Election 2024 updates: Trump begins selecting cabinet positions

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Last updated: Tuesday, November 12, 2024 5:26PM GMT
Trump's cabinet picks include close allies from his campaign
President-elect Donald Trump is naming members to his administration. Here's a look at the president-elect's appointees so far.

Just days after former President Donald Trump was projected to have won the presidency, Trump's transition team operation has begun, with transition co-chairs confirming that he will be selecting personnel to serve under his leadership in the coming days.

Trump is also the projected winner in Arizona, a state the former president flipped after losing it to Joe Biden in 2020.

Trump's projected win in the vital swing state marks a sweep of the battleground states.

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Nov 06, 2024, 8:59 AM

Track electoral vote count and results map for the presidential election

See how the balance of power is playing out as election results come in:

MORE | 2024 election: Track electoral vote count and results map for the presidential election

Nov 12, 2024, 4:59 AM GMT

Trump expected to select Sen. Marco Rubio for secretary of state: sources

President-elect Donald Trump is expected to announce his intention to nominate Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., for secretary of state, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter, ABC News reported.

Rubio, 53, has served in the Senate since 2011. He is currently the vice-chair of the Senate Select Committee on Foreign Intelligence and also sits on the chamber's Committee on Foreign Relations.

Several long-serving State Department officials tell ABC News they respect Rubio's extensive foreign policy experience and view him as unlikely to overly politicize the secretary of state role.

Rubio was also said to be favored for the role by Trump's chief of staff and veteran Florida political operative Susie Wiles, potentially helping the lawmaker edge out loyalists from the first Trump administration like former acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell and former National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien.

ByRachel Scott, Benjamin Siegel, John Santucci and Katherine Faulders ABCNews logo
Nov 12, 2024, 6:06 PM GMT

Trump asks Rep. Mike Waltz to be his national security adviser: Sources

Trump has asked Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., to be his national security adviser, multiple sources said.

Waltz was at Mar-a-Lago on Monday, sources said.

Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla. during a hearing of the House Foreign Affairs Committee on the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, March 19, 2024, in Washington.
Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla. during a hearing of the House Foreign Affairs Committee on the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, March 19, 2024, in Washington.
ByRachel Scott and John Santucci ABCNews logo
Nov 11, 2024, 10:39 PM GMT

Melania Trump skipping meeting with Jill Biden: Sources

Melania Trump is not expected to travel to Washington with President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday, two sources told ABC News.

First lady Jill Biden had extended an invite to Melania Trump for a meeting, according to the sources. In 2016, Michelle Obama had hosted Melania Trump at the White House.

The Trump campaign declined to comment. ABC News has reached out to the first lady's office for comment.

ByKatherine Faulders, Olivia Rubin and Will McDuffie ABCNews logo
Nov 11, 2024, 9:59 PM GMT

RFK Jr. advising Trump transition on health decisions: Sources

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has continued to broadly advise Trump and the transition team on health-related appointments and has been in discussions to possibly fill a major role in the next administration, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., speaks before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at a campaign event Friday, Nov. 1, 2024, in Milwaukee.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., speaks before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at a campaign event Friday, Nov. 1, 2024, in Milwaukee.

While sources caution that a role has not been finalized, RFK Jr. has been discussed as a potential candidate for the next secretary of Health and Human Services. But other roles are also on the table, including a broad "czar"-like position that would advise on policy and personnel decisions in other health arenas, the sources said.

RFK Jr. has been in active discussions with the transition team since Trump's election victory last week. He's been spotted at Trump's Mar-a-Lago club multiple times and has been engaging in presentations which include candidates for specific Cabinet and health-related jobs, sources said.

He has spent hours with the co-heads of Trump's transition team -- billionaire Howard Lutnick and Linda McMahon -- in addition to others at Mar-a-Lago such as Trump's son Donald Trump Jr.; investor and donor Omeed Malik; Tucker Carlson; and Del Bigtree, RFK Jr.'s former campaign spokesperson who produced a documentary called "Vaxxed: From Cover-Up to Catastrophe."