The upcoming cabinet of US President-elect Donald Trump is gradually taking shape with a number of important positions being considered very tough on China.
Yesterday, November 12, The Wall Street Journal quoted several close sources revealing that Mr. Trump plans to choose Senator Marco Rubio to hold the position of US Secretary of State and Congressman Mike Waltz to become National Security Advisor when he officially returns to the White House next January. Mr. Trump also recently chose Congresswoman Elise Stefanik as US Ambassador to the United Nations and Ms. Susie Wiles as White House Chief of Staff.
White House awaits new staff for Trump's next term
Many clear faces
Meanwhile, via social media, Mr. Trump also revealed that he would not select Ms. Nikki Haley (former US Ambassador to the UN and former Republican presidential candidate) to be on his "team". Similarly, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was also removed from the list of candidates for upcoming important positions.
Previously, there were many rumors that Mr. Pompeo was a candidate for the US Secretary of Defense. During Mr. Trump's first term, in just 4 years from 2017 to 2021, there were 5 people holding the position of US Secretary of Defense, and the reason for the constant change was due to disagreements with Mr. Trump himself. This time, when the President-elect's choices are assessed to emphasize loyalty, the position of Pentagon leader becomes even more important when some influential figures in the US military continuously emphasize that the military is only loyal to the "constitution" and the country, not an individual.
Congressman Mike Waltz
Therefore, the next Pentagon chief is expected to be someone who is both loyal to Mr. Trump and can effectively run the US military. Up to now, after former Secretary of State Pompeo was eliminated from the race, the list of potential candidates for US Secretary of Defense includes: Mr. Keith Kellogg (who served as acting National Security Advisor during Mr. Trump's first term); Congressman Mike Rogers (Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee); Mr. Richard Grenell (who served as acting Director of National Intelligence during Mr. Trump's first term) and Mr. Robert C. O'Brien (National Security Advisor during Mr. Trump's first term).
In addition to the positions of Secretary of State, National Security Advisor, and Secretary of Defense, the positions of Secretary of the Treasury and Secretary of Commerce also have a great influence on the upcoming foreign policy action. Former US Trade Representative under President Trump's first term, Mr. Robert Lighthizer, is becoming a bright name to be Secretary of the Treasury or Secretary of Commerce.
"Hawk" team?
Thus, there are still 15 important positions in Mr. Trump's upcoming cabinet. That means there are still about 3/4 of the White House "team" that need to be completed by Mr. Trump. However, unlike the previous prediction that the team would be selected close to Christmas, Mr. Trump seems to be speeding up the process of building the team. Perhaps, that is because he has experience from his previous term. In addition, the advantage of the Republican Party winning in both the Senate and the House of Representatives can also help Mr. Trump easily achieve personnel proposals with less obstruction in Congress.
Despite the many vacancies, the selection of Mr. Rubio as Secretary of State and Mr. Waltz as National Security Advisor signals that many of the upcoming foreign policy actions of the White House will be very tough. Both of these congressmen are considered "hawks", tending to use "muscular" measures in competing with China as well as solving foreign affairs issues.
Senator Marco Rubio
In addition, Mr. Lighthizer is also a "hawk" and has repeatedly emphasized the need to use strong measures against China. Therefore, if this person holds the US Treasury or Commerce Department, it is almost certain that Washington will soon "not hold back" in the trade war with Beijing. This means that the upcoming US-China relationship will be tense.
In addition, both Senators Rubio and Waltz emphasized the need to establish peace between Ukraine and Russia, and said that the US should not spend too much on the conflicts happening in Ukraine and the Middle East. However, resolving the conflict in Ukraine is a big challenge for Mr. Trump in the next term.
Responding to Thanh Nien , a US defense intelligence expert commented that it is likely that the new Washington administration will put pressure on both Moscow and Kyiv. In particular, for Kyiv, Washington can use the "aid card" to force Ukraine to sit at the negotiating table and even accept not demanding part of the occupied territory. For Moscow, Washington can create pressure by threatening to allow Ukraine to use long-range attack weapons to penetrate deep into Russian territory. In addition, it is not excluded that the US will ask European countries to "shoulder" more in supporting Ukraine.
Of course, more time is needed to make a more accurate assessment of Mr. Trump's upcoming action program.
Ms. Harris first appearance after US election
US Vice President Kamala Harris attended a memorial service at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia on November 11, her first public event since her speech on November 6, admitting defeat in the US election. Ms. Harris attended the ceremony with President Joe Biden at Arlington Cemetery on the occasion of the US Veterans Day, performing the wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The US Vice President did not speak at the event and then returned to Washington DC, ending her public schedule for the day.
At the memorial service, President Biden said taking care of veterans is a sacred duty, mentioning that this was his last time attending the ceremony as commander in chief of the US military.
Arlington National Cemetery is the resting place of two former US presidents, high-ranking generals and about 400,000 US veterans.
Bao Hoang
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/bo-sau-moi-o-nha-trang-dan-ro-net-quan-he-my-trung-de-cang-thang-185241112224027433.htm
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