Donald Trump has chosen vaccine sceptic Robert F Kennedy Jr as his new health secretary and said he will do “unbelievable things”.

The news was announced by Donald Trump Jr on X, before the president-elect confirmed the appointment just moments later.

Former Democrat RFK Jr, the nephew of former president John F Kennedy, had been running as an independent presidential candidate but dropped out of the race and endorsed Mr Trump in August.

In return for Mr Kennedy’s support during the election, president-elect Trump pledged to give him a “big role” – and RFK Jr’s preference for the health position was widely reported.

Mr Trump spoke on Thursday night at a gala, hosted at his Mar-a-Lago retreat in Florida, which included tech billionaire Elon Musk and actor Sylvester Stallone.

Directly addressing RFK Jr, who was in the audience, Mr Trump said: “We want you to come up with things… and ideas… and what you’ve been talking about for a long time. I think you’re going to do some unbelievable things. Nobody’s going to be able to do it like you.”

The health and human services (HHS) department includes the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Medicare, Medicaid and the National Institutes of Health.

RFK Jr will “restore these Agencies to the traditions of Gold Standard Scientific Research, and beacons of Transparency, to end the Chronic Disease epidemic, and to Make America Great and Healthy Again,” the president-elect wrote on X.

Mr Trump added: “For too long, Americans have been crushed by the industrial food complex and drug companies who have engaged in deception, misinformation, and disinformation when it comes to Public Health.

“The Safety and Health of all Americans is the most important role of any Administration.”

Mr Kennedy is a known vaccine sceptic who has repeated misinformation on multiple occasions, including the discredited theory that childhood immunisations cause autism.

The RFK Jr-led health department will “play a big role in helping ensure that everybody will be protected from harmful chemicals, pollutants, pesticides, pharmaceutical products, and food additives that have contributed to the overwhelming Health Crisis in this Country,” the president-elect added.

Earlier, his son Donald Trump Jr was the first to confirm the appointment, writing on X: “Robert F Kennedy Jr will be The Secretary of Health and Human Services! Promises Made Promises Kept.”

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RFK Jr’s position will need to be confirmed with a Senate vote – but even with the chamber under Republican control, his appointment may face opposition because of his views on health issues.

Before Mr Trump announced his choice, Mr Kennedy had already claimed the new president would push to remove fluoride from drinking water on his first day in office. The addition of the compound has been cited as helping to improve dental health.

The department RKF Jr is hoping to oversee has more than 80,000 employees across the United States.

As the dust settles on Donald Trump’s US election win, the president-elect has begun choosing who will be in his administration for his second stint in the White House.

During the campaign, Mr Trump avoided directly confirming any appointments but frequently dropped hints about who he would like in his top team.

Nominees must be questioned by members of the Senate before it votes on their appointment. Even with the Republicans in control some of the picks are very controversial and could be blocked.

So who is in, who is out and who are the leading contenders for jobs?

Follow latest: US election live blog

Who is in?

Susie Wiles

Susie Wiles is a veteran Republican campaign manager – having helped Ronald Reagan and Ron DeSantis get elected as well as Donald Trump in 2016 and 2024. She is the first member of his team to be announced – and becomes the first female chief-of-staff in American history.

The 67-year-old, who lives in Florida, has a political career that spans decades but has largely kept out of the limelight and rarely given interviews.

She is the daughter of late American footballer Pat Summerall and one of her first jobs in politics was as an assistant to one of his former New York Giants teammates when he became a Republican representative.

Outside politics, she has worked in the private sector as a lobbyist, for both Ballard Partners, whose clients include Amazon, Google, and the MLB (Major League Baseball), and then Mercury, which works with Elon Musk’s SpaceX and the embassy of Qatar.

This time around, Mr Trump credited her with his “best-run” presidential campaign, describing her as “incredible” at a Milwaukee rally earlier this year, and an “ice maiden” in his victory speech.

