Refer Report

In the November U.S. presidential election, as much attention is being paid to the key staff that moves the candidates of both parties as to their every move. In the case of former President Donald Trump, the Republican candidate, people who worked in the first administration and showed strong loyalty even through the 2020 presidential election and the January 6, 2021 Congressional riots form an inner circle.

In the case of Democratic candidate Vice President Kamala Harris, her staff includes veteran politicians with deep experience inside and outside the Democratic Party and officials from the Barack Obama and Joe Biden administrations. What both candidates have in common is that their families play a powerful role in the camp or behind the scenes, holding the eyes and ears of the candidates.

Many of the key figures in Trump’s campaign have been with him since the 2016 presidential election. They include campaign spokesman Stephen Chung, former White House senior adviser Jason Miller, and former White House deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino, who served as campaign adviser. Unlike in the past when former President Trump frequently changed his staff, this time it is assessed that the relatively small ‘inner circle’ is being maintained stably. Chris Lasivita and Suzy Wiles, co-chairs of the campaign committee, are rising figures who joined this presidential election.

The cabinet candidates are also filled with loyalists from Trump’s first term. Former White House National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien is mentioned as Secretary of State, and former Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell is mentioned as National Security Advisor. We support the alliance’s defense burden sharing, military build-up, and hard-line policies against China. Former Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller is mentioned as Secretary of Defense.

There is also talk of the possibility that former U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Robert Lighthizer, who led the pressure on trade with China during Trump’s first term, will return as Secretary of the Treasury. Former Representative Lighthizer considers strategic decoupling with China (separation of the supply chain) and reduction of the trade deficit as the top priorities of Trump’s second term.

Among the family members, eldest son Donald Jr. and fiancee Kimberly Guilfoyle, former Fox News anchor, and second son Eric and wife Lara, co-chairs of the Republican National Committee, are at the forefront. Eldest daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner, who showed off their presence in the first administration, appear to be stepping back.

The Harris campaign is comprised of key aides who led candidates Obama and Biden to victory in the past presidential election, along with a group of long-time associates. Campaign Chairman Jen O’Malley Dillon and Julie Chavez Rodriguez, who oversaw the Biden campaign, were retained to ensure the continuity of the campaign even after President Biden gave up his re-election bid.

Veteran David Pluff, who served as chief strategist for the Obama campaign, was hired as a senior advisor. The Vice President’s Chief of Staff Lorraine Bowles, who has experience in presidential campaigns and assisting former President Bill Clinton, is considered one of his closest associates. Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC) Chairman Minion Moore, a black woman, is also trusted by Vice President Harris.

For key positions in the Cabinet, people close to Vice President Harris and high-ranking officials from the former and current Democratic administrations are mentioned. Vice President Phil Gordon, an expert on Europe and the Middle East, is considered a strong candidate for the position of National Security Advisor at the White House, the head of foreign affairs and security. The Secretary of State includes William Burns, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), a career diplomat, and Senator Chris Coons, a close associate of President Biden. Names such as former Deputy Secretary of Defense for Policy Michelle Plowney, who will become the first female Secretary of Defense when appointed, and Secretary of Commerce Gina Lemondo, are listed as Secretary of the Treasury.

Her younger sister, Maya Harris, and Tony West are her closest associates and key figures. Maya is a Democratic Party insider who served as chief legal advisor to Hillary Clinton’s campaign in 2016. West, who served as deputy attorney general in the Obama administration and chief legal officer of ride-sharing platform Uber, raised a large amount of donations in Silicon Valley and other places. Her husband, Doug Emhoff, has quit his job as a lawyer and is focusing on his mother’s work.

Source: Korean