Donald Trump: Who's in the running for top White House jobs
Updated
US President-elect Donald Trump needs to fill about 4,000 positions — in his cabinet and elsewhere — when he takes the reins on January 20.
During the election campaign, he vowed to "drain the swamp" — meaning he wanted to rid Washington of what he considered the "corrupt" political class.
He's already announced Republican Committee chairman Reince Priebus as his White House chief of staff and his campaign chairman Stephen Bannon as his chief strategist.
As well, Senator Jeff Sessions has been chosen as attorney-general, Representative Mike Pompeo as CIA director, and Retired Lieutenant General Mike Flynn as national security adviser.
So who's in the running for the most sought-after remaining jobs?
Here are some of the contenders:
Secretary of state
This is the big one. The secretary of state is the most senior cabinet members and is fourth in line of succession to the presidency.
The frontrunner: former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani.
Comments made by Mr Giuliani since the election have added to the speculation that he'll be named. While appearing at the Wall Street Journal CEO Council event, he suggested he'd be interested in the post.
"When you become the mayor, you become interested in foreign policy. When I left, my major work was legal and security around the world," he said.
But some Republican senators have expressed reservations about Mr Giuliani in that role, which requires confirmation from the Senate.
It's also been reported that Mr Trump is considering former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney for the role.
Yes, that's the same Mitt Romney who had this to say during the campaign: "Donald Trump tells us that he is very, very smart. I'm afraid that when it comes to foreign policy he is very, very not smart."
The pair have held talks at the Trump National Golf Club in New Jersey.
Other possibilities for secretary of state include John Bolton, a former US ambassador to the UN; Bob Corker, a Tennessee senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee; Zalmay Khalilzad, a former US ambassador to Iraq; and Nikki Haley, the governor of South Carolina who criticised Mr Trump during the Republican primaries and said she would vote for him despite being "not a fan".
Treasury secretary
Throughout his election campaign, Mr Trump attacked Hillary Clinton for her ties to big banks.
That's why the names that have been floated as Treasury secretary contenders are interesting.
Former Goldman Sachs executive Steven Mnuchin is considered the frontrunner for the role. He was previously Mr Trump's campaign finance chairman.
Other possibilities are Jeb Hensarling, a Texan congressman and chairman of the House Financial Services Committee; Jamie Dimon, the JPMorgan Chase & Co chief executive officer; and Tom Barrack, the founder and chairman of Colony Capital Inc.
Defence secretary
Recent speculation has pointed to James Mattis, a retired Marine Corps general known as "Mad Dog" who led combat units in Afghanistan and Iraq and later headed US Central Command.
Mr Trump called him the "real deal" and tweeted that he was "very impressive ... a true General's General" after the pair met for more than an hour. According to CNN, General Mattis is an opponent of the Iran nuclear deal.
Stephen Hadley is also seen as among the lead candidates: he was a national security adviser under former president George W Bush. The Wall Street Journal says Mr Trump is also considering retired General David Petraeus, who resigned as CIA chief in 2012 after an extra-marital affair.
Homeland security secretary
John Kelly, another retired Marine Corps general, is being considered for this position, which will be tasked with enforcing immigration policy including building Mr Trump's border wall. General Kelly previously led US Southern Command.
Frances Townsend, who worked on homeland security in the George W. Bush administration, is also reportedly being considered, as is Kris Kobach, a Republican from Kansas. He was photographed holding what appeared to be a document outlining his plans for the Homeland Security department as he arrived for a meeting with Mr Trump.
Speculation in the immediate aftermath of the election included mention of Milwaukee County Sheriff, David A Clarke Jr. Known for his unapologetic Twitter account (sound familiar?) Mr Clarke said he would be happy to accept the job if offered. He recently referred to those who have been protesting the election of Mr Trump as "goon anarchists".
Other contenders include Michael McCaul, a representative from Texas and chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee; and Joe Arpaio, the outgoing sheriff in Maricopa County, Arizona.
Commerce secretary
This is the position that New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is tipped to fill.
He had been considered a frontrunner for attorney-general, but that was before he was removed as the head of Mr Trump's transition planning team and replaced by Vice President-elect Mike Pence.
Mr Christie is currently dealing with the political fallout from a scandal in his state over a bridge project.
Also in the running for commerce secretary is Linda McMahon, a two-time Senate candidate who is better known as an executive of the World Wrestling Entertainment brand with her husband Vince McMahon; and Wilbur Ross, a billionaire investor and the chairman of Invesco Ltd subsidiary WL Ross & Co.
Interior secretary
The interior secretary oversees agencies like the United States Geological Survey, the Bureau of Land Management and the National Park Service.
Sarah Palin — the former Alaska governor, former vice-presidential candidate and now political commentator — is rumoured to be under consideration for the role.
And she hasn't been shy about her interest in a position in a Trump administration.
But she's got competition for the role from former Arizona governor Jan Brewer and Forrest Lucas, founder of oil products company Lucas Oil.
U.N. ambassador
The Washington Post has reported that South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, a rising Republican star, has accepted President-elect Donald Trump's offer to serve as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
Housing secretary
The New York Times has reported Ben Carson, the retired neurosurgeon who ran for the Republican presidential nomination before backing Mr Trump, is set to be chosen as secretary of housing and urban development.
ABC/wires
Topics: us-elections, government-and-politics, world-politics, united-states
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