In Trump’s cabinet, Heartland figures play prominent roles
As hearings for President-elect Donald Trump’s cabinet selections loom, almost a dozen of such selections have ties to the greater Midwest — a geography that was crucial to the Republican’s November victory.
Most notable is Missouri, where D. John Sauer (Trump’s solicitor general nominee), Will Scharf (assistant to the president and White House staff secretary) and former U.S. Rep. Billy Long (IRS commissioner) all repping the Show-Me State.
Sauer and Scharf have notable MAGA credentials. Sauer helped represent Trump before the Supreme Court during his presidential immunity case. Scharf, a one-time candidate to be the state’s attorney general, has close ties with the Judicial Crisis Network, known for its advocacy of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. When running for AG, Scharf bragged that he “played an instrumental role” in building “the most conservative Supreme Court in almost a century.”
Meanwhile, Long’s bonafides include his work directing clients to Lifetime Advisors, a company, which according to The New York Times, “had developed a booming business encouraging organizations to claim” a COVID-era employee retention tax credit. That same credit is listed by the IRS — which Long would hypothetically lead — as vulnerable to among the “worst of the worst” tax frauds. A Senate Finance Committee investigation into Long’s firm noted that Long did not have a “background in tax preparation nor any credential as a licensed accountant, attorney or enrolled agent.”
From the Dakotas, two governors — Kristi Noem of South Dakota and Doug Burgum of North Dakota — have been tapped for positions in the upper echelons of the cabinet.
Burgum ran against Trump in the 2024 Republican primary and had previously said he would not do business with the celebrity real estate mogul, citing that he thought it's “important that you're judged by the company you keep." But Burgrum would go on to endorse Trump and almost become his vice-presidential pick. His reward is a nomination for secretary of the Interior.
Meanwhile, his neighbor to the south, Noem, was put forward for Homeland Security secretary. Previously, Noem had been considered as a potential running mate for Trump’s 2024 campaign.
In the upper Midwest, Trump brought in Pete Hoekstra, who was previously a Michigan congressman, and Sean Duffy, a Fox Business host who previously represented Wisconsin's 7th Congressional District for almost a decade. The former hopes to serve as the U.S. ambassador to Canada (during Trump’s first term, Hoekstra was ambassador to the Netherlands) while the latter has been submitted for secretary of the Department of Transportation.
Lastly, Dr. Mehmet Oz, the alleged Pennsylvanian and television personality known for boosting quack alternative medical solutions and so-called “faith healing,” is being brought in to head the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services — services he supports privatizing. Oz was a Trump-backed candidate for Pennsylvania’s open Senate seat in 2022 but was defeated by the state’s lieutenant governor, John Fetterman.