These loyal aides stuck by Trump. Now they’re back for ‘unfinished business’

Washington The president-elect has quickly put together his next White House team, bringing back notable veterans of his previous administration to get things going on Day 1 of his presidency, eight years after he managed a notoriously messy transition during his first term.

Three weeks after winning the election, Trump has filled a number of high-level White House positions and nominated 21 of his 24 Cabinet-level positions. This contrasts sharply with Trump’s chaotic 2016 transition, which included firing his first transition chair, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, and gradually putting together his team, leaving hundreds of senior staff positions at federal agencies vacant months into Trump’s presidency.

Russell Vought, Trump’s choice to head the influential Office of Management and Budget and a co-author of the contentious Project 2025 policy blueprint created by the Heritage Foundation, Dan Scavino, a longtime Trump adviser, and Stephen Miller, the mastermind behind Trump’s mass deportation plans, are among the “originals” making a comeback to the White House.

At least 14 of Trump’s candidates for Cabinet or key White House staff roles have had formal jobs during his first administration, and that number is likely to rise.

Sean Spicer, Trump’s first press secretary in the White House, stated, “I think these guys want to come back and finish the job,” Using the knowledge of those who have been there previously, Spicer said he anticipated “a flurry of activity out of the gate.”

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Meanwhile, there are newcomers to the Trump White House, such as Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump’s choice for secretary of Health and Human Services, and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles. Elon Musk, the billionaire software entrepreneur spearheading a campaign to demolish the federal bureaucracy, is one of the close advisers in Trump’s wider circle who do not have formal government positions.
There won’t be any impromptu learning in the next Trump White House, according to his supporters, unlike 2016.

“An administration often takes months to get off the ground. “They will require seconds,” Spicer stated. “Cuddle up, sweetheart. The first 100 days and 10 days will be wonderful. Knowing that he has four years to make changes, he will make the most of every moment of it.
Following the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021, a number of Trump aides, including former chief of staff John Kelly and top press aides Sarah Matthews, Stephanie Grisham, and Alyssa Farah Griffin, became Trump critics. Their return further demonstrates the importance Trump places on loyalty.

The “biggest mistake” of Trump’s first presidency, he said in a podcast interview with Joe Rogan last month, was hiring some “bad, disloyal people” to work for him. “I picked some people that I shouldn’t have picked,” Trump stated.

Trump announced 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico, along with an additional 10% duty on Chinese goods, as part of his Day 1 moves this week. Additionally, Trump has stated that he will start carrying out his pledge to deport undocumented immigrants as soon as he assumes office.

 

Here are a few of the leading figures returning to Washington from the first Trump administration:

Stephen Miller, policy deputy chief of staff
One of Trump’s top immigration aides with the longest tenure, Stephen Miller, will be the incoming White House’s deputy chief of staff for policy.

During Trump’s first term in the White House, the 39-year-old Miller was the Republican’s director of speechwriting and senior adviser. He is recognized for having influenced Trump’s immigration policies during his time as president, which included a travel restriction from nations with a large Muslim population and the separation of immigrant children from their families.
Using a 2019 Southern Poverty Law Center study that cited over 900 emails Miller allegedly sent to a former writer at the conservative website Breitbart expressing his opinions, many Democrats accused Miller of being a white nationalist during Trump’s first term.

In a Fox News interview last week, Miller said that Trump had put together a “world-class policy team behind the scenes” to carry out his campaign pledges once he assumes office on January 20.

“So that the first day, the first week, the first 100 Days will be a bolt of lightning,” stated Miller. “The swamp, the deep state, the communists will not know what hit them.”