Trump Announces Key Nominees for State Department Positions

In a series of announcements on Truth Social, President-elect Donald Trump revealed key appointments for his potential State Department leadership team, with Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) set to serve as Secretary of State. Kelsey Kremer/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Trump nominated Michael Anton as Director of Policy Planning, praising his previous service. "Michael has served me loyally and effectively at the National Security Council in my First Term," Trump wrote, highlighting Anton's "extensive background in Government, the private sector, and academia." The president-elect noted that Anton spent the last eight years "explaining what an America First foreign policy truly means." Elekes Andor / Wikimedia

Christopher Landau was selected as Deputy Secretary of State, with Trump emphasizing Landau's diplomatic experience. "Chris served as my Ambassador to Mexico, where he worked tirelessly with our team to reduce illegal migration to the lowest levels in History," Trump stated. Gage Skidmore / Wikimedia

Landau, who previously served as the U.S. ambassador to Mexico from 2019 to 2021, expressed gratitude for being chosen for this position.. "I only wish my parents were still alive to hear the news, as my father was a career Foreign Service officer and my mother a consummate diplomatic spouse," Landau said, calling the nomination "a tribute to them, the best possible teachers of what it means to be a diplomat and an American." Gage Skidmore / Wikimedia

Michael Needham was chosen as counselor of the State Department. Trump described him as a key leader in the America First Movement who has been "on the front lines of the fight for the Forgotten Men and Women of America for nearly two decades." Gage Skidmore / Wikimedia