Courtesy of donaldjtrump.com

Much like his whole campaign, President Elect Donald Trump’s appointees have been nothing short of controversial. Here are some of the people he has appointed so far.

• White House Chief of Staff– This position oversees the executive office, supervise White House staff, manage communication flow, and negotiate with external branches and agencies including Congress. Appointee- Reince Priebus: He is the head of the Republican National Convention.  Throughout the campaign he had been hesitant to support statements Trump made. It seems as though party interests outweighed the disagreements in Trump’s rhetoric.

• Chief Strategists-This position complements the the White House Chief of Staff, working hand-in-hand with the the Chief of Staff. Appointee- Steve Bannon: He is the most controversial pick considering he is the most prominent figure of the “alt-right” movement. His comments have ranged from misogynistic to antisemitic.  He is everything that Trump awakened throughout his campaign.

• Attorney General- The Attorney General is the head of United States Department of Justice and duties consist of prosecuting and conducting investigations. Appointee- Jeff Sessions: Sessions is a four term senator who has been criticized for making racists comments in the past. He is a proponent of the same strong immigration policy  Trump promoted during his campaign. He was the first senator to endorse Trump. He once joked about the Klu Klux Klan stating that he thought they were “okay, until he learned that they smoked marijuana.”

• Secretary of Commerce- This cabinet position is focused on promoting economic growth by promoting American business and industries. Appointee- Wilbur Ross: Ross is an investor whose wealth reaches $2.9 billion, and is dubbed the “King of Bankruptcy” for purchasing companies that are close to bankruptcy and resorting them. He, like Trump, is a  proponent of disbanding trade agreements.

• Secretary of Treasury- This position is in charge of the country’s tax system and borrows money on behalf of the government. He or she is also in charge of sanctions against foreign countries. Appointee- Steven Mnuchin: Once a partner at Goldman Sachs, Mnuchin is considered as a financial expert. However, he has no experience in government, which critics say is important when handling foreign financial responsibilities that dictate our national security and also our domestic well being. It’s also alarming that he had business dealings during the financial crisis in 2008 where he foreclosed on thousands of families after bailing out a bank.

• Secretary of Education- This position oversees the country’s education system and public policy that affects it. Appointee- Betsy DeVos: She has been a prominent supporter of charter schools. She is considered the most anti-public school appointee to this position since this department’s establishment. It will be interesting how she manages public schools considering that she is now in charge of every public school in the  country.

• Transportation Secretary- This position oversees national transportation programs. Appointee– Elaine  Chao: She is the least controversial pick by Trump. She has worked with numerous presidential administrations and has experience in government. She is married to Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell, who said he will not recuse himself from voting for her during her confirmation hearings.

• Health and Human Services Secretary- This position oversees all domestic health and human services, including on the issue of healthcare. Appointee- Tom Price: he has lead the opposition against the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.  He believes that it interferes with the patients’ and doctors’ ability to make medical decisions.

• Small Business Administrator- This position is in charge of guaranteeing that small businesses are given loans and their interests are protected by the federal government. Appointee–  Linda McMahon: She is a former chief executive for World Wresting Entertainment. Also, she and her husband were the biggest donors to Trump’s presidential campaign.

•  Director of CIA– This position oversees the CIA and national intelligence. Appointee- Mike Pompeo: He has been a proponent of torture such as waterboarding and electric chairs. He is also a supporter of governmental agencies that use surveillance such as the NSA.

• National Security Adviser- Top counselor to national security. This position is called on to the weigh in on issues regarding national security. Appointee- Micheal Flynn: He has been vocal about strict action against Muslims in and outside the U.S., stating to The New York Times that the biggest threat to national security is “Radical Islam.”

• Secretary of Defense- This position is in charge of the United States armed forces, including those in the Pentagon and overseas. Appointee- Gen James Mattis: He once said in a panel discussion “You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn’t wear a veil. . . So it’s a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them,”  in regards to the war in Afghanistan. Although Mattis and Trump have similar rhetoric when it comes to the Middle East, they differ in their opinions on and Vladimir Putin. Mattis is considered a great military leader, however, because Mattis served in active military duty within the past 7 years he might not be eligible to be the next Defense Secretary.

• Secretary of State- This position is in charge of advising the president and acting on foreign policy.  This position is the highest ranking cabinet position and fourth in line to succeed the president. Appointee- Rex Tillerson: He is the CEO of Exxon-Mobil and although he has negotiated with foreign leaders, he lacks foreign policy experience, or any government experience. Also, many of his views are largely unknown. A secretary of state that has control over foreign policy but with no foreign policy experience is alarming. Along with that Tillerson is also really good friends with Vladamir Putin, who awarded him the Russian Order of Friendship.

• United Nations Ambassador– This position represents the United States during the United Nations assembly and Security Council. Appointee– Nikki Haley: She’s the governor of South Carolina and has been critical of the Donald Trump before. She lacks foreign policy experience and refused to let Syrian refugees settle in South Carolina.

• Energy  Secretary –This position is in charge of the nuclear arsenal of the country as well as how nuclear waste is handled. Appointee– Rick Perry : He once said he would do away with this department when was running for president.

• Secretary of Housing and Urban Development- This position oversees fair and equal housing opportunity and development of  affordable housing. Appointee– Ben Carson: He has stated that he wouldn’t be able to take the position due to his lack of experience. However, he did run for president. He is a neurosurgeon who lives in Florida.