Donald Trump will return to the White House with a group of old friends and staffers, as well as some new, splashy pals.
The Republican president-elect has only recently begun to name important figures in his cabinet, but he has kept a rotating cast of associates with him on and off the campaign trail in recent weeks, including those who joined him on stage early Wednesday to declare victory.
Here’s a look at some key players in Trump’s orbit as he prepares to take over the White House again.
Susie Wiles
For the second time, Trump won the presidency with a female campaign manager. Wiles, who joined his 2024 campaign early, effectively acted as his campaign manager before being designated his new chief of staff on Thursday. She has been acknowledged as being a steadfast and quiet force behind Trump’s third presidential campaign, overseeing a generally controlled and ultimately successful organization.
Wiles is the daughter of the late NFL player and commentator Pat Summerall.
Lara Trump
Trump has consistently prioritized family members in crucial positions in both business and administration. If physical proximity is any indication of authority, it is worth noting that the person standing to Trump’s right during his victory party was Lara Trump.
She is married to the former president’s middle son, Eric, and has served as co-chair of the Republican National Committee since the spring, at Donald Trump’s request.
Lara Trump, a former television producer, was a prominent supporter for her father-in-law and considered running for Senate in her home state of North Carolina in 2022, but ultimately decided against it.
Dana White
White is the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s president and a longtime buddy of Donald Trump. They date back to 2001, when White organized a UFC fight at the Republican’s former Trump Taj Mahal casino and hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
White, for his part, has spoken at the Republican conventions in 2016, 2020, and 2024, as well as at Trump’s victory party on Wednesday, where he briefly addressed the audience.
Linda McMahon
McMahon, the other co-chair of Trump’s transition team, is a longstanding friend of the president-elect.
She and her husband, Vince, started World Wrestling Entertainment and built it into a superpower. Trump has attended some WWE events over the years, and McMahon was one of his most generous supporters during his 2016 campaign.
Howard Lutnick
Lutnick, CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, is a co-chair of Trump’s transition committee, which is tasked with identifying the team that will serve in the next government.
Lutnick has previously donated to both Democrats and Republicans, participated on Trump’s NBC reality show “The Apprentice,” and is now a member of the president-elect’s inner circle. He appeared alongside Trump at events in the final days of his campaign, including a rally at Madison Square Garden.
Boris Epshteyn
Epshteyn is a lawyer who has been communicating with Trump’s numerous legal teams, as well as a longtime Trump aide who served as a prominent surrogate throughout the 2016 campaign. Epshteyn worked briefly as an adviser in Trump’s White House and as an on-screen political analyst for Sinclair Broadcast Group.
After Trump refused to accept his loss in 2020, Epshteyn collaborated with former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani to overturn the outcome. He was accused of conspiring with Giuliani to submit bogus electors for Trump in Arizona and obstruct Congress’ confirmation of the election results. He has pled not guilty in Arizona to nine criminal charges stemming from the case.
Stephen Miller
Miller was a senior adviser during Trump’s first term and had a key role in many of the former president’s policy decisions, including his decision to separate hundreds of immigrant families as a deterrent program in 2018. Miller contributed to several of Trump’s tough immigration comments and policies.
Miller has served as president of America First Legal, an organization formed by former Trump advisers to challenge the Biden administration, media companies, universities, and others on issues such as free speech and religion, as well as national security.
Richard Grenell
Grenell, Trump’s former ambassador to Germany and acting director of national intelligence, has continued to serve as a significant foreign policy and political adviser. He is believed to be at the top of Trump’s short list for secretary of state.
Grenell participated in events with Trump’s wife, Melania Trump, as well as the Log Cabin Republicans during the campaign. He was a crucial mediator in Trump’s outreach to Arab Americans in Michigan, and he attended Trump in September for a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Elon Musk
Musk, the wealthy CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, is currently one of Trump’s most powerful allies.
Musk purchased Twitter in 2022 and rebranded it as X, amplifying conservative and far-right viewpoints on the site. Musk, who previously endorsed President Barack Obama, has shifted to the right and emerged as a key voice among American conservatives. He embraced Trump after the Republican survived an assassination attempt in July and spent more than $119 million to support his campaign, including a $1 million-a-day voter sweepstakes in Pennsylvania.
Trump routinely praises Musk and expresses his surprise while watching SpaceX rocket landings. Trump has stated that he will offer Musk, a large government contractor, a position in his administration by establishing an efficiency committee to audit the whole federal government.
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
Kennedy, an anti-vaccine activist and environmentalist, is a Democratic Party scion whose ascension into Trump’s orbit was one of the surprises of the 2024 presidential campaign.
In recent weeks, he has discussed taking control of the United States Department of Agriculture or having the authority to “reorganize” government health agencies. He has stated that if elected, Trump will push local water systems to remove fluoride from drinking water, one of the major public health successes of the last century, and will allow him to study the safety of vaccines, on which he has long advocated disproved beliefs.
Brooke Rollins
Rollins, another longstanding associate, is regarded as a potential recruit in the new administration. She was Trump’s former domestic policy chief and currently serves as president and CEO of the America First Policy Institute.
Rollins formerly worked as an advisor to former Texas Governor Rick Perry and led the Texas Public Policy Foundation.