Matt Gaetz

Mr Trump has chosen Matt Gaetz, a man who once faced a federal sex trafficking probe, to be the nation’s top prosecutor.

The investigation, carried out by the Justice Department he will now lead, ended without charges.

However, it is just one of a number of reasons why his appointment as attorney general has raised concerns in Washington.

Mr Gaetz had also been under scrutiny by the House Ethics Committee over wider allegations including sexual misconduct, illicit drug use and accepting improper gifts.

The inquiry was dropped on Wednesday 13 November when Mr Gaetz left Congress – the only forum where the committee has jurisdiction.

The 42-year-old is a fierce Trump supporter who has regularly attacked both the Justice Department and the FBI, and even called for the FBI to be defunded and abolished.

He was particularly critical of the Justice Department’s investigation into the January 6 attack on the Capitol in 2021 – which resulted in charges against more than 1,500 Trump supporters and hundreds of convictions.

Veteran Democratic senator Chris Murphy declared his appointment as attorney general as “a red alert moment for our democracy”.

Another senior Democrat described Mr Gaetz as a “gonzo agent of chaos”.

Steve Bannon, Trump’s former adviser told NBC news: “President Trump is going to hit the Justice Department with a blowtorch, and Matt Gaetz is that torch.”

His nomination, which must be ratified by Congress, could be blocked unless Republicans unite around him.

Elon Musk

Tech billionaire Elon Musk became one of Mr Trump’s staunchest supporters in the months leading up to the election and spent at least $119m (£92m) canvassing for him in the seven battleground states.

Awarding his loyalty, Mr Trump announced Mr Musk will co-lead the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) alongside former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.

In a statement on Tuesday, the president-elect said Mr Musk and Mr Ramaswamy “will pave the way for my administration to dismantle government bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure federal agencies”.

Despite its name, the DOGE is not a government agency and is instead set to provide “advice and guidance” from the outside of government.

The statement released by Mr Trump said it will partner with the office of management and budget to “drive large-scale structural reform, and create an entrepreneurial approach to government never seen before”.

The department has been given a deadline of 4 July 2026 to conclude its work.

Vivek Ramaswamy

Former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy will join Elon Musk in leading DOGE.

Mr Ramaswamy, the founder of a pharmaceutical company, suspended his campaign in January to support Mr Trump.

In his 2021 bestseller book Woke, Inc, Mr Ramaswamy criticised the decisions of some big companies to base business strategy around social justice and climate change concerns.

Pete Hegseth

Fox News commentator and National Guard veteran Pete Hegseth has been picked as Mr Trump’s defence secretary.

In a statement, the president-elect described the 44-year-old as “tough, smart and a true believer in America First”.

He said: “With Pete at the helm, America’s enemies are on notice – our military will be great again, and America will never back down.”

If confirmed by the Senate, Mr Hegseth could make good on Mr Trump’s campaign promises to rid the US military of
generals who he accuses of pursuing progressive policies on diversity in the ranks that conservatives have rallied against.

In the past Mr Hegseth has expressed disdain for the so-called “woke” policies of Pentagon leaders including its top military officer.

He has also railed against NATO allies for being weak and claimed China is on the verge of dominating its neighbours.

Mr Hegseth has pushed for making the US military more lethal and argued allowing women to serve in combat hurts that effort.

“Everything about men and women serving together makes the situation more complicated, and complication in combat, that means casualties are worse,” he said in an interview on The Shawn Ryan Show podcast.

Though he said diversity in the military is a strength, he said that was because minority and white men “can perform similarly” but the same is not true for women.

Critics have pointed to Mr Hegseth’s lack of experience with some suggesting he could be defence secretary in name only as the Trump White House runs the department.

“There is reason for concern that this is not a person who is a serious enough policymaker, serious enough policy implementer, to do a successful job,” said Adam Smith, the ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee.

