Donald Trump taps loyalists to top national security and Mideast posts

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President-elect Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that he would nominate Fox News host Pete Hegseth to be his secretary of defence and former Texas congressman John Ratcliffe to be director of the CIA, as he tapped hardliners and loyalists to his national security and foreign policy teams.

Hegseth, a 44-year-old army veteran who has no government experience, is an unconventional choice to lead one of the country’s largest employers, which includes almost 3mn military and civilian employees.

“Pete is tough, smart and a true believer in America First. With Pete at the helm, America’s enemies are on notice — our military will be great again, and America will never back down,” Trump said in a statement.

The president-elect had a fraught relationship with civilian and military leaders at the Pentagon during his first term in office, churning through five secretaries of defence in four years. The selection of Hegseth suggests he will have a close ally who will be willing to enact his policy pronouncements and decisions.

Ratcliffe, who was director of national intelligence in the final year of Trump’s first term, is another staunch ally who, while in Congress, was a sharp critic of special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

“John Ratcliffe has always been a warrior for truth and honesty with the American public,” Trump said. “He will be a fearless fighter for the constitutional rights of all Americans, while ensuring the highest levels of national security, and peace through strength.”

Critics of Ratcliffe’s tenure as director of National Intelligence said he used the post to carry out Trump’s political agenda, including declassifying intelligence to use for political purposes, excluding Democratic lawmakers from briefings, accusing opponents of leaks and making public assertions that contradicted intelligence assessments.

If Ratcliffe is confirmed, he will be the first person to be have held the roles of CIA director and director of national intelligence.

The appointments were among a series announced by Trump’s transition team on Tuesday.

Earlier in the day, Trump said he would nominate former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee as US ambassador to Israel and that his longtime friend, donor and fellow real estate mogul Steve Witkoff to be his special envoy for the Middle East. He also nominated South Dakota governor Kristi Noem as homeland security secretary, with a mandate to stem immigration across the US southern border.

Trump on Monday picked a number of other loyalists with hardline views who will shape US foreign policy decisions in his new administration. They include Florida congressman Mike Waltz as national security adviser and New York congresswoman Elise Stefanik as ambassador to the UN. Marco Rubio, the Florida senator, is widely expected to become secretary of state.

Trump’s Middle East appointments are a sign that the US will take an even friendlier approach than Joe Biden’s administration towards the Israeli government led by Benjamin Netanyahu, potentially allowing it to continue its military campaigns against Hamas and Hizbollah.

During the presidential campaign, Trump was able to win over a larger share of Arab-American voters than he did in 2020 because of their anger at Biden’s support for Israel’s war in Gaza, vowing to deliver peace to the region.

But is not clear that a closer US relationship with Netanyahu will help end the conflicts in the Middle East. Huckabee, whose daughter Sarah Huckabee Sanders is the current Arkansas governor — spent years working to bolster support for Israel among evangelical Christians in the US and was praised by Trump on Tuesday.

“Mike has been a great public servant, Governor, and Leader in Faith for many years. He loves Israel, and the people of Israel, and likewise, the people of Israel love him. Mike will work tirelessly to bring about Peace in the Middle East!” Trump said. 

Witkoff — who called Netanyahu’s address to Congress earlier this year “epic” and “deeply moving” — is co-chair of Trump’s inaugural committee, along with former US senator and Intercontinental Exchange executive Kelly Loeffler.

Witkoff has known Trump for decades. He spoke at the Republican National Convention touting the former president’s “compassion” and was on the golf course with him during the second assassination attempt on him in September.

The two men’s sons are also friends: Donald Trump Jr, Eric Trump, Alex Witkoff and Zach Witkoff promoted a cryptocurrency company, World Liberty Financial, on X a couple of months ago. Zach had his wedding at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida in 2022.

Alex Witkoff, who is co-chief executive of family real estate firm Witkoff Group with his father Steve, told the Financial Times last week that his identity as a Jewish person was a reason for his support of Trump.

“In Trump, you had a fierce, ardent supporter of the Jewish people,” he said.