PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump made his selection for energy secretary on Saturday, even as a key ally, billionaire Elon Musk, called for more direct public input into the decision-making process for another top post: the head of the Treasury Department.
Trump picked Chris Wright, CEO of Denver-based Liberty Energy, as energy secretary. Wright is a vocal advocate of oil and gas development, including fracking, a key pillar of Trump’s quest to achieve U.S. “energy dominance” in the global market.
The announcement of that selection came hours after Musk mused about the president-elect’s yet-to-be-made treasury secretary choice. “Would be interesting to hear more people weigh in on this for @realDonaldTrump to consider feedback,” Musk, who Trump has already tapped to co-lead a commission tasked with increasing government spending efficiency, posted Saturday on the X social media platform he owns.
Musk then used the rest of his post to become the first participant in the public poll he was proposing. He endorsed Howard Lutnick, the CEO of financial services firm Cantor Fitzgerald and co-chair of Trump’s transition team ahead of Inauguration Day on Jan. 20, 2025, over hedge fund manager Scott Bessent.
Musk said in his post that “Bessent is a business-as-usual choice, whereas @howardlutnick will actually enact change.”
“Business-as-usual is driving America bankrupt, so we need change,” he said.
Both Lutnick and Bessent have been mentioned as possible picks to lead the Treasury Department. Bessent is considered the more conventional, business-friendly choice. He is skeptical about cryptocurrency, while Lutnick has suggested it could be used for people to pay their taxes.
Wright’s selection came after Trump had already announced many picks in recent days, including his choice for Secretary of State, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, and attorney general, former Florida Rep . Matt Gaetz.
Treasury is the most important slot he has left to fill, but the president-elect also has yet to announce choices for other roles, including the heads of the Education and Labor Departments.
Separately, Trump said he’d picked a member of his legal team and former federal prosecutor, Will Scharf, as assistant to the president and White House staff secretary.
That announcement came as Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson was at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, this weekend, and meeting with the president-elect. Trump was also set to head to Saturday night’s UFC heavyweight championship fight between Stipe Miocic and Jon Jones at New York’s Madison Square Garden.
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