President Donald Trump prioritized the loyalty when he built up a team for his second term and surrounded himself with people, who served steadfast to his first government or worked on one or more of his three campaigns.
These are not the only bonds that people combine in the highest ranks of his administration. Some are billionaires or campaign donors or both. There are also media personalities, former legislators and people who worked on project in 2025, the conservative blueprint for the government’s veiling, with which Trump insisted that he had no belonging when he started for the White House.
Some people in key roles have personal relationships with Trump, who go back for years, from a former Caddy on one of the golf courses from Trump to the former fiance of his son. Others came around after they had eaten against Trump in the past; Examples are his vice president and a handful of Republicans and Democrats who once competed against him.
These are some of the people who chose Trump in his second administration for top roles – and a look at what they have in common, according to a review of the Associated Press.
Who is who:
Tom Barrack, Ambassador in Turkey
Scott Bessent, finance minister
Pam Bondi, Attorney General
Doug Burgum, Interior Minister
Lori Chavez deremer, Labor secretary
Doug Collins, secretary of the veteran affairs
Sean Duffy, transport secretary
Tulsi Gabard, Director of the National Secret Service
Jamieson Greer, sales representative
Kimberly Guilfoyle, Ambassador in Greece
Kevin Hassett, director of the National Economic Council
Pete Hegseth, Minister of Defense
Pete Hoekstra, Ambassador in Canada
Tom Homan, Grenzzar
Mike Huckabee, Ambassador in Israel
Jard Isaac, NASA management
Ronald Johnson, Ambassador in Mexico
Keith Kellogg, special representative for Ukraine and Russia
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Secretary for Health and Human Services
Karoline Leavitt, press spokeswoman for the White House
Kelly Loeffler, Administrator of Small Business Administration
Howard Lutnick, Commercial Secretary
Dr. Marty Makary, Commissioner of Food and Drug Administration
Linda McMahon, education secretary
Stephen Miller, deputy chief of staff of the White House
Elon Musk, Department of Government Efficiency
Peter Navarro, Senior Counselor of the White House for Trade and Manufacturing
Janette Neshewat, General Surgeon
Kristi NoEM, secretary of home protection security
Dr. Mehmet OZ, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Kash Patel, FBI director
David Perdue, Ambassador in China
John Ratcliffe, CIA director
Brooke Rollins, Agricultural Secretary
Marco Rubio, Foreign Minister
Dan Scavino, deputy chief of staff of the White House
Rodney Scott, customs and border protection officers
Scott Turner, Housing Secretary
JD vance, Vice President
Russell Vought, Director of the Office for Management and Household
Mike Waltz, national security advisor
Matthew Whitaker, Ambassador in NATO
Susie Wiles, chief of staff of the White House
Steven Witkoff, special representative
Chris Wright, Energieiigen
Lee Zeldin, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency
What you have in common:
Worked during his first term in the Trump administration: Rollins, Scavino, Greer, Ratcliffe, Leavitt, Patel, Kellogg, Hassett, McMahon, Whitaker, Hoekstra, Navarro, Scott, Johnson, Vought, Turner, Miller, Homan.
Comes from Florida, Trump’s at home when he is not in the White House and in his property in Mar-A-Lago: Guilfoyle, Rubio, Waltz, Bondi, Johnson, Witkoff, Wiles, Barrack.
According to the campaign data, Trump’s campaign or a Pro-Trump-Pac gave money: Wright, Musk, Lutnick, Loeffler, Zeldin, McMahon, Hoekstra, Bessent, Witkoff, Wiles, Barrack.
Employed at Trump’s 2016, 2020 or 2024 (or for more than one): Scavino, Leavitt, Guilfoyle, Miller, Wiles.
Previously, in the state or state public office: Perdue, Burgum, Collins, Vance, Ratcliffe, Loeffler, Noem, Zeldin, Chavez-Deremer, Rubio, Huckabee, Waltz, Bondi, Hoekstra, Turner, Duffy, Gabbard.
In the past, Trump resisted by being openly critical of him or ran against him: Burgum, Muschus, Vance, Rubio, Kennedy, Gabbard.
Hosted a TV show, was employed as a paid employee in a TV network or has a social media company: Nesheiwat, Oz, Musk, Guilfoyle, Huckabee, Hegseth, Duffy.
Has a personal assets of 1 billion US dollars or more: Musk, Lutnick, Isaacman, Loeffler, McMahon, Bessent, Witkoff, Barrack.
Was an author or involved in the 2025 project, called conservative political game book: Ratcliffe, Hoekstra, Navarro, Vought, Homan.
Has a personal relationship with Trump, such as
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Reporting and Research from Sara Burnett, Lolita C. Baldor, Bill Barrow, Thomas Beaumont, Collin Binkley, Matt Brown, Cathy Bussewitz, Jill Colvin, Bernard Condon, Tara Copp, Matthew Daly, Jack Dura, Alanna Durkin Richer, Adriana Gomez Licon, Fatima Hussein, David Klepper, David Klepper, Matthew Lee, Aamer Madhani, Scott McFetridge, Matthew Perrone, Michelle L. Price, Amanda Seitz, Brian Slodysko, Mike Stobbe, Darlene Superville and Eric Tucker.
