It was a busy night in the US. Donald Trump has announced a number of major appointments - here they are in brief:

• Elon Musk and former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy have been tasked with leading a new "Department of Government Efficiency", which will "provide advice and guidance from outside of government" on cutting spending and regulations
• South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem has been chosen as Homeland Security Secretary
• The position of Defence Secretary has gone to Pete Hegseth, an Army veteran and Fox News host
• Property developer Steve Witkoff - Trump's long-time golf partner and a major campaign donor - has been named as special envoy to the Middle East, while former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee will be nominated as ambassador to Israel

Later, Joe Biden and Trump are due to meet at the White House and Republicans in the Senate will pick its next leader.

On top of that, we could finally find out who will get a majority in the House, where the Republicans are a couple of seats short of control.

Image source, Getty Images

Both Trump and Musk are cryptocurrency fans and the new "Department of Government Efficiency" - Doge for short - is an apparent reference to that.

Shortly after the announcement Musk would lead the new body, he confirmed on X, external the Doge initialism was no coincidence, and indicated he took the idea from a joke on the platform earlier this year.

The name is also used by Dogecoin, a cryptocurrency created in 2013 by two software developers - Billy Markus from Oregon and Jackson Palmer from Sydney.

The currency was named after a well-known internet meme, which features a Shiba Inu dog affectionately dubbed Doge.

It soon attracted a loyal online following, including Musk, who has called it "the people's crypto" in 2021, driving up its value.

He was sued after being accused of deliberately seeking to inflate its price to make money, though his lawyers succeeded in having that lawsuit dismissed earlier this year.

Dogecoin's price often spikes when Musk mentions it publicly - though there has been no significant movement since Trump confirmed the body's formation and the tech billionaire's appointment.

Image source, EPA

More now on Donald Trump's choice to be Secretary of Homeland Security, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem.

At the Department of Homeland Security, she will oversee a host of federal agencies tasked with policing the border, overseeing the immigration system, protecting the US from cyber crime and other issues affecting national security.

The department has control over the US Secret Service, which is tasked with defending the president and has come under scrutiny since Trump narrowly avoided assassination in July.

Noem's appointment will have to be approved by the Senate, which should be a formality now the Republicans have a majority.

She represented South Dakota in the House of Representatives from 2011 to 2019, before being elected as the state's first female governor in 2019.

Noem is a vocal Trump supporter and was considered a frontrunner to be his running mate for this years election. However, her reputation suffered after she detailed killing her pet dog because it was "untrainable" in a memoir.

Image source, Reuters

After the news that he has been appointed to co-lead a so-called Department of Government Efficiency, Vivek Ramaswamy has confirmed he's dropping his bid to replace JD Vance as a senator for Ohio.

With Vance now set for the White House, the state governor Mike DeWine has the power to temporarily fill the vacancy until the next senate elections in November 2026.

Ramaswamy, who was born and raised in Ohio, was among those touted to be under consideration.

"Whoever Governor DeWine appoints to JD’s seat has some big shoes to fill. I will help them however I can," he wrote on X.

We've been focusing on the Elon Musk appointment in the last few hours but there were plenty of other significant moves from the Trump transition team on Tuesday:

• Former Arkansas governor and Baptist minister Mike Huckabee has been named US ambassador to Israel

• Fox News commentator and army veteran Pete Hegseth is Trump's pick to be the next US secretary of defence
• John Ratcliffe, a former Texas congressman and Trump's director of national intelligence, has been nominated as the next CIA director
• Kristi Noem, the governor of South Dakota, has been confirmed as Trump's pick to be the Secretary of Homeland Security
• Trump's long-time golf partner Steve Witkoff, a property investor, has been named as his envoy to the Middle East

We've been looking at what Trump's choices so far tell us about how his new administration might look.

Cai Pigliucci
Reporting from West Palm Beach, Florida

Image source, EPA

Donald Trump has selected Former Governor of Arkansas Mike Huckabee, known for being a staunch Israel supporter, as his ambassador to the country. He’s also picked Steven Witkoff, a businessman and real estate mogul, to serve as his Special Envoy to the Middle East.

One former state department official says the fact these posts are being announced at the start of the transition sends a clear signal that Trump is focusing on national security.

These names are also seen as rewards to those that have backed Trump. Witkoff is a financial donor and golf partner to Trump, and Huckabee is an influential evangelical Christian - a group whose support has been key to the president-elect's political success.

Another former diplomat says Witkoff's background doesn’t suggest any obvious ties to the Middle East, signalling that Trump continues to emphasise loyalty above all else.

Both choices, combined with his earlier selection of New York Congresswoman Elise Stefanik as ambassador to the United Nations, are indications that, as expected, Trump is leaning into his outspoken support for Israel.

Lily Jamali
North America Technology Correspondent

Image source, Reuters

Donald Trump promised "drastic change" to the federal government as he announced a new "Department of Government Efficiency" - Doge for short - headed by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy.

Musk and Ramaswamy have been tasked with carrying out Trump’s campaign promise to cut as many as 100,000 government positions. He called it "the Manhattan Project of our time" - a reference to the top-secret US government push to make the first atomic bomb during World War Two.

What Silicon Valley and Wall Street may want to know is what this all means for Musk’s involvement in his companies. Shortly after the announcement, analysts at financial services firm Wedbush predicted: "There will be NO changes to Musk’s CEO roles with Tesla and SpaceX importantly from [Wall] Street’s perspective."

