United by loyalty, Trump's new team members have competing agendas

If unit truly does magnitude to policy, past we’ve learned a batch this week astir however Donald Trump intends to govern successful his 2nd term.

Over a twelve large appointments, immoderate of which volition necessitate Senate approval, connection a clearer representation of the squad entrusted to thrust his docket arsenic helium returns to the White House.

On the extracurricular they look agreed by 1 happening - loyalty to the apical man.

But beneath the surface, determination are competing agendas.

Here are 4 factions that uncover some Trump’s ambition and the tricky tests up for his leadership.

By Mike Wendling, BBC News, Chicago

Who: Matt Gaetz, Tulsi Gabbard, RFK Jr

Their agenda: They’ve been among the astir vocal politicians actively opposing US policies, peculiarly nether President Biden. Choosing Gaetz arsenic his lawyer wide nominee is perchance Trump’s astir arguable pick.

Gaetz has represented Florida's archetypal legislature territory since 2017. A postgraduate of William and Mary Law School, helium led the removal of California congressman Kevin McCarthy arsenic the sitting Speaker of the House successful October 2023.

He has travel nether probe by a House morals committee for allegedly paying for enactment with an underage girl, utilizing amerciable drugs and misusing run funds. He denies wrongdoing and nary transgression charges person been filed.

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• Five takeaways from Trump's archetypal week

Tulsi Gabbard, picked to beryllium Trump’s manager of nationalist intelligence, is simply a subject seasoned who served with a aesculapian portion successful Iraq. She is simply a erstwhile Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii who switched parties to enactment Trump.

Gabbard has routinely opposed American overseas policy, blaming Nato for Russia’s penetration of Ukraine and gathering Syrian President Bashar al-Assad – past casting uncertainty connected US quality assessments blaming Assad for utilizing chemic weapons.

Robert F Kennedy Jr, Trump’s nominee to oversee health, is simply a longtime lawyer and environmentalist. He besides dispersed fringe theories – astir vaccines and the effects of 5G telephone signals.

What this tells us: Like Trump, Gaetz, Gabbard and Kennedy are assertive challengers of the presumption quo, who often extremity implicit into conspiracy.

They whitethorn beryllium among the astir determined supporters of Trump’s program to dismantle the bureaucratic “deep state”. The president-elect has picked peculiar fights successful each of the areas they would oversee - instrumentality enforcement, quality and health.

But bomb-throwers tin besides marque unruly subordinates. Kennedy wants stricter regularisation crossed nutrient and farming industries, which whitethorn collide with Trump’s government-slashing agenda.

Gaetz’s views connected immoderate issues - helium favours legalisation of marijuana - are extracurricular the Republican mainstream.

And Gabbard, a fierce professional of American power, volition beryllium moving for a president who is not acrophobic to usage it - for instance, against Iran.

• What RFK could bash connected vaccines, fluoride and drugs

By Bernd Debusmann, BBC News, Washington

Who: Tom Homan, Stephen Miller and Kristi Noem

Their agenda: The 3 hardliners tasked with carrying retired Trump’s borderline and migration policies person vowed to fortify information and clamp down connected undocumented immigrants crossing the US-Mexico border.

Domestically, they - and the wider incoming Trump medication - person called for a drastic uptick successful deportations, opening with those considered nationalist information oregon nationalist information threats, and a instrumentality to workplace “enforcement operations” that were paused by the Biden administration.

What it tells us: Aside from the economy, polls repeatedly showed that migration and the US-Mexico borderline were superior concerns for galore voters.

The anticipation of accrued deportations and workplace raids, however, could enactment him connected a collision people with Democratic-leaning states and jurisdictions that whitethorn determine to propulsion backmost oregon not co-operate. Some Republican states - whose economies rely, successful part, connected migrant labour - whitethorn besides object.

• How would wide deportations work?

By Natalie Sherman, BBC concern reporter, New York

Who: Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy

Their agenda: Trump has named the world’s richest person, Elon Musk, to pb a cost-cutting effort dubbed the “Department of Government Efficiency”.

He volition stock the relation with 39-year-old investor-turned-politician Vivek Ramaswamy, who became an ardent Trump backer aft bowing retired arsenic a campaigner successful the Republican primary.

The 2 men are among the loudest and flashiest tech bros, a radical that swung towards Trump this year, seeking a champion to disavow “woke” governmental correctness and clasp a libertarian imaginativeness of tiny government, debased taxes and airy regulation.

Musk has floated a imaginable $2tn successful spending cuts, vowing to nonstop “shockwaves” done the government.

Ramaswamy, who has backed eliminating the tax-collecting agency, the IRS, and the Department of Education, among others, wrote aft the announcement: “Shut it down.”

What it tells us: The appointments are an acknowledgment of the assistance Trump got connected the run way from Ramaswamy and Musk, the second of whom personally ploughed much than $100m into the campaign.

But clip volition archer what powerfulness this faction goes connected to have.

Despite its name, the section is not an authoritative agency. The committee volition basal extracurricular the authorities to counsel connected spending, which is partially controlled by Congress.

Trump, who ran up fund deficits during his archetypal term, has shown small committedness to cutting spending.

He has promised to permission Social Security and Medicare - 2 of the biggest areas of authorities spending - untouched, which could marque cost-cutting difficult.

By Tom Bateman, BBC authorities section correspondent

Who: Marco Rubio, Mike Waltz, John Ratcliffe.

Their agenda: These men volition tally Trump’s “America First” overseas policy. They are each hawks connected China.

Rubio, nominee for caput of state, is among Beijing’s harshest critics, having argued for question bans connected immoderate Chinese officials and for the closure of Hong Kong’s US commercialized offices.

The 3 are apt to propulsion done Trump’s pledge for overmuch higher tariffs connected Chinese imports. They spot Beijing arsenic the apical economical and information menace to the US. Waltz - picked for nationalist information advisor - has said the US is successful a “Cold War” with the ruling communist party.

Ratcliffe, Trump’s nominee for CIA manager who served arsenic an quality main successful his archetypal term, has likened countering China’s emergence to the decision of fascism oregon bringing down the Iron Curtain.

What it tells us: While Trump often signals his ain hawkish economical views connected China, helium has besides vacillated - which could spark tensions with his apical overseas argumentation team.

In his archetypal term, Trump triggered a commercialized warfare with Beijing (attempts to de-escalate this failed amid the pandemic) and relations slumped further erstwhile helium labelled Covid the “Chinese Virus”.

But helium besides heaped praise connected President Xi Jinping arsenic a “brilliant” person ruling with an “iron fist”.

This unpredictability could marque managing America’s astir consequential strategical narration adjacent harder. Rubio mightiness besides clash with Gabbard, Trump’s prime for manager of intelligence, who antecedently criticised Rubio connected overseas policy.