President-elect Donald Trump's cabinet-in-waiting was lined up ahead of his win today.
Trump started with a mandate to hire from the private sector whenever possible - leaning on like-minded CEOs and executives for his 'kitchen cabinet'. So far, the Trump campaign and transition teams have been tight-lipped about their picks.
Trump's divisive campaign may make it difficult for him to attract top talent, especially since so many politicians openly derided the president-elect over the past year.
Here's who is predicted to take the mantle within the Republican's candidate:
Secretary of State - Newt Gingrich
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is a candidate for the job.
Gingrich, who also served as Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives during the 1990s, was short-listed for Trump’s vice presidential slot. He closely advised Trump and served as one of the president-to-be’s more stalwart defenders during the campaign.
“Newt has been my friend for a long time and I’m not saying anything,” Trump said at a July campaign rally in Ohio. “But I can tell you in one form or another, Newt Gingrich is going to be involved with our government, that I can tell you. Newt is going to be involved.”
Despite this, Gingrich's views on both foreign policy and immigration differ quite significantly to Trump's. In 2011, when Gingrich ran for office himself, he suggested that many of those who entered the United States illegally have earned the right to citizenship.
Georgia Rep. Allen Peake, R-Macon, who opposed Trump’s candidacy, said loyalty plays big with the president-elect.
“I fully expect that Newt will get some type of very prominent position in the Trump administration,” Peake said Wednesday morning. “Who knows? There’s probably a handful of people who can name what they want and Newt would be on that short list.”
Treasure secretary - Steven Mnuchin
This has been all but confirmed, with Trump himself indicating that he wants to give the Treasury secretary job to his finance chairman, Steven Mnuchin.
A 17-year-veteran of Goldman Sachs now working as the chairman and chief executive of the private investment firm, Dune Capital Management, Mnuchin has also worked for OneWest Bank.
Mnuchin was a prolific fundraiser throughout Trump's campaign. He shocked political strategists when he managed to raise $80 million for the month of July, just shy of Hillary Clinton’s $90 million for the same time period. It was a significant uptick from the $51 million the campaign raised the previous month and came at a time when Trump’s campaign was all but broke.
He also served as executive producer for one of the biggest movies of 2016, Suicide Squad.
Secretary of Defense - Jeff Sessions
The US senator from Alabama is being touted as a possible Pentagon chief.
At his victory bash in New York, Mr Trump said of Sessions, "he is highly respected in Washington because he is as smart as you get".
The 69-year-old was a supporter of the 2003 US invasion of Iraq, which Mr Trump recently called "a terrible and stupid thing".
Sessions sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee, the Judiciary Committee and the Budget Committee.
State Attorney - Rudi Giuliani
Giuliani is being mentioned for the post of America's top prosecutor.
As New York Mayor during 9/11, he became the face of the city's resilience amid the rubble of the World Trade Center.
He also introduced NYPD's stop-and-frisk policy, which critics said was a form of racial profiling.
Positioning himself as the law-and-order candidate, Trump has championed the tactic.
Giuliani, a former New York prosecutor, ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008, but withdrew after finishing behind John McCain and Mitt Romney in primary contests.
Crowds booed when Trump called on Giuliani during his election speech.
Commerce Secretary - Chris Christie
Christie endorsed Trump after his own presidential campaign floundered, and has been linked to several cabinet positions since.
But he has been tainted by a scandal over the closure of a major bridge linking New Jersey and New York City, allegedly to punish a local mayor.
Since any presidential cabinet appointment must go before the Senate, confirmation could be problematic while this cloud hangs over him.
National Security Adviser - James Woolsey
Woolsey has been advising Trump on national security since October.
He served as CIA director in President Bill Clinton’s administration, and has been confirmed as senior adviser on national security, defense and intelligence, the campaign announced today.
Woolsey appeared on CNN shortly after the announcement, saying he joined the Trump campaign because he favors the Republican candidate’s defense budget proposal. Trump has proposed to lift the caps on defense spending. Woolsey also advised Republican John McCain's presidential campaign.
