Donald Trump put little emphasis on a transition effort during his idiosyncratic campaign for the White House, as even campaign insiders expected him to lose. Nonetheless, his win now presents an opportunity for a cadre of loyalists, many of whom backed him when few others would, to become some of the highest-ranking officials in the US government.

Trump is still an ideological blank slate in many ways, having shifted positions on virtually every issue. Personnel could effectively become policy. Cabinet secretaries and executive officials are likely to have a surprising amount of latitude in an administration led by a president who has shown very little interest in policy nuances.

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Reports widely tip Reince Priebus, the Republican National Committee chair who has stood behind Trump since he gained the nomination, as favourite to be White House chief of staff.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Reince Priebus (right) with Donald Trump on election night. Photograph: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images

In Trump’s victory speech on Wednesday, he mentioned three former rivals: the New Jersey governor, Chris Christie, the former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee and the neurosurgeon Ben Carson. All could get major roles. Christie even appeared on stage with Trump, where he was notably the person closest to the president-elect outside his family.

Although Christie has been tainted by his proximity to the Bridgegate scandal, his appearance was a clear signal that Trump would not be deterred by the investigation that has led to the convictions of four top aides, for shutting down lanes on the George Washington Bridge for political reasons.

The vice-president-elect, Mike Pence, is likely to have a major portfolio. It was reported over the summer that Donald Trump Jr had reached out to the governor of Ohio, John Kasich, and offered to make him the most powerful vice-president in history. Now that role may fall to Pence, an ardent social conservative who served as governor of Indiana.



Facebook Twitter Pinterest Sarah Palin took an opposite path to Trump, but could be on the way back. Photograph: REX/Shutterstock

Another figure who is likely to take a major role in a Trump administration is the former House speaker Newt Gingrich. A long-time advocate for Trump and, along with Christie, one of the final candidates to be running mate, Gingrich has been widely reported to be a contender to become secretary of state.



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Trump is also likely to look to the business world. Steven Mnuchin, a former Goldman Sachs banker who oversaw Trump’s finance efforts, is well positioned to be treasury secretary. Other potential cabinet figures from the business world include fracking mogul Harold Hamm.

The president-elect has floated the idea of giving 2008 VP nominee Sarah Palin a cabinet position. The Alaskan could become secretary of the interior or secretary of energy. Her own transition from politics to reality television prefigured Trump taking the opposite path. Now she may follow him back to the fray.