This week President-elect Donald Trump unveiled his picks for a number of positions that will have a direct impact on US diplomacy and national security - including his nominations of Senator Marco Rubio for Secretary of State and Representative Michael Waltz for National Security Adviser. As Trump’s national security team takes shape, Jonathan Schanzer, the senior vice president for research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, and Endy Zemenides, Executive Director of HALC, join Thanos Davelis to break down what message these nominations send about the foreign policy priorities of a second Trump administration, especially when looking at the Eastern Mediterranean.

You can read the articles we discuss on our podcast here:

President-elect Trump nominates Marco Rubio for secretary of state

National security picks signal direction of Trump’s foreign policy plans

Trump builds out national security team with picks of Hegseth for Pentagon, Noem for DHS

Tulsi Gabbard Questioned U.S. Intelligence. Now She Is Trump’s Pick for Top Intelligence Role.

Army reboot: Smaller, smarter, stronger

Turkey deploys warships over misunderstanding