It has been two weeks since the election on November 5th, 2024. Since then, we have seen many changes in government leadership. Republicans gained control of the presidency, the US Senate, and the US House.

After the election results came out, Kamala Harris reached out to the future president to congratulate him before she would address the nation. Her campaign chair, Jen O’Malley Dillon, wrote about the call saying, “In the call, she told him that she would work with President Biden to ensure a peaceful transfer of power, unlike what we saw in 2020. She also made clear that she hopes he “will be a President for all Americans” (NBC New York Staff). Harris then spoke to her supporters from her alma mater, Howard University, thanking them for all that they had done and had implored them not to give up hope. There have been many speculations about what is going to happen next for Harris, but so far, she has not spoken out.

After being announced president-elect, Trump has begun making appointments to his cabinet. There have already been a few decisions made by the Trump administration following November 5th. Here are some that he has already announced. He has elected Tom Homan to oversee the mass deportations Trump has promised to produce. Homan also oversaw ICE under the Trump administration during the “zero tolerance” policy which saw many parents taken from their children. Susie Wiles, one of Trump’s campaign managers, has been nominated as Chief of Staff, a position that does not require Senate confirmation. The National Security Advisor position has been given to Mike Waltz who has served in many different national security policy roles before.

While a select few appointments do not require Senate approval, most do before they are accepted into their new positions. Here are a few that have been announced by the Trump administration. Elise Stefanik has been nominated as the U.N. ambassador to the United States. She was one of Trump’s major defenders especially after his first impeachment. Former New York Congressman, Lee Zeldin, has been elected as the Environmental Protection Agency Administrator. Due to the high tensions in the Middle East, one of the most important positions Trump has to nominate someone for would be Ambassador to Israel. He has chosen former Arkansas Governor, Mike Huckabee, to fill the position. Huckabee is a supporter of Israel’s Settlement movement and will need to be confirmed by the senate before taking up his role.

Trump has also created what he calls the “Department of Government Efficiency” which will be spearheaded by billionaire, Elon Musk, and former presidential candidate, Vivek Ramaswamy. The new agency has been said to not be a government agency but will work closely with the White House to offer advice and support to various government agencies. They have promised to be transparent with the public and investigate government spending which would include a leaderboard for tax spending, thus improving the efficiency within the government.

Some roles of the Trump Administration have been highly expected, but not announced yet. Such include Florida senator Marco Rubio as Secretary of State and one of Trump’s senior advisors, Stephen Miller, as Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy. Rubio will need to be confirmed by the Senate, however, Miller will not.

The most controversial nomination from Trump so far has been his nomination of Matt Gaetz to Attorney general. Gaetz is an extremely polarizing choice for this position due to the widespread animosity towards him on both sides of the aisle. He was the subject of a three year sex-traffic investigation which ended with him resigning from his seat in the House. Other nominees with a better chance of being passed through the Senate have come forward, but Gaetz seems to be Trump’s number one pick. The decision to pick Gaetz despite the charges that had been brought against him and the hatred from members of his own party has been one of the most controversial thus far.

These are just a few of things that have occurred since Tuesday November 5th. In the next coming weeks, we will see more nominations and more future plans come from the White House.