As seen on TV: How Trump selected his cabinet from what he watched and what that means for the country

Donald Trump stunned Washington by plucking celebrities and prominent figures from cable TV to fill his Cabinet and administration.

In doing so, he ignored the more traditional candidates favored by the political establishment.

To say his choices left the capital in turmoil would be an understatement. Some of them have more IMDb credentials than years of government service.

The choices were perhaps unsurprising given Trump’s history as a New York businessman who became a star on the television show The Apprentice. And he has long expressed his admiration for those who look like they came out of Hollywood’s central casting.

However, Trump’s break with the status quo is a significant change from his first administration, when he chose many establishment candidates to fill key government positions.

This time, he watched TV clips of potential Cabinet members on monitors in a makeshift “situation room” at Mar-a-Lago.

It seems to have been very important to him that his chosen people could represent the government well in live TV interviews, and be able to disrupt normal business in Washington.

“I think Trump sees these people as people who are outside the box. If this was a change election, why would you elect the same old people coming out of the same think tanks in Washington?” a Republican strategist told DailyMail.com.

On Tuesday, Trump selected famous television doctor Dr. Oz as administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, sending shockwaves through the health care industry and federal regulators.

Trump also raised alarm among national security leaders in Washington after selecting Fox and Friends host Pete Hegseth as his defense secretary.

After watching the military’s reputation decline following its failed exit from Afghanistan, the president-elect was determined to find someone willing to shake up the Pentagon.

Already a star on Fox News, Hegseth has emerged in the podcast world as a major voice on military issues despite not having senior military experience. His appearance on the Sean Ryan Show podcast generated 1.3 million views on YouTube alone.

Other picks have experience in politics and entertainment, such as former Rep. Sean Duffy of Wisconsin, who was selected by Trump to be his transportation secretary.

Before serving in Congress, Duffy appeared on MTV’s “The Real World: Boston” and “Road Rules: All Stars.” Duffy also appears regularly on Fox News and co-hosted the Fox Business show “The Bottom Line.”

Linda McMahon, a former executive of World Wrestling Entertainment, has multiple acting credits on WWE programming and was even one playable character in the WWF ‘No Mercy’ game for the Nintendo 64.

McMahon has a reputation as a fearless and successful businesswoman, and was chosen as Trump’s secretary of the Department of Education to “abolish” the agency and send more money back to the United States.

Trump clearly sensed the communications value of figures like Tom Homan, a former border enforcement figure popular on Fox News.

Linda McMahon, president and CEO of the World Wrestling Federation

Dr. Mehmet Oz, selected by Donald Trump to serve as administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

Tom Homan, former acting director of US Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE), and Fox News commentator

One of Trump’s first appointments was Homan as his border czar, to set the tone of his new administration’s commitment to enforcing the border and deporting illegal immigrants.

“He scares me,” podcast host Joe Rogan said on a recent episode, referencing a viral video clip in which Homan told CBS’ “60 Minutes” that to prevent families from splitting up, it was important to “deport them together ‘.

Caroline Sunshine, a former Disney Channel star and actress, joined Trump’s first administration as a West Wing press aide and returned to the 2024 campaign as deputy director of communications.

She told DailyMail.com that she left Hollywood at the height of the industry’s ‘cancel culture’ because she was inspired by Trump.

“He was the first to break through the bulls***,” she said. “Many celebrities now feel comfortable donning the MAGA hat because of President Trump’s ability to toe the cultural line.”

Former Real World star and representative Sean Duffy

Caroline Sunshine, a former Disney star, joined the White House press team during Trump’s first term

Sunshine said the value and cultural impact of celebrities in government should not be underestimated as Trump’s political comeback marked the “defeat of the left’s stranglehold on culture.”

“Politics is downstream of culture – no one understands this better than President Trump,” she said.

As Trump’s Cabinet grows stronger, it is clear that he is no longer interested in choosing respected establishment figures for most of his priority positions.

“This is absolutely not Project 2025, the Heritage people did not have these people at the top of their list,” a Republican strategist told DailyMail.com.

David Lewis, a professor of political science at Vanderbilt University, told DailyMail.com that Trump clearly appreciated the people on television who defended him and his agenda, making them an obvious choice.

“These jobs at the head of these agencies are often outward-facing roles that involve meeting with stakeholders, presenting the government’s position to the press and attending public events,” he said. “And so he likes people who are good at that kind of work or part of it.”

Lewis noted that popular outward-looking figures can face challenges navigating the bureaucracy within government agencies that are often larger than Fortune 500 companies.

The deputy secretaries, he said, could ultimately be the more leadership figures in the department.

Sunshine said Trump’s willingness to embrace celebrities has helped make the Republican Party more relevant and influential as the president-elect prepares his agenda for his second term.

“The Republican Party should be on its hands and knees every day thanking Donald J. Trump for saving him from certain death and ushering in a Golden Age of cultural significance,” she said.