You have /5 articles left.
Sign up for a free account or log in.
President-elect Trump’s nominees to fill key cabinet and agency posts have attended a variety of colleges.
President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to crack down on elite universities, vowing he would reclaim colleges from the “radical left.”
But, as he has looked to fill his cabinet and agency leadership team, he’s turned to graduates of those same universities, at times touting their educational backgrounds. For instance, when he tapped Representative Elise Stefanik, a New York Republican, to be the next ambassador to the United Nations, he noted that she “graduated from Harvard University, with honors.”
So far, Trump has appointed 35 people to lead departments and agencies or serve in key ambassadorial roles—positions that are subject to Senate confirmation. Together, they have 65 degrees from 46 institutions. All of the picks except one have bachelor’s degrees, while 14 went to law school. Another five went to medical school.
The appointees went to small private liberal arts colleges and public land-grant institutions, among other types. Two graduated from for-profit colleges. About 25 percent of the appointees attended an Ivy League university. Harvard awarded seven of the degrees—the most of any college on the list thus far.
Read on for more about the educational backgrounds of Trump’s top appointees. This article will be updated as more picks are announced.
Cabinet Nominees
Scott Bessent
Treasury Secretary
College: Yale University
Pam Bondi
Attorney General
Colleges: University of Florida and Stetson University College of Law
Doug Burgum
Interior Secretary
Colleges: North Dakota State University and M.B.A. from Stanford University
Lori Chavez-DeRemer
Labor Secretary
College: California State University, Fresno
Doug Collins
Veterans Affairs Secretary
Colleges: University of North Georgia, master of divinity from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and John Marshall Law School
Sean Duffy
Transportation Secretary
Colleges: St. Mary’s University and Mitchell Hamline School of Law
Pete Hegseth
Defense Secretary
Colleges: Princeton University and master of public policy from Harvard University
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Health and Human Services Secretary
Colleges: Harvard University, master of environmental law from Pace University and University of Virginia Law School
Howard Lutnick
Commerce Secretary
College: Haverford College
Linda McMahon
Education Secretary
College: East Carolina University
Kristi Noem
Homeland Security Secretary
College: South Dakota State University
Brooke Rollins
Agriculture Secretary
Colleges: Texas A&M University and University of Texas School of Law
Marco Rubio
Secretary of State
Colleges: University of Florida and University of Miami School of Law
Scott Turner
Housing Secretary
College: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Chris Wright
Energy Secretary
College: Massachusetts Institute of Technology for bachelor’s and master’s degrees
Cabinet-Level and Agency Nominees
Paul Atkins
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman
Colleges: Wofford College and Vanderbilt University School of Law
Dr. Jay Bhattacharya
Director of National Institutes of Health
College: Stanford University for bachelor’s degree, doctor of philosophy and M.D.
Frank Bisignano
Social Security Commissioner
College: Baker University
Daniel Driscoll
Army Secretary
Colleges: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Yale Law School
Tulsi Gabbard
Director of National Intelligence
College: Hawaii Pacific University
Jared Isaacman
NASA Administrator
College: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Kelly Loeffler
Small Business Administration Administrator
Colleges: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and M.B.A. from DePaul University
Billy Long
Internal Revenue Service Commissioner
College: Attended but didn’t graduate from University of Missouri
Dr. Martin Makary
Food and Drug Administration Commissioner
Colleges: Bucknell University, master of public health from Harvard University and Thomas Jefferson University for M.D.
Dr. Janette Nesheiwat
Surgeon General
Colleges: University of South Florida and American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine
Dr. Mehmet Oz
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator
Colleges: Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania for M.B.A. and M.D.
Kash Patel
Federal Bureau of Investigation Director
Colleges: University of Richmond, Pace University School of Law and certificate in international law from University College London
John Phelan
Navy Secretary
Colleges: Southern Methodist University and M.B.A. from Harvard University
John Ratcliffe
Central Intelligence Agency Director
Colleges: University of Notre Dame and Southern Methodist University School of Law
John Sauer
Solicitor General
Colleges: Duke University, master’s degree from University of Notre Dame and Harvard Law School
Elise Stefanik
Ambassador to the United Nations
College: Harvard University
Russell Vought
Office of Management and Budget Director
Colleges: Wheaton College and George Washington University Law School
Dr. Dave Weldon
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director
Colleges: Stony Brook University, SUNY and University at Buffalo, SUNY for M.D.
Matthew Whitaker
NATO Ambassador
College: University of Iowa for bachelor’s, M.B.A. and law school
Lee Zeldin
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator
Colleges: SUNY Albany and Albany Law School
