In under three months, Donald Trump will be in the White House again. We’ve compiled a list of people who helped him pull off his extraordinary comeback—and will help him govern once he is in the Oval Office again. Think of it as a Who’s Who of Trump World in 2024. Some may join him as official White House staffers, cabinet members, or diplomats. Others may simply have the president’s ear, either as members of the media or trusted confidants. Either way, these are the people who will shape the country for the next four years. Bookmark this page; you’re going to need it later.
Here’s a brief guide to the Masters of MAGA.
The Inner Circle
Elon Musk: The billionaire founder of Tesla and SpaceX bet big on Trump, staking his own reputation on endorsing him and donating around $132 million toward Trump’s reelection efforts. Musk also revamped the campaign’s voter outreach operation, compensating for the implosion of the Michigan and Arizona Republican parties, two crucial swing states that Trump won. Trump has promised to make Musk his government efficiency czar. One Trump transition team source says Musk does not want the hassle of the background checks or ethics requirements that come with being a full-time government employee. “He will be in charge of a blue ribbon commission, but it will be a part-time job,” this source says. Given Tesla’s presence in China, where it builds cars for the European and Asian markets, as well as its reliance on Chinese-made lithium batteries, he might also have Trump’s ear when it comes to the administration’s policy toward that country. The early signs certainly point to Musk having serious influence. He joined a call between the president-elect and Ukrainian leader Volodomyr Zelensky last week and is set to join Trump when he meets Argentina’s Javier Milei next week.
Don Jr.: The president’s most political and public-facing son, Don Jr., proved himself to be a powerful fundraiser and effective surrogate in the 2024 campaign. He has also served as a key adviser for his father, and was reportedly instrumental in convincing him to pick J.D. Vance as his running mate. Don Jr. may not be given an official role in the next Trump White House; Trump is reportedly reluctant to hire his children this time around, saying last year that it was “too painful for the family.” His daughter Ivanka, and son-in-law Jared Kushner, were given roles in his first administration, a move frequently criticized as improper by his critics. But whatever his job title, Don Jr. will undoubtedly be influential.
Tucker Carlson: After being fired from his popular Fox News program, the commentator relaunched his show on X and has been one of Trump’s most high-profile allies in media. A populist tastemaker, he has helped shatter Republican orthodoxies on issues like free trade and foreign intervention. He speaks directly to Trump’s base—and also speaks directly to Trump, even though text messages revealed through a lawsuit against Fox News showed Carlson had lost patience with Trump during the president-elect’s doomed campaign to reverse the results of the 2020 election. “He’s a demonic force, a destroyer,” Carlson wrote in one text message four years ago. Today he is in the catbird seat when it comes to staffing the new administration, according to three sources. “It’s the Tucker administration. He is exercising a veto, he’s making the decisions. Don Jr.’s lips may be moving, but those are Tucker’s words coming out,” according to one Republican insider clued up on the transition plans for the incoming administration.