US President-elect Donald Trump is rapidly building his cabinet, and some of his most prominent nominees will become key figures in the Canada-US relationship if confirmed.
The next secretaries of State, Homeland Security and Defense will be tasked with promoting the Trump administration’s interests abroad and will be the ones to pressure Canada to align with US 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 and governors, who have been among his staunchest supporters. Analysts say that shows Trump is prioritizing loyalty and the ability to navigate the legislative process above all else.
“Donald Trump’s elections so far indicate that he is serious about implementing the policies he campaigned on,” Matthew Lebo, a political science professor at Western University, told Global News in an email.
All of Trump’s nominees will need confirmation by the US Senate, but many of his choices so far are expected to get relatively easy approval with Republicans who have solid control of the chamber.
Here’s a look at the faces Canadians might get to know very well once the second Trump administration is up and running next year.
Marco Rubio – Secretary of State
Florida Senator Marco Rubio has been tapped to serve as Trump’s secretary of state, making him America’s top diplomat.
A prominent critic of China and Iran, Rubio has been a leader in the Senate on foreign affairs and intelligence issues and is seen as a foreign policy “hawk” with hardline views.
“There’s probably no one in the Senate who really knows foreign affairs better than Marco Rubio,” said Christian Leuprecht, 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 the Russian invasion, Rubio has more recently said that Ukraine needs to seek a negotiated settlement with Moscow and voted against the most recent round of US military and humanitarian aid.
Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance have made similar comments about ending the war, raising concerns about what Russia could gain in peace talks.
As a senator, Rubio co-sponsored legislation passed by Congress last year that would make it more difficult for a president to withdraw from NATO, which now requires the approval of at least two-thirds of the US Senate.
Receive the latest national news
For news affecting Canada and around the world, sign up to receive breaking news alerts delivered directly to you as it happens.
Trump has long criticized NATO allies who do not pay their fair share of defense (a frequent frustration raised by U.S. officials about Canada), and some Trump critics, including his former national security adviser John Bolton, fear that Trump try to withdraw the United States. of the alliance.
On the diplomatic front, Rubio is expected to be joined by U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, whom Trump nominated to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Stefanik has served in Republican leadership positions in the U.S. House of Representatives and is a fierce defender of Trump’s agenda.
Stefanik has also led efforts to curb anti-Semitism in the United States, particularly in the wake of the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Her appointment, as well as that of staunch Israel defender Mike Huckabee as US ambassador to Israel , comes after both expressed support for Israel amid the Middle East conflict.
In July, Rubio and other Republican senators expressed concern on “Gaza residents with possible terrorist links to enter the US through 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 re-elected to a second term in a landslide in 2022, is one of Trump’s fiercest supporters and has been an outspoken critic of US immigration policy.
As Secretary of Homeland Security, she will oversee key border and immigration enforcement agencies, such as the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). His closest counterpart in Canada is Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc, and he is likely to be the face of US pressure on Canada to increase immigration control measures and reduce entries.
Noem, whose home state is closer to Canada than Mexico, has made several trips in recent years to the U.S.-Mexico border, which she called a “war zone” in January. He has deployed dozens of National Guard troops to help the Republican-led state of Texas with border security.
In 2022, Noem compared Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s decision to invoke the Emergency Act to quell the so-called “Freedom Convoy” protests, which involved freezing organizers’ financial accounts, to the “social credit system.” of communist China.
Canada is South Dakota’s largest export marketand the state sees more than 750 million dollars in agricultural trade only.
Leuprecht said Noem’s time as governor could mean she is sympathetic to the jurisdictional concerns of provinces like Quebec and Alberta when it comes to immigration and other issues, but also sees value in maintaining free trade with Canada while taking drastic measures. on the border.
In addition to Noem, Trump’s immigration policy will also be led by former top ICE official Tom Homan as his administration’s incoming “border czar.” Stephen Miller, the architect of Trump’s first-term immigration agenda, will join the new administration as White House deputy chief of staff for policy and national security adviser.
Lebo said the appointments of Homan and Miller “are signs that Trump is serious about mass deportations,” which experts fear will have implications for Canada’s economy and border security.
Pete Hegseth – Secretary of Defense
Trump’s choice to lead the Pentagon, Fox News host Pete Hegseth, is unusual given Hegseth’s lack of government experience, and he could 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 who had been accused of war crimes, after making the case on air on Fox.
in his book The war against the warriors: behind the betrayal of the men who keep us freePublished earlier this year, Hegseth lashes out at diversity and inclusion measures in the military and in recruiting and promotion criteria, calling such programs “woke.” Trump has also criticized “woke” generals and has promised to replace them as president.
Hegseth’s book also includes criticism of NATO, calling it “obsolete, outgunned, overrun and impotent” and echoes Trump’s repeated promise not to defend alliance members who fail to comply. their defense spending commitments.
“Why should the United States, Europe’s ’emergency contact number’ for the past century, listen to impotent, self-righteous nations asking us to honor outdated, unilateral defense agreements that they no longer comply with?” Hegseth wrote.
Leuprecht said that, in general, it would be a good move to appoint someone without military experience as defense secretary, to avoid clashes with career military leaders in decision-making.
“The last thing you need is another expert at the top of the department,” he said. “Really, what you need is someone who can understand the department broadly and figure out how it relates to other departments, to Congress, and to the presidency.”
Trump named a former military officer, Rep. Mike Waltz of Florida, to be his national security adviser. Waltz, a retired Army Green Beret who served multiple combat tours as a colonel in the National Guard, is a hardline critic of China and has taken note of reports about China’s alleged interference in Canada’s elections.
In a social media post last year, Waltz called allegations of Chinese interference in the Canadian election “a MASSIVE scandal” and suggested Beijing wanted to keep the Liberals in power.
He has also openly criticized Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, cheering on conservative leader Pierre Poilievre to win the next elections.
