Loyalty is common thread as Trump fills foreign policy, immigration jobs

Trump settles on Republican lawmakers for key national security posts, hoping to avoid infighting that frustrated him in his first term

- Alexander Ward

President-elect Donald Trump is stocking his cabinet and White House staff with loyalists with deep congressional experience who back his agenda on immigration and foreign policy—mostly shunning establishment Republicans whom he blames for thwarting his first-term goals.

In the clearest example yet, Trump has asked Rep. Mike Waltz (R., Fla.), a former Army Green Beret who shares the former president's views on illegal immigration and skepticism of America's support for Ukraine, to be his national security adviser, according to people familiar with the discussion. The job, which Trump has elevated to cabinet rank, doesn't require Senate confirmation.

The president-elect is also expected to nominate Sen. Marco Rubio (R., Fla.) to be secretary of state, according to people familiar with his thinking. Rubio has differed with Trump over the importance of alliances and favors confronting China and Iran but, like Trump, has called for ending the war in Ukraine.

Trump hasn't signaled who he will pick as secretaries of defense and the treasury. Among the candidates for Treasury are hedge-fund manager Scott Bessent and billionaire investor John Paulson, both of whom publicly backed Trump during the campaign.

Some of Trump's closest advisers are seeking to block candidates deemed insufficiently loyal for other top administration posts, fearing they could derail or slow roll his priorities.

It won't be easy to achieve the unanimity that Trump and some advisers want. To ensure Senate confirmation he might be forced to turn to some candidates who are at odds with him in important respects. Disagreements between agencies and members of his team were rife in his first term and are likely to reappear, current and former officials said.