Robert F Kennedy Jr

Mr Trump has confirmed vaccine sceptic Robert F Kennedy Jr as his pick for health secretary – meaning he’ll oversee a huge department that includes the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Medicare.

The president-elect wrote on X that RFK Jr will “restore these Agencies to the traditions of Gold Standard Scientific Research, and beacons of Transparency, to end the Chronic Disease epidemic, and to Make America Great and Healthy Again”.

RFK Jr abandoned his independent presidential campaign to back Mr Trump in August.

It was a move that saw RFK Jr condemned by many members of his family, but as with Musk, his public support has been rewarded.

Mr Kennedy – the son of politician Robert F Kennedy and the nephew of assassinated president John F Kennedy – made a name for himself as a vaccine sceptic during the COVID-19 pandemic and has frequently repeated debunked claims, including linking vaccines to autism in children.

He has claimed Mr Trump will push to remove fluoride from drinking water on his first day in office. The addition of the compound has been cited as helping to improve dental health.

RFK Jr’s controversial views could see him struggle to land enough votes to have his role confirmed, even in a Republican-controlled Senate.

Marco Rubio

Donald Trump has named Marco Rubio as his secretary of state, making him the first Latino member of the president-elect’s top team.

Mr Rubio, a Florida senator, unsuccessfully ran against Mr Trump to be the Republican presidential candidate in 2016.

In the past, the 53-year-old has advocated for muscular foreign policy with respect to the US’s geopolitical rivals, including China, Iran and Cuba.

However, over the last several years he has softened some of his stances to align more closely with Mr Trump’s views.

He was a contender to be his 2024 running mate before JD Vance landed the role.

Elise Stefanik

According to US network CNN, Mr Trump has offered fierce ally Elise Stefanik the job as US ambassador to the UN.

Citing two anonymous sources, CNN confirms rumours the Republican – who represents New York in the House – was lined up for the role.

Ms Stefanik has built up a national profile as an unwavering ally of the president-elect, shedding her early reputation as a moderate – having worked on Mitt Romney’s 2012 campaign – to become the highest-ranking woman in the House Republican leadership.

Sky News’ US partner network NBC News reported in January this year she was being considered as Mr Trump’s pick for vice president.

Mr Trump reportedly described her as a “killer”.

Tom Homan

Mr Trump said late on Sunday that Tom Homan will return to government to be in charge of US borders and the deportation of illegal immigrants.

Announcing the news on Truth Social, the president-elect said “there is nobody better at policing and controlling our Borders” than his new “border czar”.

Mr Homan served as former acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during Mr Trump’s first term, and was an early backer of the president’s “zero tolerance” policy – which NBC News reported led to at least 5,500 families being separated at the southern border in 2018.

Earlier this year, he told a conservative conference he would “run the biggest deportation force this country has ever seen,” per NBC.

Mr Homan was also a contributor to Project 2025’s Mandate for Leadership book.

Mike Waltz

Trump loyalist Mike Waltz is the president-elect’s national security adviser – a powerful role which does not require confirmation from the Senate.

The 50-year-old, who served in the National Guard, will be responsible for briefing Mr Trump on key national security issues and coordinating with different agencies.

Having praised Mr Trump’s foreign policy views, Mr Waltz is a leading critic of China, and has spoken out about the country’s activity in the Asia-Pacific, claiming the US needs to be ready for a potential conflict in the region.

Kristi Noem

South Dakota governor Kristi Noem has been picked to serve as the next homeland security secretary.

Once seen as a possible running mate for the president-elect, Ms Noem is currently serving her second four-year term as South Dakota’s governor, having risen to prominence after refusing to impose a statewide mask order during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As head of homeland security, she will be responsible for everything from border protection and immigration to disaster response and the US Secret Service.

In a statement on Tuesday, Mr Trump said: “Kristi has been very strong on border security. She was the first governor to send National Guard soldiers to help Texas fight the Biden border crisis, and they were sent a total of eight times.”

