The weeks and months that follow the election of a new president bring a flurry of new appointments to Cabinet and senior level White House positions. Almost every day, there is a new Cabinet member or senior advisor announced, leading to an abundance of rumors and nail-biting.
As the picks have taken shape, I am enthusiastic about the Americans President-elect Trump has chosen to lead with him. Conservatives across the country who worried he would not live up to the promises he made are breathing a sigh of relief.
Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions, President-elect Trump’s pick for attorney general, is a former federal prosecutor and U.S. Senator. He will enforce our laws and stick to conservative principles.
At the same time, he is known in Alabama for bringing economic growth to minority and rural communities.
Reince Priebus is an outstanding choice for President-elect Trump’s chief of staff, in both practical and ideological terms.
He has run what some consider the counterpart of the Democratic White House, the Republican National Committee, since 2011.
During his tenure, Republicans slowly but surely built the infrastructure needed to keep House majorities, retake the Senate in 2014 and (against all odds) winning the presidency in 2016.
Betsy DeVos is a bold, exciting pick for secretary of education. Just like Trump, she brings an outsider approach to the Department of Education, and her advocacy for students as chairwoman of the Alliance for School Choice will give a fresh perspective to an often outdated public school system that sometimes fails students, especially in minority and rural communities.
The choice many conservatives (including myself) are most impressed with is South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley for the position of ambassador to the United Nations.
During her time as governor, Haley has made great strides to improve the image of both South Carolina and the entirety of the South.
Her leadership after the tragic church shooting in Charleston impressed many across the country, Democrats and Republicans alike.
She made the difficult decision to advocate taking down the confederate flag from the South Carolina statehouse grounds and brought people together to honor the victims. Her model of leadership is something to which men and women across the South should aspire.
She will be a strong voice for all Americans at the United Nations.
Many Republicans were skeptical of candidate Donald Trump and if he would really deliver the conservative leadership he promised.
Would it be full of Hollywood A-Listers?
Or maybe former “Apprentice” contestants?
Luckily, none of these worst-case scenarios came to fruition. President-elect Trump is selecting some of America’s best and brightest for his administration.
Patrick Waters is a sophomore accounting major from St. Louis, Missouri.
