First cabinet of Donald Trump

Donald Trump assumed office as the 45th president of the United States on January 20, 2017, and his first term ended on January 20, 2021. The president has the authority to nominate members of his cabinet to the United States Senate for confirmation under the Appointments Clause of the United States Constitution.

Before confirmation and during congressional hearings a high-level career member of an executive department heads this pre-confirmed cabinet on an acting basis. The cabinet's creation was part of the transition of power following the 2016 presidential election.

This article documents the nomination and confirmation process for any successful or unsuccessful cabinet nominees of the first Trump administration. They are listed in order of creation of the cabinet position (also used as the basis for the United States presidential line of succession).

All permanent members of the cabinet of the United States as heads of executive departments require the advice and consent of the United States Senate following appointment by the president before taking office. The vice presidency is exceptional in that the position requires election to office pursuant to the United States Constitution. Although some are afforded cabinet-level rank, non-cabinet members within the Executive Office of the President, such as White House chief of staff, National Security Advisor, and White House press secretary, do not hold constitutionally created positions and most do not require Senate confirmation for appointment.

The following were the final members of President Donald Trump's first cabinet on January 20, 2021.

For comparison,

Due to Trump's lack of prior government or military experience, and his political positions, much interest was expressed in the media over his cabinet nominations, as they were believed to show how he intended to govern.

Trump's proposed cabinet was characterized by the media as being very conservative. It was described as a "conservative dream team" by Politico, "the most conservative cabinet [in United States history]" by Newsweek, and "one of the most consistently conservative domestic policy teams in modern history" by the Los Angeles Times. The Hill described Trump's potential cabinet as "an unorthodox team" popular with conservatives, that more establishment Republicans such as John McCain or Mitt Romney likely would not have chosen. CNN agreed, calling the proposed cabinet "a conservative dream team of domestic Cabinet appointments." On the other hand, The Wall Street Journal stated that "it's nearly impossible to identify a clear ideological bent in the incoming president's" cabinet nominations. The Wall Street Journal also stated that Trump's nominations signaled a pro-deregulation administration policy. Several of his cabinet nominees politically opposed the federal departments they were selected to lead.