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Biden administration
Who are Joe Biden's top cabinet picks?
Profiles of the people expected to take key posts in
the Biden administration
Biden picks first women and first Latino for key
cabinet roles

Martin Belam
Tue 24 Nov 2020 07.13 EST

97
Anthony Blinken – secretary of state
Anthony Blinken secretary of state

Joe Biden’s choice for secretary of state marks a sharp

break with the Trump administration. The former
deputy secretary of state is a committed
internationalist, who spent some of his childhood in
Anthony Paris and is fluent in French. He views US engagement
Blinken.
with the world, and particularly Europe, as vital. He
Photograph: JJ
Guillen/EPA was a member of Bill Clinton’s White House staff in the
1990s and served under President Barack Obama. In
2019 he expressed strong opinions about Brexit, saying: “This is not
just the dog that caught the car, this is the dog that caught the car and
the car goes into reverse and runs over the dog. It’s a total mess.”

Janet Yellen – treasury secretary

The 74-year-old economist was the first woman to chair

the US Federal Reserve, and looks set to achieve
another first: becoming the country’s first female
treasury secretary. Professor emeritus at the University
Janet Yellen. of California at Berkeley, a former assistant professor at
Photograph:
Harvard and a lecturer at the London School of
Andrew
Harnik/AP Economics, Yellen is an expert in labour markets and
has highlighted the economic impact of uneven growth
in the jobs market. Donald Trump declined to reappoint her after his
election, making her the first central bank chief not to serve two
terms since the Carter administration.
Alejandro Mayorkas – secretary of homeland security

Described by the former Democratic presidential

candidate Julián Castro as “a historic and experienced
choice to lead an agency in desperate need of reform”,
the Cuban-American lawyer served as the deputy
Alejandro secretary of homeland security for nearly three years
 j y y y y
Mayorkas.
under Obama. Formerly Obama’s director of US
Photograph: Joe
citizenship and immigration services, if confirmed, the
Skipper/Reuters
61-year-old would be the first Latino and the first
immigrant to lead the department.

Linda Thomas-Greenfield – US ambassador to the United Nations

The Louisianian was formerly assistant secretary of

state for African affairs under the Obama and Trump
administrations. She was also the US ambassador to
Liberia under George W Bush and Obama. Of her
Linda Thomas- appointment, Thomas-Greenfield, 68, has said: “My
Greenfield.
mother taught me to lead with the power of kindness
Photograph:
Ahmed and compassion to make the world a better place. I’ve
Jallanzo/EPA carried that lesson with me throughout my career in
foreign service and, if confirmed, 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 on combating the climate crisis. The 76-
year-old lost the 2004 US election to George W Bush,
before going on to become secretary of state from 2013-
John Kerry. 17 under Obama.
Photograph:
Avril Haines – director of national intelligence
Adam The New York-born lawyer was previously deputy
Berry/Getty
director of the Central Intelligence Agency, the first
woman to hold that position. She worked closely with
Biden from 2007-08 in her role as deputy chief counsel
for the Senate Democrats. Haines, 51, was also the first
female deputy national security adviser and, if
Avril Haines.
confirmed will become the first woman to be the
 Avril Haines.
confirmed, will become the first woman to be the
Photograph:
Rex/Shutterstock director of national intelligence.

Jake Sullivan – national security adviser

Sullivan was the national security adviser to Biden

when he was vice-president and served as deputy chief
of staff to Hillary Clinton when she was secretary of
state. Since 2014, Sullivan, 43, has been teaching at Yale
Jake Sullivan. law school.
Photograph:
Washington
Topics
Post/Getty
Biden administration
Janet Yellen/ John Kerry/ Democrats/ Joe Biden/ US politics/ news

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