WASHINGTON: Making his first move as US President-elect,
Donald Trump has named top Republican
Reince Priebus
as his
chief of staff
and his campaign CEO
Stephen Bannon
as
chief strategist
, two key roles awarded to "highly qualified leaders" who led the billionaire tycoon to a "historic victory".
Trump, who would be sworn in as the 45th President of the United States on January 20, made the announcement yesterday which will set the tone for the new White House.
Both the positions, which do not require Senate confirmation, would come into effect the day 70-year-old Trump replaces Barack Obama as the President of the US.
"I am thrilled to have my very successful team continue with me in leading our country," Trump said.
"Steve and Reince are highly qualified leaders who worked well together on our campaign and led us to a historic victory. Now I will have them both with me in the White House as we work to make America great again," he said.
While Priebus, chairman of the Republican National Committee (RNC), will serve Trump's chief of staff, Bannon from the conservative Breitbart News Network will be his chief strategist.
They will continue the effective leadership team they formed during the campaign, working as equal partners to transform the federal government, making it much more efficient, effective and productive, the Trump Transition Team said in a statement.
They will also work together with Vice President-elect Mike Pence to help lead the transition process in the run-up to Inauguration Day, it said.
"I want to thank President-elect Trump for the opportunity to work with Reince in driving the agenda of the Trump Administration," Bannon said.
"We had a very successful partnership on the campaign, one that led to victory. We will have that same partnership in working to help President-elect Trump achieve his agenda," he added.
"It is truly an honour to join President-elect Trump in the White House as his Chief of Staff. I am very grateful to the President-elect for this opportunity to serve him and this nation as we work to create an economy that works for everyone, secure our borders, repeal and replace Obamacare and destroy radical Islamic terrorism. He will be a great President for all Americans," Priebus said.
Trump defeated his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton in Tuesday's presidential vote, in a result which shocked many who had expected her to win following favourable opinion polls.