A roundup of Trump’s cabinet picks and administration officials from New York  

BY ELISE KLINE

Shortly after securing his path back to the White House, President-elect Donald Trump started to assemble his administration and his cabinet, and three of the officials are from New York. 

Rep. Elise Stefanik, who was recently re-elected to Congress for her sixth term, was selected to serve in Trump’s cabinet as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.  

“I stand ready to advance President Donald J. Trump’s restoration of America First peace through strength leadership on the world stage on Day One at the United Nations,” Stefanik said in an official statement.  

Stefanik in her time in Congress has served as a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, the House Intelligence Committee, and the Education and Workforce Committee.  

She has also been an outspoken supporter of Israel, raising concerns about antisemitism on college campuses.

Trump said, in a statement, that Stefanik is smart, strong, and a fighter.  

“She was the first Member of Congress to endorse me and has always been a staunch advocate. Elise is a senior Member of the House Armed Services Committee, the House Intelligence Committee, and led the charge against antisemitism on college campuses. She will be an incredible Ambassador to the United Nations, delivering Peace through Strength and America First National Security policies!” said the president-elect. 

Lee Zeldin, a former Congressional Representative who ran for Governor in 2022 was selected to serve as the administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 

Zeldin said in a statement on social media he is honored to join Trump’s cabinet. 
 
“We will restore US energy dominance, revitalize our auto industry to bring back American jobs and make the US the global leader of AI. We will do so while protecting access to clean air and water,” Zeldin wrote on X, formally known as Twitter.  

During his time serving in the U.S. House of Representatives, Zeldin’s work primarily focused on veterans issues.  

Trump also picked Tom Homan, a loyal supporter of his and a former police officer and immigration officer from New York, for the role of Border Czar.  

This will be his second time serving within the Trump administration. In 2017 he served as the acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).  

Thomas Doherty, a political strategist, said Trump’s choices seem to fit what he was looking for, loyalty.  

“Nobody should be surprised that he’s picking people that are supportive of him and his campaign,” he said.  

Stefanik has for years been a fierce ally of Trump, defending him during his two impeachments and supporting his campaigns.  
 
Zeldin, also a supporter of Trump, was among the Republicans in Congress who voted against certifying the 2020 election.  

Doherty said it makes sense for Trump to have people on his team that align with his vision.  

Other political experts agree–Trump’s picks across the board are about loyalty.  

“These are not the type of picks another traditional Republican president would have ever even gotten close to,” said Shawn Donahue, a political science professor at SUNY Buffalo.  

Donahue added Trump picking Homan signals he will likely follow through on his promise during his campaign to execute massive deportations.  

Trump has so far made his choices for most of the members of his presidential cabinet. A cabinet for a United States President includes the Vice President, 15 executive department heads, and 10 cabinet-level officials.  

With the number of cabinet seats left shrinking and already three choices from New York, Doherty said the remainder of Trump's selections will likely be spread out to other states.  

Most members of the president’s cabinet have to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Donahue said Zeldin and Stefanik they shouldn’t have much pushback at least from Republicans.