President Donald Trump’s aides have been camera-ready for years.
Keeping true to his first term, the president has relied on Fox News’ pool of talent to shape his administration once again, plucking the network’s fiercest and most loyal constituents to serve beside him for Trump 2.0.
While Trump’s first term saw him employ former Fox News contributors like John Bolton into high-ranking roles, his second term has seen him gravitate toward even bigger stars on the network’s programming, nabbing several primetime mainstays and plopping them in the Oval Office instead.
From Pete Hegseth to Sean Duffy, here are some of the biggest former Fox employees Trump has appointed to top roles in the White House.
Jeanine Pirro
Prior to working on Fox News, Jeanine Pirro had an expansive career in politics and law which saw her achieve multiple milestones like becoming the first woman to be elected as district attorney of Westchester County in the ‘90s.
Pirro joined Fox News in the 2000s and was the host of Justice with Judge Jeanine from 2011 to 2022. She then became a co-host of The Five in 2022, before leaving the network to fulfill her appointment as acting attorney for the District of Columbia. Her support of Trump has seen her push numerous conspiracy theories, including doubts around his 2020 election loss. She was named in litigation against Fox by Dominion Voting Systems. Fox eventually settled with Dominion for $787.5 million.
Pete Hegseth
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth initially joined Fox News as a contributor in 2014. He later became the co-host of Fox & Friends Weekend between 2017 to 2024, before assuming his tenure as the head of the Pentagon. His role has hit a shaky start with Signalgate defining a large chunk of his appointment so far, while reports of chaos inside the Pentagon are exacerbating concern.
Prior to both his careers at Fox and the White House, Hegseth served in the Army as an infantry officer in the National Guard.
Sean Duffy
Sean Duffy had a long career in politics prior to becoming secretary of transportation. Between 2011 to 2019, Duffy served in Congress as the representative for Wisconsin’s 7th congressional district.
Following his resignation, he moved on to Fox Business where he became a co-host of The Bottom Line with Dagen and Duffy for some time before being appointed into his current role by the president. As transportation secretary, Duffy faces the gargantuan task of re-hauling the air traffic control system.
Kimberly Guilfoyle
Before she was Trump’s nominee as U.S. ambassador to Greece, Kimbery Guilfoyle was a staple at Fox News for over a decade.
Guilfoyle worked at the network between 2006 to 2018, where she also co-hosted The Five. The former television host was also engaged to the president’s son, Donald Trump Jr., before their split in 2024.
Dan Bongino
Dan Bongino, the deputy director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), had a storied career in law enforcement before becoming a commentator and media personality at Fox News.
Between 2021 to 2023, the FBI head hosted Unfiltered with Dan Bongino, having already been a contributor at the network since 2019. He also hosted a five-part series on cancel culture for Fox’s streaming service, Fox Nation, called Canceled in 2021.
Tammy Bruce
Prior to becoming the spokesperson for the Department of State, Tammy Bruce was a Fox News contributor and longtime political commentator.
She also hosted Fox Nation’s Get Tammy Bruce which ran between 2019 to 2023.
Mike Huckabee
Mike Huckabee is currently serving as the U.S. ambassador to Israel. Prior to his appointment by Trump, he hosted an eponymous talk show, Huckabee, on Fox News between 2008 to 2015 and was a regular contributor at the network.
Huckabee also served as the governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007.
Richard Grenell
Richard Grenell was a former Fox News contributor before serving as Trump’s special presidential envoy for special missions.
He also assumed several roles during Trump’s first administration, acting as U.S. ambassador to Germany from 2018 to 2020, and later, a special presidential envoy for Serbia and Kosovo negotiations from 2019 to 2021.
He has clashed in recent weeks with performers who are unhappy with Trump’s conservative takeover of the Kennedy Center.
Tom Homan
Border czar Tom Homan was a Fox News contributor and commentator for years before taking charge of the nation’s borders.
During Trump’s first term, Homan served as acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement between 2017 to 2018. He then became a contributor at Fox News, where he often spoke on immigration.
Tulsi Gabbard
Prior to becoming director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard had a lengthy career in government, serving as a representative for Hawaii’s 2nd congressional district from 2013 to 2021.
In 2022, she also became a contributor at Fox News and has made numerous appearances on the network’s programming.
Trump’s appointees list also includes a handful of former Fox contributors and even associate producers. Some of them are:
- Sergio Gor, Director of the Presidential Personnel Office (a former Fox News booker and associate producer)
- Sebastian Gorka, Deputy Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Counterterrorism (former Fox News contributor)
- Monica Crowley, Nominee for State Department Chief of Protocol (former Fox News contributor)
- Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, Former Nominee for Surgeon General of the United States (former Fox News medical contributor)
- Morgan Ortagus, Deputy United States Special Envoy to the Middle East (former Fox News national security contributor)
The post All the Major Fox Stars Trump Has Enlisted in His Second Administration appeared first on The Daily Beast.
