The Scoop
Linda McMahon, once seen as a shoo-in to lead Donald Trump’s Commerce Department, is privately frustrated that she has yet to get offered the position, two people familiar with the matter told Semafor.
McMahon’s status leaves both of the president-elect’s transition co-chairs conspicuously without clear places to land in his administration. Her fellow co-chair, Cantor Fitzgerald CEO Howard Lutnick, has made a play to lead Trump’s Treasury Department — as competition for that post descends into the sort of mudslinging that’s more common on the campaign trail.
The delay in an offer for McMahon is seen by some of Trump’s allies as a sign that he’s saving the commerce secretary job as a potential landing spot for someone else who misses out on a more prominent position. One of the people familiar with the matter described McMahon as “pissed.”
A third person inside Trump’s network told Semafor that Commerce is less of a priority for the president-elect than other top national security and economic roles. The department, though much smaller in size than Treasury, plays a leading role in administering the Biden administration’s $3 billion law designed to boost US semiconductor production.
A spokesperson for Trump did not immediately return a request for comment.
McMahon, who led the Small Business Administration during Trump’s first term, has been vying behind the scenes for months to lead Commerce; many people close to Trump still see her as the most likely person to land the job.
However, Trump still might offer the role to someone else, including one of the candidates whom he ultimately passes over for treasury secretary. Robert Lighthizer, who will be a steward of Trump’s aggressive proposals on tariffs and China, is one possible alternate choice to lead Commerce.
Trump has told allies that he wants Lightizer to serve as the administration’s trade czar, The Wall Street Journal reported, but has not yet formally announced any role for him.
“They want to figure out how much power a czar-like figure might have,” another person in touch with the transition told Semafor.
“Lighthizer wants something prominent, but he cannot be at Treasury” because of his close association with punitive tariffs, this person added. “The stock market will lose its brain.”
One dramatic wrinkle to McMahon’s situation: Her fellow transition co-chair might edge her out in this fall’s Trump administration personnel battles. A former Trump administration official said Trump may well decide to tap Lutnick as commerce secretary if he is passed over for the Treasury job.
Both McMahon and Lutnick could also be in the running for the US ambassadorship to the UK, this former official suggested.
Know More
While McMahon awaits Trump’s decision on the Commerce role, Lutnick and other aspiring treasury secretaries are ramping up their rivalry.
Cherrypicked returns from investor Scott Bessent’s firm were circulating on Wall Street earlier Monday, signaling an effort to undermine his candidacy for Treasury secretary. Lutnick, meanwhile, got Elon Musk to weigh in publicly over the weekend.
The overt effort from some of the hopefuls has turned off Trump, multiple people have told Semafor, and he has weighed looking at new options for the job.
Shelby and Morgan’s View
If either McMahon or Lutnick — or both — end up getting tapped for cabinet positions, that could also end up forcing the transition team to restructure itself.
The duo would presumably have their hands full preparing for their Senate confirmation hearings and gearing up to take control of sprawling agencies. That would leave a notable gap inside Trump’s team, which still has to fill scores of confirmed positions.
Then again, there is clear Republican precedent for wearing two hats at once during a transition: Vice President-elect Dick Cheney led the changeover for incoming President-elect George W. Bush.
Room for Disagreement
A handful of sought-after cabinet posts may be causing messiness, but Trump is still outpacing his predecessors in staffing his incoming administration.
Trump set a modern-day record by announcing a dozen appointments in as many days, according to Axios. In some cases, that fast pace may be possible thanks to the transition’s decision to avoid FBI background checks for prospective nominees, a move first reported by CNN.
Notable
- McMahon’s frontrunner status for the Commerce job became public soon after the election, via Reuters.
- Kevin Warsh may be the new Treasury Department dark horse as other candidates descend into infighting, Bloomberg reports.