President-elect Donald Trump wasted no time releasing his picks for Cabinet positions, sending the nation into a frenzy over several different selections. Some notable figures, however, were left out, especially those who held positions in Trump’s previous administration.
Here are five people who were snubbed in the competition to be chosen for Trump’s Cabinet.
Kelly Loeffler for agriculture secretary
Former Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler was widely thought to be Trump’s selection for agriculture secretary. She’s now the co-chairwoman of Trump’s second inaugural committee alongside real estate mogul Steve Witkoff, who was just named Trump’s Middle East envoy.
Loeffler supported overturning the 2020 election results but ended up voting in favor of certifying results after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. She also backed Trump during his Georgia criminal case, testifying as a witness before a Fulton County grand jury in 2022.
Her support of and proximity to Trump’s inner circle wasn’t enough for her to snatch the USDA secretary role, though. Brooke Rollins was announced as Trump’s Cabinet pick on Saturday.
Nikki Haley for U.N. ambassador
Nikki Haley, Trump’s main opponent in the Republican primary, was the governor of South Carolina from 2011 to 2017 before she was selected by Trump to serve as America’s 29th ambassador to the United Nations from 2017 to 2018.
Haley said numerous times throughout her presidential campaign that she did not want a Cabinet position if Trump was elected president. However, she was reportedly consulted for her opinion on some of the administration’s potential Cabinet picks.
Haley says she has stayed true to her word about never wanting a Cabinet role in the first place, but that didn’t stop Trump from rejecting her as any sort of option for his Cabinet in a post on Truth Social just days after the election.
With Haley out of the question, Trump picked Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) to be his U.N. ambassador. Stefanik held a reputation for being an independent voice for years but supported Trump during his impeachment hearings in 2019 and objected to certifying the 2020 election results, solidifying her place as a Trump loyalist.
Ben Carson for HUD secretary
Ben Carson, a retired neurosurgeon and 2016 presidential candidate, was the secretary of housing and urban development throughout Trump’s first administration.
Carson was expected to take the position back up, with sources telling Politico that he “is a favorite to return to the role if he wants it.”
While he was seen as a front-runner to retake the HUD position, Carson was also rumored to take over as surgeon general. He quickly clarified his standing on X, writing, “Contrary to reports, I will not be serving as the surgeon general.”
Carson also appears in the Heritage Foundation’s “Project 2025.” The byline of a section crafting a housing policy lists his name, showing that he never drifted far from housing issues following Trump’s loss to President Joe Biden in 2020.
Nonetheless, Trump gave the Cabinet position to Scott Turner, a former NFL player and Texas state congressman who served as the executive director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council in Trump’s first administration.
Mike Pompeo for secretary of state
Mike Pompeo served two different roles in Trump’s first administration: CIA director and secretary of state. At the time of his first appointment, Pompeo was in his fourth term as a congressman in Kansas‘s 4th Congressional District. He was promoted to CIA director from 2017 to 2018 before finishing the rest of Trump’s term as the 70th secretary of state.
Pompeo was not beloved by everyone in Trump’s close circle. Republican strategist Roger Stone told Trump to look past Pompeo as a Cabinet choice, saying that Trump could not trust him.
Pompeo was rejected in the same Truth Social post that Trump used to shut down Haley, debunking him as a contender for the secretary of state position. Trump selected Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) to take up the Cabinet position instead.
Christopher Miller for defense secretary
Christopher Miller, a retired Army Special Forces officer, took over as acting defense secretary for the last two months of Trump’s presidency. Miller was widely criticized for not calling in the National Guard immediately during the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. Even so, Miller was “an obvious if not reluctant pick to lead the Defense Department,” according to the Hill.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Miller, much like Ben Carson, appeared in “Project 2025” as the author of a chapter on defense, and Miller briefly ran the National Counterterrorism Center for three months in 2020.
In late 2023, Trump spoke highly of Miller’s job as defense secretary, leading some to believe Miller was being considered for the job a year early. The role was instead given to Fox and Friends Weekend co-host and Army veteran Pete Hegseth.
