The second Trump administration will likely not include any individuals associated with Republican critics, such as former Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) or former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), President-elect Donald Trump said on Jan. 15.
Trump asked people not to send anyone or recommend anyone to the Trump transition team who has worked with or is endorsed by Cheney; her father, former Vice President Dick Cheney; Romney; former House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.); or the Americans for Prosperity, among several others.
He also said that he'd prefer not to involve anyone in his second administration who is associated with or endorsed by the following people who worked in the first Trump administration: former Vice President Mike Pence, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, former national security adviser John Bolton, former Defense Secretaries Jim Mattis and Mark Esper, and ret. Gen. Mark Milley, who was the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
“They are outstanding in every way, and you will see the fruits of their labor over the coming years. We will MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, and it will happen very quickly!” he wrote of the new hires.
The people Trump named have been publicly critical of him. Haley and Pence ran against Trump in the 2024 primary. Haley ended up endorsing Trump after she dropped out, but Pence did not. Pence and others warned that a second Trump presidency would bring risks. Cheney and her father endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election.
Milley did not respond to a request for comment by publication time. Inquiries to the employers of Cheney, Mattis, and Esper were also not returned by publication time. The other people who were named could not be reached.
Bolton said during an appearance on CNN on Jan. 16 that “it’s very typical of Trump to open his mouth without knowing what he’s talking about.”
He added later, “I think that list he has put out there is pretty good company to be in.”
Trump has rolled out a slate of nominees to key positions that primarily feature people who were not part of his first administration, including former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, who was selected to become U.S. attorney general, and Rep. Michael Waltz (R-Fla.), Trump’s nominee for national security adviser. A smaller number, however, were part of the first administration, including CIA director nominee John Ratcliffe.
