US President-elect Donald Trump is rapidly assembling his cabinet, and some of his most prominent nominees would become key figures in the Canada-US relationship if confirmed.
The incoming secretaries of foreign affairs, homeland security and defense will be tasked with promoting the Trump administration’s interests abroad, and will be the ones pressing Canada to align with American positions on foreign policy, immigration and military spending, among other issues.
Most of the nominees Trump has announced so far are current or former Republican lawmakers in Congress and governors, who have been among his staunchest defenders. Analysts say this shows that Trump prioritizes loyalty and the ability to navigate the legislative process above all else.
“Donald Trump’s choices so far suggest he is serious about pursuing the policies he campaigned on,” Matthew LeBow, a political science professor at Western University, told Global News in an email.
All of Trump’s nominees will need approval by the US Senate, but many of his picks so far are expected to receive relatively easy approval with Republicans in strong control of the chamber.
Here’s a look at the faces Canadians may know well once the second Trump administration is up and running next year.
Marco Rubio – Secretary of State
Senator Marco Rubio of Florida has been appointed to serve as Trump’s secretary of state, making him the United States’ top diplomat.
Rubio has been a prominent critic of China and Iran, a leader in the Senate on foreign relations and intelligence issues, and is seen as a foreign policy “hawk” with hawkish views.
“There is probably no one in the Senate who really knows foreign affairs better than Marco Rubio,” said Christian Lebrecht, a professor at Queen’s University and the Royal Military College and a senior fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute.
Although he previously supported Ukraine in its fight against a Russian invasion, Rubio recently said Ukraine needed to seek a negotiated settlement with Moscow and voted against the latest round of US military and humanitarian aid.
Trump and Vice President-elect J.D. Vance have made similar comments about ending the war, which has raised concerns about what Russia stands to gain in peace talks.
As a senator, Rubio co-sponsored legislation passed by Congress last year that would make it harder for the president to withdraw from NATO, which now requires approval by at least two-thirds of the U.S. Senate.
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Trump has long criticized NATO allies who do not pay their fair share on defense — a frequent frustration raised by U.S. officials regarding Canada — and some Trump critics, including his former national security adviser John Bolton, fear Trump will try to withdraw the United States. From the alliance.
On the diplomatic front, Rubio is expected to be joined by US Representative Elise Stefanik, who was nominated by Trump for the position of US Ambassador to the United Nations. Stefanik served in the leadership of the Republican Party in the US House of Representatives, and is a fierce defender of Trump’s agenda.
Stefanik has also led efforts to reduce anti-Semitism in the United States, especially in the wake of the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Her appointment, as well as staunch Israel advocate Mike Huckabee, as US ambassador to Israel, comes after both loudly expressed their support For Israel amid the conflict in the Middle East.
In July, Rubio and other Republican senators have raised concerns On “Gazans with potential terrorist ties to enter US via Canada” after Ottawa eased temporary visa restrictions for Canadian family members fleeing Israel, Gaza and the West Bank.
Kristi Noem – Secretary of Homeland Security
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, who was overwhelmingly re-elected to a second term in 2022, is one of Trump’s fiercest defenders and has been an outspoken critic of US immigration policy.
As Secretary of Homeland Security, she will oversee key border enforcement and immigration agencies such as U.S. Customs and Border Patrol and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Her closest counterpart in Canada is Public Safety Minister Dominique LeBlanc, and she will likely be the face of US pressure on Canada to increase immigration enforcement and reduce entry.
Noem, whose state is closer to Canada than Mexico, has made several trips in recent years to the US-Mexico border, which she described as a “war zone” in January. Dozens of National Guard troops have been deployed to assist Republican-led Texas with border security.
In 2022, Noem equated Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s decision to invoke emergency legislation to suppress so-called “Freedom Caravan” protests, which included freezing organizers’ financial accounts, with “Communist China’s social credit system.”
Canada is The largest export market is South DakotaAnd the state sees Over $750 million in agricultural trade Lonely.
LeBrecht said Noem’s time as governor may mean she sympathizes with the jurisdictional concerns of provinces like Quebec and Alberta when it comes to immigration and other issues, but she also sees the value of maintaining free trade with Canada while tightening the border.
Along with Noem, Trump’s immigration policy will be led by Tom Homan, a former top ICE official, as his administration’s next “border czar.” Stephen Miller, the architect of Trump’s immigration agenda in the first term, will join the new administration as White House deputy chief of staff for policy and homeland security adviser.
LeBeau said the appointments of Homan and Miller “are signs that Trump is serious about mass deportations,” which experts fear could have implications for the Canadian economy and border security.
Pete Hegseth – Minister of Defence
Trump’s choice to lead the Pentagon, Fox News host Pete Hegseth, is unusual given Hegseth’s lack of government experience — and may face the toughest path to confirmation.
Hegseth, a U.S. Army veteran who served in the Middle East, has been an outspoken supporter of military members as well as a critic of the modern military as an institution. In 2019, Hegseth successfully lobbied Trump to pardon US service members accused of war crimes, after she presented their case on air on Fox.
In his book The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Freereleased earlier this year, Hegseth criticizes diversity and inclusion measures in the military and in hiring and promotion standards, calling such programs “woke.” Likewise, Trump criticized the “woke” generals and vowed to replace them as president.
Hegseth’s book also includes criticism of NATO, which he describes as “outdated, outgunned, invasive, and impotent,” and reiterates Trump’s frequent pledge not to defend alliance members who do not meet defense spending commitments.
“Why should America, the European ‘emergency contact number’ of the last century, listen to helpless nations demanding that we respect outdated, unilateral defense arrangements that no longer measure up?” Hegseth wrote.
Lebrecht said it would generally be a good idea to appoint someone with no military experience as defense minister, to avoid clashing with career military leaders over the decision-making process.
“The last thing you need is another expert at the head of the department,” he said. “You actually want someone who can understand the department overall and know how the department relates to other departments, to Congress and to the presidency.”
Trump has already appointed a former military member, Rep. Mike Waltz of Florida, to serve as national security adviser. Waltz, a retired Green Army soldier who served multiple combat tours as a colonel in the National Guard, is a vocal critic of China and has noted reports of China’s alleged interference in Canadian elections.
In a social media post last year, Waltz called allegations of Chinese interference in Canadian elections a “huge scandal” and suggested that Beijing wants to keep the Liberals in power.
He also publicly criticized Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Cheering for Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre To win the next elections.
