President Trump formally announced late Tuesday that his Cabinet will consist of 24 different roles. A Trump administration source provided Yahoo News with a copy of the announcement, which will be published on the White House website shortly.
It will be the largest Cabinet of the three most recent presidents. Including Cabinet-level officials, Trump will have 24 people in his Cabinet. President Obama had 23 and President George W. Bush had 21. Trump also will have more intelligence officials in his Cabinet than Bush or Obama had.
The tradition of the Cabinet, which advises the president, dates back to the beginning of the nation. However, presidents tinker with the exact composition of roles within it, and this structure can provide a window into their priorities. It is perhaps the best example of the age-old political adage that “personnel is policy.”
In terms of composition, Trump’s Cabinet is similar to Obama’s, with three exceptions. Trump places the director of national intelligence and the director of the CIA in his Cabinet, while Obama did not. Obama’s Cabinet included the chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, but Trump does not have this position in his Cabinet.
There are five differences between Trump’s Cabinet and Bush’s. Like Obama, Bush did not have the director of national intelligence or the director of the CIA in his Cabinet, and Trump will. Trump’s Cabinet also includes the representative of the United States to the United Nations and the administrator of the Small Business Administration. Those positions were not included in Bush’s Cabinet. While Bush had the Office of National Drug Control Policy in his Cabinet, Trump does not.
Trump’s Cabinet includes officials who have already been sworn in and some who have not yet been confirmed. The Trump administration has repeatedly criticized Democrats for delaying confirmation hearings for the president’s nominees.
View the 24 members of Trump’s Cabinet below:
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