As the former US president returns for a second term, the appointment of advisers and political allies to key roles in the incoming Trump administration signals a pro-Israel direction of the cabinet.
Within days after his resounding election victory, which secured at least 270 electoral college votes on 5 November, Donald Trump has named a handful of advisers and political allies to serve in various posts, including White House chief of staff.
Political consultant Susie Wiles has been appointed as the White House chief of staff. In a statement announcing the appointment, Trump said, “Susie Wiles just helped me achieve one of the greatest political victories in American history.”
Donald Trump nominated Stephen Miller, one of his most prominent Jewish advisers and a force behind many of his most hardline immigration policies, as the deputy chief of staff.
During Trump’s first term, Miller was credited with helping to implement some of his most controversial actions on immigration. That included the travel ban on several Muslim-majority countries, as well as his policy to separate the children of undocumented migrants from their parents.
Miller constantly justified the Gaza genocide by calling Palestine a “terrorist colony” and referring Israeli army’s actions as “a mission to eliminate the death squad, a necessary action to ensure the survival of the sole Jewish state.”
Trump’s appointment of Marco Rubio to be his secretary of state and Rep. Michael Waltz as national security adviser also raises concerns. Marco Rubio, a Republican from Florida has been a staunch supporter of Israeli occupation in Palestine, which is evident from his public remarks.
Rubio attacked pro-Palestine protests and believes America needs to support Israel, mentioning October 7 as the “darkest day for Jews.”
Cuban-origin Marco Rubin has maintained a close relationship with the Jewish communities in Florida, which is estimated at 5% of the state’s electorate and works in alliance with the prominent Israeli lobby, AIPAC.
The Republican Jewish Coalition welcomed the news of the appointment stating “in these extraordinarily dangerous times, Senator Rubio is an outspoken defender of Israel who has always had the Jewish state’s back.”
Rubio and Waltz will be joining the strongly pro-Israel New York congresswoman Elise Stefanik, whom Trump named as his ambassador to the United Nations on Monday. Now Elise Stefanik’s pro-Israel views will represent Washington at United Nations. The US has already used its United Nations Security Council veto power 42 times against resolutions condemning Israeli occupation.
Since the Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza began in October 2023, Stefanik has supported bills targeting pro-Palestinian students protesting against the Gaza genocide, calling on their administrations to cut economic ties with Israel.
Stefanik gained popularity in December 2023 after aggressively going after several university presidents during a hearing on antisemitism, which focused on the pro-Palestinian protests taking place on US campuses, something critics say was an effort to clamp down on criticism of Israel as it is conducting ethnic cleansing of Palestinians.
Since the beginning of Gaza genocide, Stefanik has attacked the UN and called for the defunding of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, known as UNRWA.
During her time in Congress, she worked on and supported several pro-Israel measures, including a bill to effectively bar US citizens and companies from providing information to foreign countries and international organizations that “have the effect of furthering” the boycott of Israel. The bill targeted the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestments, and Sanctions movement.
Once the Senate confirms her nomination, 40-year-old Stefanik will succeed US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, who has held the position for the entire Biden administration.
Trump also named Tom Homan as “border czar” in a post on his Truth Social website late on Sunday, saying that “there is nobody better at policing and controlling our Borders”.
The president-elect also said that Homan, who served in Trump’s first administration as the head of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) would be in charge of carrying out “all deportation of illegal aliens back to the country of origin”.
He was one of the authors of Project 2025, the handbook for a new conservative government written by several right-wing think tanks.
His podcast named “Operation B11- Israel: is America safe?”, attempts to inflict fear on Americans and compares October 7 with 9/11, despite both being entirely different things.
Former Jewish GOP (Grand Old Party) lawmaker Lee Zeldin, who is going to oversee the Environmental Protection Agency, considers Israel a “best ally in the Middle East; a beacon of hope, freedom and liberty.”
Trump’s return to the White House for a second time after his 2017-2021 term has already gained considerable attention.
The listed appointments above highlights Trump’s intention to maintain his strong support for Israel in a second term, amid discussions on whether the U.S support to Israeli genocide on Gaza cost Kamala Harris the U.S. election.