He said Ms Noem would work closely with his “border czar,” Mr Homan.

Stephen Miller

Mr Trump has named Stephen Miller, an immigration hardliner, to be his deputy chief of staff for policy and homeland security adviser.

Mr Miller was a vocal spokesperson during the presidential campaign for Mr Trump’s priority of mass deportations.

The 39-year-old previously served as a senior adviser during Mr Trump’s first administration.

Mr Miller has been a central figure in some of Mr Trump’s policy decisions, notably his move to separate thousands of immigrant families.

John Ratcliffe

Former director of national intelligence John Ratcliffe has been picked by Mr Trump to serve as director of the
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

A former congressman and prosecutor, Mr Ratcliffe is seen as a Trump loyalist who is likely to win Senate confirmation.

Tulsi Gabbard

Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democratic member of Congress and presidential candidate, has been chosen to serve as director of national intelligence.

“As a former Candidate for the Democrat Presidential Nomination, she has broad support in both Parties – She is now a proud Republican!” Mr Trump said.

“I know Tulsi will bring the fearless spirit that has defined her illustrious career to our Intelligence Community, championing our Constitutional Rights, and securing Peace through Strength. Tulsi will make us all proud!”

She has been accused of amplifying Russian propaganda and would come to the job having never worked in the intelligence world or served on a congressional intelligence committee.

Two years ago it was claimed she echoed Russian propaganda by posting a video saying there were bio labs across Ukraine funded by the US.

Who is out?

Nikki Haley

Nikki Haley was once Mr Trump’s main rival during his run for the Republican presidential nomination.

Despite losing the contest, she proved her popularity with parts of the GOP and previously served in his first presidential cabinet as the US ambassador to the United Nations.

The 51-year-old also served as governor of South Carolina but news of her not being involved this time around was broken by the president-elect on his own social media platform, Truth Social.

In a short statement, Mr Trump said he would not be inviting either her or former secretary of state Mike Pompeo back but thanked them for their service.

In response, Ms Haley, who eventually endorsed Mr Trump despite harshly criticising him in the party primaries, said: “I was proud to work with President Trump defending America at the United Nations.

“I wish him, and all who serve, great success in moving us forward to a stronger, safer America over the next four years.”

Mike Pompeo

Mike Pompeo also served as the director of the CIA under Mr Trump and had been mentioned in some reports as a possible defence secretary or in relation to another role linked to national security, intelligence or diplomacy.

Mr Trump confirmed Mr Pompeo would not be returning to his cabinet in the same post that he ruled out Ms Haley.

Previously among Mr Trump’s closest allies, Mr Pompeo is one of the fiercest US defenders of Ukraine.

Who is yet to be decided?

Don Jr, Eric and Lara Trump

Mr Trump’s daughter and son-in-law, Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, were among his senior advisers during his first term. But will the businessman once again keep any family members close when he is in the Oval Office?

In June 2023, Mr Trump said he did not want his children to serve in a second administration, saying it was “too painful for the family”.

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Nevertheless, while Ms Trump and Mr Kushner have stayed away from politics since, two of Mr Trump’s other sons – Don Jr and Eric – have played prominent roles on the campaign trail.

Eric’s wife, Lara Trump, already has a significant role in US politics, as she serves as co-chair of the Republican Party.

Larry Kudlow

Fox News personality Larry Kudlow served as director of the National Economic Council for much of Mr Trump’s first term and is said to have an outside shot at becoming his treasury secretary this time.

Other names being linked to the post include John Paulson – a billionaire hedge fund manager and donor, who hosted a fundraiser that raked in more than $50m (£38m) for the former president.

At the White House on Wednesday, a hugely anticipated moment – the beginning of the transfer of power between two such fierce foes.

It was a moment of history, a moment of symbolism. It could have stoked bitterness and glee, but there was no sign of either.

However, it was not the biggest moment of the day. That came later.

For a second consecutive night, remarkable names have emerged for the people Donald Trump wants in his White House.

