Trump reveals options for defense, AI roles and more

President-elect Donald Trump released a slew of nominations Sunday night, naming several new people to serve in his next administration.

In several Truth Social posts on Sunday, Trump introduced several experts to work in the White House on issues ranging from defense to technology and budgets. The Republican leader began by naming Stephen Alexander Vaden as his nominee for deputy secretary of the Department of Agriculture.

“In my first term, Stephen was the general counsel of the Department of Agriculture and a board member of the Commodity Credit Corporation, where he won two cases before the United States Supreme Court, moved and reorganized agencies that form the Department to better serve rural America and engage in substantial regulatory reform,” Trump wrote in a post.

“Stephen joined the USDA on the first day of my first term and left in December 2020 after I nominated him and the United States Senate confirmed him, to continue serving the American people as a judge of Article III of the Court of International Trade”. he added. “Judge Stephen Vaden resides in Union City, Tennessee where he helps manage his family farm. Congratulations Stephen!”

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Trump followed his first post by naming an “America First Patriot slate” to work with Pete Hegseth, his defense secretary nominee and former “Fox & Friends Weekend” co-host. Trump nominated Stephen Feinberg as the next Deputy Secretary of Defense and said Feinberg would “Help make the Pentagon great again.”

“A very successful businessman, Stephen is a Princeton graduate who founded his company, Cerberus, in 1992,” Trump wrote. “In addition to his leadership at Cerberus, from 2018 to January 2021, Stephen served as chairman of my Intelligence Advisory Board.”

The president-elect went on to appoint Elbridge “Bridge” Colby as undersecretary of defense for policy.

“A highly respected advocate for our America First foreign and defense policy, Bridge will work closely with my top nominee for Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, to restore our military power and achieve my policy of PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH ” Trump said, noting that Colby graduated from Harvard University and Yale Law School.

“Bridge served with distinction at the Pentagon during my first term, leading the effort for my landmark 2018 defense strategy…and he will be an excellent addition to my team, making America great again! “

Trump then nominated Michael Duffey and Emil Michael as the undersecretaries of defense for acquisition and sustainment and the undersecretaries of defense for research and engineering, respectively.

“Mike will drive change at the Pentagon and, as a strong advocate for an America First approach to our National Defense, will work to revitalize our Defense Industrial Base and rebuild our Army,” Trump said of Duffey.

Trump added that Emil Michael “would ensure our Army has the most technologically sophisticated weapons in the world, while saving a LOT of money for our taxpayers.”

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“Emil is a graduate of Harvard University and holds a law degree from Stanford,” Trump wrote. “He is one of the most respected leaders in the technology business and will be a champion for the troops and our great country.”

For his upcoming defense-related picks, Trump announced Keith Bass as his nominee for Under Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, and that Joe Kasper would serve as the Defense Secretary’s Chief of Staff. Kasper worked in the first Trump administration in support roles, in addition to Capitol Hill.

Bass, a retired Navy commander, would “lead the charge to ensure that our troops are healthy and receive the best possible medical care,” Trump said.

Trump then announced Scott Kupor as his pick for director of the Office of Personnel Management. Trump noted that Kupor was an early employee at Andreessen Horowitz, a venture capital firm where he is now a managing partner.

“Scott will bring much-needed reform to our federal workforce. Scott graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Stanford University with a degree in public policy,” Trump wrote. “He also holds a law degree, cum laude, from Stanford University. Congratulations Scott!”

In his latest nomination package, the Republican president-elect announced his picks for tech-related positions. Trump began by naming names Michael JK Kratsios as his new director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.

Kratsios, who will also serve as assistant to the president for science and technology, is a graduate of Princeton University. Trump noted that he previously served as the Pentagon’s undersecretary of defense for research and engineering, among other roles.

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Trump added that Dr. Lynne Parker will serve as executive director of the President’s Council of Science and Technology Advisors and advisor to the director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.

“Dr. Parker previously served as US Deputy CTO and Founding Director of the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Office,” Trump said. “He got his PhD in computer science from MIT.”

Trump’s last two elections were Good Hines and Sriram Krishnan. Hines will be the executive director of the President’s Council of Advisors on Digital Assets, which Trump described as a “new advisory group made up of crypto industry luminaries.”

“In his new role, Bo will work with David to foster innovation and growth in the digital asset space, while ensuring industry leaders have the resources they need to succeed,” Trump wrote. adding that Krishnan will serve as a senior policy advisor on artificial intelligence. in the Office of Science and Technology Policy of the White House.

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“Working closely with David Sacks, Sriram will focus on ensuring continued American leadership in AI and help shape and coordinate AI policy across government, including work with the Council of Science and Technology Advisors of president,” Trump wrote. “Sriram began his career at Microsoft as a founding member of Windows Azure.”