In a recent announcement, Donald Trump outlined major appointments for his potential administration, including prominent media figures and business leaders.
Iraq and Afghanistan war veteran and Fox News host Pete Hegseth has been tapped to lead the Department of Defense, while John Ratcliffe, former Director of National Intelligence, is set to head the CIA.
Two billionaire supporters, Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, have also been selected for key roles, leading a newly proposed agency, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
“Together, these two wonderful Americans will pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies,” Trump said in a statement.
The new department’s acronym, DOGE, humorously references the cryptocurrency Dogecoin, famously endorsed by Musk. The agency, according to Trump’s statement, will work with the White House and the Office of Management and Budget to conduct large-scale structural reforms.
Ramaswamy, who recently ran as a Republican presidential candidate, has shared Musk’s critical stance on U.S. financial aid to Ukraine, advocating for an expedited resolution to the war. Musk, in particular, is speculated to lead audits of funds allocated to Kyiv under the Biden administration, having hinted at such oversight on social media.
