Following the election results of 2024, President Donald Trump has offered his nominees to fill the various roles in his administration that would pertain to foreign policy and relations.
According to CBS, current Rep. Elise Stefanik has been picked for ambassador to the United Nations, former governor of Arkansas Mike Huckabee has been picked for ambassador to Israel and congressman Mike Waltz has been chosen to serve as national security advisor.
These appointments signal a push to take a strong supportive approach to Israel when it comes to the conflict in the Middle East involving Palestine, Iran and Lebanon, according to Foreign Policy.
According to Foreign Policy, Trump has selected Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) to serve as his secretary of state. Rubio will be the first Latino to hold this position.
During his confirmation hearings, according to Axios, Rubio held an assertive stance on the need for a ceasefire in Ukraine and a disdain for China.
According to PBS reporting, the Republican Party has said that they would like to limit spending towards the conflict, which has led to anxieties surrounding the issue.
Surrounding Trump’s foreign policy plans are his past comments in regard to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) where he referred to it as “obsolete,” according to CNN.
On Nov. 12, President-Elect Trump picked Fox News anchor Pete Hegseth to be his secretary of defense, according to Newsweek.
Pete Hegseth has been a staunch opponent of NATO and the strain he perceives it places on the U.S. financially, according to Newsweek.
“Maybe if NATO countries actually ponied up for their own defense—but they don’t. They just yell about the rules while gutting their militaries and yelling at America for help,” Hegseth said, according to Newsweek.
Trump told top European officials in 2020 that “NATO is dead,” and was built for a different “Cold War era” that no longer exists. He has threatened, on multiple occasions, to leave the alliance entirely according to the Council on Foreign Relations.
According to Politico reporting, these comments, along with the views of those the future President has picked to lead on foreign policy in the future administration, has given both leaders domestic and abroad pause about what the administration will carry out.
Reporting from CNN shows with confirmation hearings kicking off in the U.S. Senate as of Jan. 13, it is becoming evident that the nominations put forward by incoming President-elect Trump are going to face tough questions from both sides of the dias.