Here are the New York politicos in line for Trump admin jobs

Since Donald Trump’s victory in the presidential election, he’s started announcing picks for who he wants to fill his Cabinet and to occupy other senior positions during his second term. While that process is ongoing, Trump has already selected a handful of fellow New Yorkers to join him, rewarding some of his most loyal supporters with prestigious positions. But his return to the White House also means a number of New Yorkers currently serving in the Biden administration are likely to soon find themselves out of a job.

To keep you up to date, here’s a tracker on who is out and who is in – and who should probably be anxiously biting their fingernails as they await their fate. This story was last updated on Nov. 21.

WHO IS IN 

Rep. Elise Stefanik as U.N. ambassador: Trump nominated the North Country Republican to serve as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations on Nov. 11, opening the door for a special election in the 21st Congressional District within 90 days of her eventual departure. While Stefanik was first elected to the House as a moderate 10 years ago, she’s since evolved into one of Trump’s fiercest allies. Beyond serving in House national security committees, Stefanik would bring relatively little foreign policy or diplomatic experience to the role of U.N. ambassador. She has, however, made her ardent support for Israel very clear, even accusing the United Nations of antisemitism at various points. 

Lee Zeldin as Environmental Protection Agency administrator: Two years after unsuccessfully running for governor, Zeldin is poised to return to government – this time as Trump’s pick to lead the Environmental Protection Agency. The former Republican Congress member’s nomination on Nov. 11 came as a surprise to a number of environmental and conservation groups as he has relatively little climate and energy expertise. He backed Trump’s 2017 exit from the Paris climate agreement and has generally opposed Democrat-led legislation aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and bolstering renewable energy. Addressing his nomination during a recent Fox News interview, Zeldin said his priorities would include “unleashing economic prosperity through the E.P.A.,” and pursuing “energy dominance.”

Howard Lutnick as commerce secretary and transition co-chair: Lutnick, chair and chief executive of financial service firm Cantor Fitzgerald, was tapped by Trump on Nov. 19 to serve as commerce secretary – one of the most powerful economic positions in the federal government. Lutnick, who lives in the Hamptons, has raised over $75 million for Trump’s campaign – and that’s not including the $10 million he donated personally. He’s also currently the co-chair of Trump’s transition team. 

Tom Homan as border czar: A former New York police officer, Homan’s appointment as “border czar” wasn’t much of a surprise – he’d served as Trump’s acting head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement during his last administration. And given the position overseeing control of the southern and northern U.S. borders doesn’t require Senate confirmation, the role is all but guaranteed to be Homan’s. 

Jay Clayton as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York: Clayton, an attorney at Sullivan & Cromwell and the former chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission during Trump’s first term, will likely be the next U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York. If confirmed by the Senate, Clayton would oversee the nation’s most powerful federal prosecutor’s office – a vital role for a president-elect who has vowed to seek revenge on those who prosecuted him in New York. Unlike a long line of SDNY U.S. attorneys, Clayton is not a former prosecutor. This isn’t the first time Trump has looked to appoint Clayton to helm SDNY. During his first term, Trump attempted to make Clayton U.S. attorney, but Geoffrey Berman – SDNY’s leader at the time – refused to step down until he was permitted to hand leadership to his deputy Audrey Strauss instead. It’s unclear whether history will repeat itself with current SDNY U.S. Attorney Damian Williams. 

WHO IS OUT

Secretary of State Antony Blinken: Trump’s tapping of Florida Sen. Marco Rubio means  Blinken’s time helming the State Department will soon come to an end. Blinken, who was born in Yonkers and spent much of his childhood in New York City and Paris, has had a lengthy career in politics, holding senior foreign policy positions in two presidential administrations over the last two decades. On Nov. 14, Blinken promised a smooth transition to Trump’s team.

Southern District of New York U.S. Attorney Damian Williams: Trump’s desire to replace Williams with Clayton comes as Manhattan’s top federal prosecutor oversees several high-profile cases, including the ongoing public corruption case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams and the sex trafficking case against Sean “Diddy” Combs. If Williams chooses to step down – as is generally tradition for U.S. attorneys upon a new president taking office – and if Clayton is confirmed by the Senate, it’s unclear how that might impact SDNY’s indictment of Adams. Trump, however, has alleged without evidence that federal authorities went after Adams because he criticized the Biden administration’s immigration policies. 

WHO IS (LIKELY) OUT

Department of Transportation Deputy Secretary of Transportation Polly Trottenberg: Trump has yet to name his selection for deputy secretary of the Department of Transportation – or his secretary of the powerful department for that matter – but when he does, Trottenberg will likely be out of a job. Before joining the Biden administration, she served as New York City’s transportation commissioner for seven years, leading the department through the COVID-19 pandemic and working to implement the city’s Vision Zero program to eliminate traffic fatalities. 

Department of Housing and Urban Development Regional Administrator for Region II Alicka Ampry-Samuel: Trump is also yet to pick his next secretary of housing and urban development, but when he does Ampry-Samuel’s position would likely be on the chopping block. She’s overseen HUD operations in New York and New Jersey since 2022. Prior to joining the federal government, she was a New York City Council member and a senior adviser at the New York City Housing Authority. 

Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency Deanne Criswell: While Criswell began her emergency management career in Colorado, her last stint before joining the Biden administration was as commissioner of the New York City Emergency Department from 2019 to 2021. Trump has yet to tap his next FEMA administrator, but it’s unlikely he’ll choose to keep Criswell on. 

A spokesperson for Trump’s transition campaign declined to say whether Trottenberg, Ampry-Samuel or Criswell would be replaced. “President-Elect Trump is making decisions on who will serve in his second administration,” Karoline Leavitt, Trump-Vance transition spokesperson, said in a statement. “Those decisions will continue to be announced by him when they are made."

WHO IS BITING THEIR FINGERNAILS

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman: While Blakeman isn’t ruling out running for reelection in 2025, he’s also keeping the door open just in case Trump decides to come knocking about a job with his name on it. Given Trump’s emphasis on loyalty, his hope may not be in vain. Blakeman played a key role in hosting a rally for Trump at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in September. He’s all around embraced the national spotlight over the last year, pushing legislation banning transgender women from playing with girls’ teams in county sports facilities and making wearing a face mask a criminal offense. 

Rep. Brandon Williams: The upstate Congress member may have lost his reelection bid to John Mannion, but he could still land on his feet. The New York Post recently reported that Williams is one of the final contenders for labor secretary in Trump’s administration. 

Rep. Anthony D’Esposito: Unlike Williams, D’Esposito doesn’t appear to have a potential job under the Trump administration on the horizon after he lost reelection to Democrat Laura Gillen in Long Island.