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Anthony Blinken – Secretary of State
The election of Joe Biden for secretary of state marks a sharp break with the Trump administration. The former undersecretary of state is a committed internationalist, who spent part of his childhood in Paris and is fluent in French. He considers the United States’ commitment to the world, and in particular to Europe, to be vital. He was a member of Bill Clinton’s White House staff in the 1990s and served under Barack Obama. In 2019 he expressed strong views on Brexit, saying: “This is not just the dog that caught the car, this is the dog that caught the car and the car backs up and runs over the dog. It’s a total disaster. “
Janet Yellen – Treasury Secretary
The 74-year-old economist was the first woman to chair the US Federal Reserve, and she looks set to achieve another first: becoming the nation’s first secretary of the Treasury. An emeritus professor at the University of California at Berkeley, a former assistant professor at Harvard, and a professor at the London School of Economics, Yellen is an expert on labor markets and has highlighted the economic impact of uneven growth in the labor market. Donald Trump refused to re-elect her after her election, making her the first head of a central bank to miss two terms since the Carter administration.
Alejandro Mayorkas – Secretary of homeland security
Described by former Democratic presidential candidate Julián Castro as “a historic and seasoned option to lead an agency that urgently needs reform,” the Cuban-American lawyer served as undersecretary of national security for nearly three years under Obama. Former Obama’s director of immigration and US citizenship services, if confirmed, the 61-year-old would be the first Latino and the first immigrant to lead the department.
Linda Thomas-Greenfield – United States Ambassador to the United Nations
The Louisianian was Under Secretary of State for African Affairs under the Obama and Trump administrations. She was also the United States Ambassador to Liberia under George W Bush and Obama. On his appointment, Thomas-Greenfield, 68, said: “My mother taught me to lead with the power of kindness and compassion to make the world a better place. I have carried that lesson with me throughout my foreign service career and, if confirmed, I will do the same as ambassador to the United Nations. “
John Kerry – special presidential envoy for climate
Perhaps the best-known face internationally, Kerry will take the lead in fighting the climate crisis. The 76-year-old lost the 2004 US election to George W Bush, before becoming secretary of state from 2013-17 under Obama.
Avril Haines – director national intelligence
The New York-born attorney was previously deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency, the first woman to hold that position. She worked closely with Biden from 2007 to 2008 in her role as deputy chair of the Senate Democrats. Haines, 51, was also the first deputy national security adviser and, if confirmed, will become the first woman to be director of national intelligence.
Jake Sullivan – National Security Advisor
Sullivan was Biden’s national security adviser when he was vice president and served as deputy chief of staff for Hillary Clinton when she was secretary of state. Since 2014, Sullivan, 43, has been teaching at Yale Law School.
