As Republicans wait to learn whether they will control the House of Representatives — and with it both houses of Congress — speculation is heating up about the nominees being considered to join Donald Trump’s administration. Trump’s transition team is much more organized now than it was in 2016 as it aims to avoid a repeat of the first, chaotic days of 2017’s White House.

The first recruitment of the president-elect took place earlier this week. 67-year-old Susie Wiles, head of his election campaign, became White House chief of staff. The office of the “chief of staff” of the presidency is among the most strategic in the American government.

Also, Donald Trump announced the return of Tom Homan, the former director of the federal agency responsible for the protection of border and immigration (ICE), to lead the agency. Trump’s selection of the 62-year-old Homan – an immigration hardliner – for the key post was widely expected. The newly elected president has promised a mass deportation of undocumented immigrants and fully trusts the 62-year-old for this job and border control.

Several others are being considered for Trump’s Cabinet:

Minister of Finance

It is undoubtedly a key position with enormous responsibility for the global economy. Some of the names that have been heard for this position are:

-Scott Bessent: Billionaire hedge fund manager Scott Bessent, who donated millions to Trump’s re-election bid and helped him prepare for economic policy debates, could be the nation’s next chief financial officer

-Jay Clayton: As chairman of the SEC, Clayton had a party mandate to help public companies by relaxing rules. However, as SEC chairman he often moved cautiously on rule changes and also often sided with Democrats.

– Senator Bill Hagerty: Originally from Tennessee, he is a member of the Senate Banking Committee that oversees regulatory issues and monetary policy, among other things. He was a financial advisor to President George H.W. W. Bush and then went into private equity. He was elected to the Senate in 2020.

–Robert Lighthizer: He is one of the few Cabinet-level advisers from Trump’s first term who has not only remained loyal to the new president all this time, but has been a close adviser to him this year. In addition to the Treasury Department, he is likely to run the Department of Commerce or work as a trade adviser in the White House.

– Howard Lutnick: CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, Lutnick managed and raised $15 million from donors in just one event. While cabinet officials and other high-ranking political appointees are required to publicly disclose their assets and divulge anything that could cause a conflict of interest, Lutnick could serve as a special government employee.

–John Paulson: Trump called Paulson a “money machine” for making $15 billion betting on subprime mortgages. Both Paulson and Trump were born in Queens. Paulson was a member of Trump’s economic advisory board during his first presidential bid and helped raise more than $50 million at a rally at his Palm Beach home. Paulson has a large, undisclosed stake in the preferred stock of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. However, his relationship with Greece is also close. The valuation of the equity wealth it has in Greece is around 1.15 billion euros. His rich portfolio includes 18.615% of Piraeus Bank, 4.847% of Alpha Bank and 9.99% of EYDAP. At the same time, shares are held equal to the bank’s participation percentages in the 3 medium repayment priority bonds, Piraeus (Pheonix Vega, Sunrise Mezz) and Alpha Bank (Galaxy Cosmos).

–Glenn Youngkin: The current Virginia governor and former Carlyle Group Inc. executive, Youngkin kept Trump at arm’s length in his 2021 campaign. His term ends in 2025.

Minister of Foreign Affairs

The secretary of state is the top U.S. diplomat, tasked with selling U.S. policy to the rest of the world and persuading foreign allies and adversaries to stick to U.S. national security goals. There are many candidate names on Trump’s agenda for this position as well. Some of them are:

-Ric Grenell: He previously served as Trump’s ambassador to Germany and then as head of national intelligence. He is considered a Trump loyalist and led the 2020 vote protest efforts that Trump falsely claimed were stolen from him in Nevada.

– Hagerty: Although he is also among those being touted to head the Treasury Department, his experience as US Ambassador to Japan during Trump’s first term and serving on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee means he could enter the State Department.

– Steven Mnuchin: The former head of the Treasury Department is one of the few officials from Trump’s first term to remain in the post for all four years. He remained loyal to Trump even after January 6th. During his tenure at the Treasury Department, the US continued its heavy use of economic sanctions against adversaries such as Iran, Russia and Venezuela. Since leaving the administration, he started Liberty Strategic Capital, a private equity firm that has attract billions of dollars from the Middle East.

– Robert O’Brien: He was Trump’s national security adviser for a year and a half at the end of his first term. He focused on confronting China for actions that threatened Hong Kong, its aggressive action in the South China Sea and criticized the nation’s response to the Covid-19 outbreak. He also served when the US carried out the drone strike that killed Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps.

– Marco Rubio: Trump called him “Little Marco” during the 2016 primary, but the Florida senator played a key role in advising Trump on foreign policy in his first term, particularly on Latin America and Venezuela. He is a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and a member of the Gang of 8, senior lawmakers briefed on classified intelligence matters by the executive branch. He has strongly defended Trump’s immigration policies and his goal of ending the war in Ukraine, as well as being a leading supporter of Israel’s war against its Iran-backed allies.

– Vivek Ramaswamy: The biotech entrepreneur who turned heads with his presidential bid is on the shortlist to be the newMinister of Foreign Affairs.

Minister of Commerce

The Commerce Department had come to a near standstill during Trump’s first term in the White House, with Secretary Wilbur Ross best known for falling asleep in meetings. But Gina Raimondo, gave new energy and importance to the ministry. Trade plays a key role in promoting trade, as well as with export controls used to keep cutting-edge technology out of the hands of China, Russia and other geopolitical rivals.

Two people are being considered so far: Rob Lighthizer and Linda McMahon.

Minister of Defence

THE Christopher Millerthe acting defense secretary during the January 6 uprising at the US Capitol, may also return to the fray as the official nominee to oversee the US military.

Minister of the Interior

THE Tom Homana key supporter of Trump’s approach to immigration when he was head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice), may be the man tasked with pushing through his plans to mass deport undocumented immigrants and “seal” the border.