MILWAUKEE — One of the main parlor games here at the Republican National Convention is gaming out who in Congress would serve in a possible Trump administration.
This is an imperfect exercise. Former President Donald Trump is known to make decisions in, well, an interesting way. And, of course, Trump hasn’t won the White House yet.
So take this item as a running list of who people want in a Trump Cabinet, who people think lawmakers want, and what Trump world is thinking and talking about. And remember here: We’re only talking about Hill Republicans. Also note that Trump will only want to take senators from states with Republican governors.
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.): There’s an argument to be made that Cotton could take a pass on serving in the Trump Cabinet. He’s 47, and there’s no real reason for him to give up a Senate seat for the rough and tumble of the Trump administration. But there’s plenty of buzz that he could serve as Defense secretary or CIA director. Those are good gigs. He’d probably be in competition with Mike Pompeo for Defense secretary, among others.
Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.): Almost everyone we spoke to this week has mentioned Hagerty as a potential Treasury secretary. The case for Hagerty is he understands financial markets and, more importantly, was ambassador to Japan and understands the U.S. relationship with China. Trump, though, has floated JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon for Treasury.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.): After Rubio was passed over for vice president, he’s in line for a big job. And the big job we hear he could get is secretary of State. Rubio serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and is the top Republican on the Intelligence Committee. His views on foreign policy aren’t 100% aligned with Trump’s, but he’s well-respected by defense hawks and “America First” warriors alike. And clearly Rubio has had an itch to leave the Senate for some time.
Other potential high-profile landing spots for Rubio: director of the CIA or National Intelligence.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.): This was a curveball, but a bunch of top-ranking Republicans have mentioned Blackburn as Commerce secretary. If Trump is truly rewarding loyalty, then Blackburn deserves a prize. She’s been in lockstep with Trump for years.
Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.): Schmitt would be a natural choice for attorney general. He’s fought all of Trump’s battles on the Hill and previously served as Missouri’s attorney general. He’s carried the torch on so many issues that ignite the Trump base, from social media censorship to Covid-related mandates.
House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.): As we mentioned in the Tuesday morning edition, few expect Stefanik to stick around in Congress if Trump wins the White House. After her viral grilling of university presidents over antisemitism on campus, Stefanik could be primed for Education secretary.
Stefanik, a member of the House Intelligence Committee, is also said to be interested in serving as the ambassador to the United Nations.
Rep. Michael Waltz (R-Fla.): We previously reported that Waltz, a former Green Beret, was eyeing a play for Defense secretary. The Florida Republican has been a White House and Pentagon policy adviser. And he was among the group of Republicans who traveled to New York to support Trump during his hush-money trial. Waltz gave an impressive speech on Wednesday focusing on how Trump comforted the family members of service members killed in Afghanistan in 2021.
Rep. Brian Mast (R-Fla.): An Afghanistan war veteran who lost both his legs in combat, Mast is seen as a real contender to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs. Mast also chairs “Veterans for Trump.”
Rep. Mark Green (R-Tenn.): House Republicans tell us that Green is seen as wanting Homeland Security. Now, this will be a big job in the Trump administration. And he’ll likely have to compete for the gig with former Trump ICE official Tom Homan, who is largely seen as the frontrunner right now.
Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.): The controversial Trump ally, who recently switched districts in the name of political survival, may apparently be interested in heading up the Interior Department. This one seems like a long-shot to us. A very long shot.
