Trump turns to former critics to help build out second administration

Published December 8, 2024 7:00am ET



President-elect Donald Trump hasn’t shied away from tapping or contemplating former Republican rivals to join his second administration. He even went so far as to nominate GOP lawmakers who criticized his political acumen for top leadership roles that could upend Washington.

Former presidential 2020 rival Vivek Ramaswamy was tapped to lead the newly created Department of Government Efficiency with tech billionaire Elon Musk. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), a former 2016 presidential rival, was tapped by Trump as his secretary of state nominee. Vice President-elect J.D. Vance‘s past critical comments about Trump didn’t derail him from joining the ticket.

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