the top job at Commerce. The multi-millionaire former biotech executive gained fame in right-wing circles for his 2021 bestseller Woke, Inc., critiquing big companies' focus on social-justice and climate-change.

Antitrust

GAIL SLATER
A policy advisor to Vice President-elect JD Vance, Slater is viewed as a top candidate to lead the Federal Trade Commission. She previously advised Trump on data privacy and telecommunications, and held roles at Fox Corp and Roku. Slater also spent 10 years at the FTC, including as an advisor to then-Commissioner Julie Brill, now at Microsoft.

MELISSA HOLYOAK
One of the FTC's two current commissioners, Holyoak is a possible pick for acting chair. Formerly Utah's solicitor general, she led the Hamilton Lincoln Law Institute, a conservative law firm focused on free speech and limited government.

ANDREW FERGUSON
The other Republican on the FTC, Ferguson was previously chief counsel to Senator Mitch McConnell and clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. He and Holyoak voted against some initiatives under chair Lina Khan, including a rule on subscriptions and non-compete agreements.

ANDREW FINCH
A former deputy in the DOJ's antitrust division under Trump, Finch expressed skepticism about drastic measures to break up firms. He is a partner at Paul Weiss, where he has represented firms in merger reviews, including Spirit Airlines and Uber Technologies.

BARRY NIGRO
A former antitrust official at the DOJ and FTC, Nigro is another potential candidate, having handled significant merger reviews, including T-Mobile US's acquisition of Sprint and CVS Health's takeover of Aetna.