What Is the Net Worth of Trump’s New Cabinet?
The first time Donald Trump was elected president, he assembled the wealthiest cabinet the country had ever seen, with a combined net worth of about $6 billion. This time around, if all of Trump’s cabinet nominees are confirmed, the White House is going to need a lot more caviar. At the very least, the combined wealth of this new cabinet will easily surpass $9 billion, and could in fact be much higher. Add in Elon Musk and other members of the Trump 2.0 entourage who don’t require Senate confirmation, and the combined net worth jumps past $340 billion. (Joe Biden’s cabinet, according to Forbes, had a combined wealth of less than $120 million.)
Below is a look at the various estimated net worths of the wealthiest prospective members of the second Trump administration, based on the best available information we have right now.
Scott Bessent, Secretary of the Treasury
The longtime financier has been described as a “billionaire hedge fund manager” by numerous news organizations, including the Associated Press. But while Bessent is definitely an investor who has made and managed billions of dollars, there doesn’t seem to be any reporting about his current net worth, and the Wall Street Journal, for one, isn’t calling him a billionaire. Business Insider concludes he’s likely a billionaire, but nobody seems to have the numbers to confirm that yet.
Doug Burgum, Secretary of the Interior
In November 2023, Forbes estimated that the North Dakota governor, who made his fortune in the software industry before becoming a politician, had a net worth of at least $100 million, but possibly much more, depending on how much of his wealth he’s placed in trusts for his family.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Secretary of Health and Human Services
According to a Forbes analysis, as of August 2023, Kennedy and his actress wife Cheryl Hines had a combined net worth of roughly $15 million, including at least $4 million in inherited assets from his famous family.
Howard Lutnick, Secretary of Commerce
The billionaire financier is the longtime CEO of the private financial services firm Cantor Fitzgerald LP, and the chairman of two public companies, brokerage firm BGC Group Inc. and commercial real-estate firm Newmark Group. Lutnick has said he’ll now divest his interests in both, but it’s far from clear how. He’s not listed on Forbes’ big billionaire list, but the publication reports that he is worth more than $1.5 billion. Bloomberg meanwhile reports that Lutnick has a net worth of at least $2.2 billion — and possibly more than $4 billion:
Today his personal fortune — most of it tied up in the privately held Cantor Fitzgerald and its related companies — stretches to at least $2.2 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. A person familiar with his finances says Lutnick in fact might be worth nearly twice that.
Linda McMahon, Secretary of Education
McMahon is the co-founder of the multibillion-dollar WWE wrestling empire, and she too has been referred to as a billionaire. She is now separated from her husband, fellow WWE co-founder Vince McMahon. His net worth is currently $3 billion, according to Forbes. It’s not clear what Linda McMahon’s individual net worth is, but she is still clearly very wealthy.
Elon Musk, “Department of Government Efficiency” Co-head
The world’s richest man has a total net worth of at least $330 billion according to both Forbes and the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. He sank $118 million into the 2024 presidential campaign in support of Trump, and since Trump won the election, Musk’s net worth has gone up by $70 billion.
Mehmet Oz, Medicare and Medicaid Administrator
Mehmet Oz has made a fortune as a TV doctor and shady health product pitchman. In 2022, according to the federal financial disclosure forms he filed during his Senate campaign in Pennsylvania, his net worth was somewhere between $100 million to $315 million.
Vivek Ramaswamy, “Department of Government Efficiency” Co-head
The biotech entrepreneur now has a net worth of $1.1 billion, according to Forbes. His net worth was roughly $840 million when he began his campaign for president.
Marco Rubio, Secretary of State
According to Forbes calculations, the Florida senator’s net worth is likely more than $1 million, largely thanks to the value of his Miami residence, as well as the money he’s made off of book deals.
Donald Trump, President
Forbes says Trump is currently the 568th richest person in the world, with a net worth of $5.7 billion, and notes that he enjoyed “the most lucrative post-presidency in American history”— mostly thanks to the large pile of memestock shares he owns of Trump Media & Technology Group. In early April, Forbes estimated that Trump’s net worth was only $2.3 billion.
Steve Witkoff, Special Envoy to the Middle East
The real estate magnate and Witkoff Group founder is a longtime friend of Trump’s. He also now has an estimated net worth of at least $1 billion, according to Forbes’ calculations:
His fortune is largely made up of the Witkoff Group, the New York-based real estate developer he founded in 1997. He also owns homes in Manhattan, the Hamptons and south Florida, where he’s developing projects including the Dutchman’s Pipe Golf Club, a Jack Nicklaus-designed course with a luxury hotel, in partnership with Soviet-born billionaire Len Blavatnik’s Access Industries.
Chris Wright, Secretary of Energy
The fracking industry executive is the CEO and co-founder of Liberty Energy, and his stake in the company was worth $50 million as of November 20. And Wright earned $5.6 million in compensation from Liberty in 2023. He is also on the board of directors for both Oklo, a nuclear energy firm in California, and mining royalty company Emx Royalty Corp.