President-elect Trump has nominated and appointed many women to senior positions, and women will likely play important roles in his administration.
President Trump has appointed eight women to cabinet-level positions, double the four he appointed in his first term. The appointment of Susie Wiles as chief of staff makes her the first woman to hold that position in U.S. history. And he chose other women for high-ranking positions such as press secretary and Surgeon General.
The president-elect's allies say the appointment symbolizes a push to advance the status of women amid criticism of Trump's past comments and alleged treatment of women. And these came on the heels of a historic election in which women voters were key to his victory.
“We don't see an old man's club administration anymore,” said one former Trump administration official.
Mickey McElear, a history professor at the University of Connecticut, said that although the choice of the next president has not yet been finalized, the appointment of more women to the administration's inner circle is part of a “quest” to build a new coalition government. He said that it would be possible.
“He's certainly promoted more women to top jobs than he did when he first started,” McElia said.
So far, President Trump has nominated Representative Elise Stefanik (New York) as ambassador to the United Nations, and Linda McMahon, who served as small business secretary in President Trump's first administration, will become secretary of education. Nominated. . South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem (R) is President Trump's nominee for Secretary of Homeland Security, and Rep. Lori Chavez Delemer (R-Ore.) is President Trump's nominee for Secretary of Labor.
Brooke Rollins, an attorney and policy advisor, is a candidate for Secretary of Agriculture. Former Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler (Republican) has been selected to head President Trump's Small Business Administration. Former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi became a candidate for attorney general after her first choice, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Florida), declined.
Former Representative Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, nominated by President Trump to be Director of National Intelligence, will make history as the first woman of Pacific descent to hold the position.
“This country remains the greatest and most diverse country in the world, as evidenced by the selection of Cabinet members,” said Roma Darabi, former deputy director of strategic communications in President Trump's White House. , it's happening organically.”
“He has a very diverse group of people around him, but when you stop looking for skin color or gender, you see that,” she added.
But aside from Gabbard and Chavez Delemer, who is Latina, the majority of the women President Trump has nominated to high-level positions are white women, representing the key demographic that powered Trump's victory over Vice President Kamala Harris. I am doing it.
Her selection appears to be “part of Trump's continued appeal to white women voters, who are really important and really strong for his new coalition,” McAleer said.
“I think because we're starting out in what will be a historic first in terms of the presidency, the first woman to take the position of chief of staff and come into office very quickly… I think there was something… I pointed out that right after that win, I said, 'I'm going to promote this woman to a leadership position.'
Samantha Dravis, a former senior official in the first Trump administration, argued that Trump has surrounded himself with smart people.
“He's surrounded by women who give him sound, good advice and get things done,” she said.
“All of these women have unique education, expertise and experience to fill their specific roles,” she said. “So I'm not saying this president is picking on women just because they're women.”
A total of seven women served in President Trump's first Cabinet at various times from 2017 to early 2021. Additionally, President Trump has a number of prominent women representing his administration in the press, including former press secretary Sarah Sanders and Kayleigh McEnany; It had appeared before. Stephanie Grisham also served as the White House communications director for a time. Mercedes Schlapp served as the White House's director of strategic communications, and Kellyanne Conway, who ran Trump's 2016 campaign, served as a senior adviser.
“President Trump has had a lot of women in his past administrations,” said Ashley Davis, a Republican strategist who worked in the George W. Bush administration. “He supports strong women and rewards them for their efforts. Actually, that doesn't surprise me.”
By contrast, President Biden has reportedly appointed 13 women to Cabinet or cabinet-level positions during his term. Edited data by the Center for American Women and Politics, more than any other administration in U.S. history.
Dharavi, who worked for McMahon at Trump's Small Business Administration, noted that many of the women Trump appointed during his first administration remain in his orbit.
“These people are still surrounding him,” Dharavi said. “Some people are taking on executive roles. Some are taking on roles in their own official capacities,” she said, referring to Sanders' election as governor of Arkansas.
President Trump has nominated Caroline Levitt as White House press secretary. At 27 years old, Mr. Levitt will go down in history as the youngest person to hold the position.
Experts point out that the people chosen for the second government have several things in common.
Lilly Goren, a political science professor at Carroll College, said many of the names Trump has chosen “look younger than is often the case with these particular candidates.”
“I think most of the commonalities are they're disruptors, they're great on camera, they're great at controversy. They also have big donors like McMahon,” McElear said.
Goren said the selection was less a strategic move to bring in more women and more an indication of who Trump has worked with and who he believes is loyal. He claimed that there was.
Another factor complicating the analysis of President Trump's appointees is the near-anticipated defection to the Trump administration, Goren added. In his first term, Cabinet turnover rate breaks record — and several of President Trump's candidates for a second term have already declined.
“He went through so many different people in different roles in his first administration,” Goren said. “We don't necessarily know how long these individuals will remain in office if confirmed by the Senate,” he said of his choice for a second term.
Trump's critics say the president-elect has a poor track record with women, citing allegations of sexual misconduct against him and his past comments about female critics and political opponents. .
It is proven by several things his male choices Mr. McElrea said he evaluated the role of his top administration.
Several of President Trump's Cabinet nominees, including Gaetz, will face Alleged sexual misconduct. Trump himself was convicted of sexual abuse last year.
But Republicans and Trump supporters say the president-elect's efforts to appoint and nominate more women to his administration are not being fully appreciated.
“One of the things that's frustrating to me is that President Trump doesn't get credit for his accomplishments,” said a former Trump administration official.
“Rather than being celebrated for the fact that we have women in so many important and critical roles, Republican women seem to be constantly attacked and vilified in the media,” the official said. added.
Davis noted that women are held to higher standards, regardless of party affiliation.
“We always say we work harder and prepare longer and more because we are looked at differently than our male colleagues. I don't think so,” Davis said.