After Tuesday night’s news that Fox News host and former National Guard Major, Pete Hegseth, had been chosen by Mr Trump to be the next defence secretary, on Wednesday night came another Trump bombshell – and it sent establishment eyebrows beyond orbit.

‘A gonzo agent of chaos’

Firebrand, ultra-Maga loyalist Matt Gaetz has been announced as Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general, the country’s top law enforcement official.

This was entirely unexpected and sent Washington into an evening tailspin.

Veteran Democratic senator Chris Murphy declared the announcement to be “a red alert moment for our democracy”.

Representative Jim Himes, who sits on the House Intelligence Committee, told CNN the role of attorney general requires “…care, prudency, a deep respect for the rule of law… Matt Gaetz is the opposite of all of those things, he is a gonzo agent of chaos”.

Gaetz, 42, has faced multiple allegations of wrongdoing, including a federal sex trafficking probe that ended without charges against him.

A related House ethics inquiry is ongoing but would be dropped if he were to leave Congress because it only has jurisdiction in that forum.

He has never worked as a prosecutor and has only worked in law for a few years at local level.

His nomination requires the approval of Congress. Even with a Republican majority in both houses, Gaetz may struggle. He is not popular among more traditional Republican politicians.

For Donald Trump, the choice reflects precisely the vision he outlined for the Justice Department – a department that will do his bidding with no sense of independence or objectivity.

It is an intentionally provocative pick of a proud provocateur. On brand to a tee and it is the product of American democracy.

The White House transition

Earlier in the day, Donald Trump’s private jet touched down at Joint Base Andrews on the edge of Washington DC. The cameras caught it passing the parked presidential jets on the tarmac – the planes that will be flying him again soon.

The president-elect’s staff were framing this flight to Washington as a triumphant return. On social media, one senior adviser set the images of the landing to the sound of Kanye West’s Homecoming.

It was back to the future for the comeback president.

As he descended the steps of “Trump Force One”, I’d have given more than a penny for the inner thoughts of the man.

Surely, for him, this moment was a neat two fingers for the many who said he never would; that he never could.

But he did. Four years ago he was a busted flush in the eyes of the Washington establishment; a liability to them exiled to Mar-a-Lago. He had lost the White House and his party had failed to win either house of congress.

Four years on, he won back the White House, taking every one of America’s swing states, and his party has won both houses of Congress – a clean sweep. And he did it all despite the court cases, the warnings that he is a threat to the democracy of the nation.

Love him or loathe him, admire him or fear him, his return on Wednesday to the White House to begin the transition to be America’s 47th president is a stunning political turnaround.

Anticipating this moment of transition, this moment in history, the cameras of the world were there.

The incoming president was a few minutes late for his appointment with the outgoing president. They met in the Oval Office in front of a roaring fire that was, for sure, warmer than the vibe in the room.

A handshake and civility

For all the anticipation – what would it be like? The body language? The mood?

If Donald Trump was gleeful, he didn’t show it. If Joe Biden was bitter, he didn’t show it either.

Two men who have such starkly different visions shook hands. Two men who have exchanged such brutal words for each other over the course of many years now smiled and exchanged pleasantries.

“A danger to democracy,” Joe Biden has said of Donald Trump so many times. Well, now the process of democracy required this moment: a handshake and civility.

President Biden surely wanted to give Donald Trump what he never offered four years ago: a concession of defeat and a transition.

Remember, in 2020, there was no Oval Office moment. Instead, Donald Trump was denying he had lost the election.

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It was the outgoing press secretary left to describe the details of the two-hour meeting.

“I can say that it was indeed very cordial, very gracious and substantive. And I mentioned at the top, national security was discussed, domestic policy issues were discussed.”

By nightfall, the White House had released the official photos of the meeting. They are images for the ages.

It is almost as if the last few years never happened.

A reset? No.

A pause for posterity, before the new world begins.