Who are the key figures of Donald Trump’s new inner circle?
A second Trump presidency “is going to be much more hard-hitting,” said Steve Bannon, Donald Trump‘s former political strategist during his first administration in 2016, shortly before the November 5 election. The conservative media host remains a close outside ally and central figure on the radical right in the United States.
Bannon, who still faces legal troubles, may not have a front-row seat to help implement the 2024 version of Trump’s MAGA agenda (Make America Great Again). This time, Trump has surrounded himself with an inner circle distinct from that of 2016.
“The campaign was more disciplined than 2016, but that doesn’t mean there were more moderate people involved,” said René Lindstädt, a specialist in US politics at the University of Birmingham.
FRANCE 24 interviewed political scientists and identified a dozen personalities in Trump’s circle of confidants who could have an influence on US politics as soon as Trump once again takes up residence in the White House.
The most high-profile
Elon Musk. The richest man in the world, owner of X and Tesla, has put his immense fortune and social network at the service of Donald Trump. Musk was so involved in the effort to elect Trump that he declared that if Kamala Harris won the presidency, he “might be in trouble”.
Musk has suggested that he could take part in a Trump administration, although “it is unlikely that the richest man in the world would be interested in working for the federal government”, according to Richard Hargy, a British specialist in US politics at Queen’s University Belfast.
On the other hand, Lindstädt said, “there’s a very good chance that he is going to be a very influential adviser to Trump, especially on matters that can land him public contracts and have a impact on his interests”.
Donald Trump Jr. The eldest son is the one who, of all the Trump children, has been the most prominent in the media in his father’s service. He has been described by some as the elder Trump’s heir, and by others as “the new kingmaker of the Republican Party”.
“He was the one championing JD Vance as Donald Trump’s running mate,” Lindstädt said, a sign of the extent of his influence on the party and on his father.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. A former candidate in the presidential race, officially a member of the Democratic Party but who supported Trump after withdrawing from the race, this scion of the Kennedy family expects to play a major role in a future Republican administration.
Trump had suggested that he might give Kennedy a big role in healthcare, a dubious prospect given Kennedy’s previous anti-vaccine campaigns and the other conspiracy theories he has espoused.
Survivors of 2016
Jason Miller. He has been one of Donald Trump’s top communications advisers since 2016. Miller has been called “the ultimate survivor” for his ability to mollify Trump when the need arises.
“Jason is an incredibly talented and savvy operator; in a lot of ways his skill-set is tailored for the Game of Thrones-like [atmosphere that] working in Trumpworld can be at times,” noted Kurt Bardella, a Republican strategist interviewed by the Columbia Journalism Review website, in reference to the TV series famous for its violent political intrigue.
Stephen Miller. One of the Trump advisers most hated by the Democrats, Miller “is the man behind mass deportations”, Hargy said. The revelations of his links with white supremacist movements have in no way diminished his influence with the president-elect. “Donald Trump’s immigration programme and rhetoric has Stephen Miller’s name all over it,” Lindstädt said.
Dan Scavino. Less well known in the media than others, Scavino has long been following in Trump’s footsteps. He was Trump’s golf caddy in the 1990s. Scavino was deputy White House chief of staff during the first Trump presidency and was responsible for Trump’s social media strategy. He has been described as the “ultimate insider” by the website Politico, which says that he is the member of staff best informed about Trump’s moods and desires.
Brian Jack. A Trump adviser for the past eight years, he has been the epitome of a loyal, behind-the-scenes collaborator. In particular, he was responsible for convincing Republican legislators in every state to support Trump rather than another candidate in the Republican primary in 2024. In March 2024, he decided to run for the US congressional seat from Georgia’s 3rd district and won easily on November 5.
Steven Cheung. Trump’s indomitable spokesman, Cheung has held this high-visibility position since 2016. Before working for Trump, he was head of communications for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, the largest combat sports organisation in the United States.
New stars
Susie Wiles. It was to her that Trump turned during his victory speech on Wednesday November 6, just after mentioning JD Vance’s role in the campaign. A political strategist who Trump holds in high regard, and who previously worked for Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida and one of Trump’s main political rivals. “It has been said that she – and Chris LaCivita – made this campaign more professionnal, stable and organised,” Lindstädt said.
Chris LaCivita. The other political strategist who led Donald Trump to victory. His collaboration with Wiles got a lot of attention, and he is often portrayed as “ruthless” and a specialist in dirty tricks, Lindstädt noted. Can the influence of Wiles or LaCivita survive the end of the campaign? “Why not? Kellyanne Conway ran Trump’s 2016 campaign, which was obviously a success, and she ended up with a key job in the first Trump administration,” Lindstädt says.
Lara Trump. In 2016, the woman in the Trump clan who often represented the administration in public was Ivanka, Trump’s eldest daughter. In 2024 it is Lara Trump, the wife of Trump’s second son Eric, who “has risen a lot in influence to become a central figure”, Hargy said. It is she who Trump appointed as co-chair of the Republican Party, which allows the Trump family to maintain control over the party apparatus.
Kash Patel. A former lawyer, he is often seen as someone who takes loyalty to Trump to the extreme. Patel likes to play the role of Trump’s pit-bull and does not hesitate to threaten his perceived enemies with severe reprisals. Notably, Patel was in the second tier of the pecking order in the first Trump administration in 2016 but is now the favourite to become Trump’s pick to lead the CIA.
Hargy predicts Trump’s new inner circle is likely to play a more crucial role in US politics than previous insiders in more ways than one.
“In four years time, Donald Trump will not be able to stand for re-election, and it is a safe bet that he will choose his successor from within this first circle.”