For Musk, having a foot in both worlds might create a conflict as Doge makes changes that could impact his businesses.

Nestled among the promises in Trump’s announcement is mention of slashing "excess regulations", some of which Tesla may be currently subject to. The company is also under investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a government office, for the role its self-driving technology played in four incidents, including one which resulted in a death.

Elon Musk has often spoken publicly about his interest in a role working on government efficiency and budget cuts.

At a Trump rally in New York last month, he was asked how much he thought could be saved from the US government’s total budget of around $6.5 trillion (£5.1 trillion).

“I think we could do at least $2 trillion,” he said. “Your money is being wasted and the Department of Government Efficiency is going to fix that.”

In a recent post on X, he wrote that “there is a lot of waste and needless regulation in government that needs to go”.

In another, he said: “Federal government spending will bankrupt the country, unless action is taken.”

He's also frequently suggested that the number of people employed by the government should be significantly reduced.

Jessica Parker
Reporting from Florida

What role tech billionaire and prominent Trump supporter Elon Musk may play in the new administration has been the subject of intense speculation and anticipation.

Now the already touted "Department of Government Efficiency" - Doge for short - has, it seems, come into being.

Musk will head up Doge - its name an apparent reference to the Dogecoin cryptocurrency - alongside entrepreneur and former presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy.

However, a statement from the Trump-Vance transition team says the “department” will guide from outside government - indicating it may play more of an advisory role.

The truth is we don’t know its exact shape, resources and power - but Trump was always likely to want to reward these loyal campaign lieutenants.

Image source, Getty Images

Musk and Trump weren't always allies. In 2022, Musk said Trump should "sail into the sunset", while Trump claimed Musk was ready to "drop to his knees and beg" for subsidies during his first presidential term.

However, by the time this election rolled around, the world's richest person had cemented himself as a key part of the president-elect's inner circle.

He publicly endorsed Trump shortly after he survived an assassination attempt in July, and poured at least $100m into supporting him.

The Tesla CEO appeared on stage at Republican rallies and in the final days of the campaign handed out $1m every day to a registered voter in a key state, a scheme critics said amounted to buying votes and was challenged in the courts.

Musk also welcomed Trump back to X shortly after buying the platform in 2022, reversing a ban instated on his account in the wake of the 6 January riots over "the risk of further incitement of violence".

The pair don't agree on everything - not least electric vehicles - but the 53-year-old was with Trump and his family at Mar-a-Lago on election night.

When he took to the stage to claim victory, the president-elect spent a few minutes praising Musk as a "new star" and "super genius".

Anthony Zurcher
BBC North America correspondent

Image source, Reuters

Elon Musk, the wealthiest man in the world, has been a full-time presence at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago transition headquarters. According to media reports, he is advising the president-elect on cabinet nominees and even joined a conversation between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last week.

On Tuesday night, Trump announced that he was assigning Musk to work with tech entrepreneur and former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy in a "department of government efficiency" tasked with identifying new budget cuts.

Musk’s political action committee spent around $200m to help Trump’s presidential campaign, and he promises to continue to fund the group’s efforts to advance the president-elect’s agenda and help Republican candidates in upcoming congressional elections.

Meanwhile, it remains to be seen where Robert F Kennedy Jr, another key figure, lands. Trump has said that he plans to give the former Democrat and vaccine sceptic, who abandoned his independent bid and endorsed the Republican, a role in making America “healthy” again.

“He wants to do some things, and we’re going to let him go to it,” Trump said in his election victory speech.

It's not yet clear what form the organisation Elon Musk as been tasked to lead will take.

In a statement confirming the appointment, Trump says the so-called Department of Government Efficiency will "provide advice and guidance from outside of government" - implying it will not sit within formal federal government structures.

The statement also says the organisation will "partner with the White House and [the pre-existing] Office of Management & Budget to drive large scale structural reform".

We also know Musk and his partner Vivek Ramaswamy have been given a July 2026 deadline for their work. It's not clear if their positions would also expire at that point.

Image source, Reuters

In Trump's statement confirming he is setting up a new agency tasked with cutting government spending and regulation, Musk is quoted as saying: "This will send shockwaves through the system, and anyone involved in Government waste, which is a lot of people!”

Musk has responded to a post sharing the statement on X - the social media platform he owns - on an account managed on behalf of Tommy Robinson, a far-right UK activist who is currently imprisoned.

"People have no idea how much this will move the needle," he writes.

Ramaswamy also reacted on X, writing: "We will not go gently."

Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy have been handed the authority to conduct sweeping changes to government spending, according to Donald Trump.

"Together, these two wonderful Americans will pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies - Essential to the 'Save America' Movement," his statement reads.

"It will become, potentially, 'The Manhattan Project' of our time," he says, referring to the American programme to develop the first atomic bomb.

It is unclear exactly what form this new department will take but it appears it will be outside formal government structures.

The statement goes on: "The Department of Government Efficiency will provide advice and guidance from outside of Government," he adds, with a goal to "create an entrepreneurial approach to Government never seen before".

Trump says they have a deadline of concluding their work by US Independence Day on 4 July, 2026.

As we've just reported, Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy have been chosen by Donald Trump to lead a new organisation dedicated to driving "government efficiency".

The Department of Government Efficiency will be known as Doge for short, according to Trump - an apparent reference to the cryptocurrency Dogecoin, which Musk has supported, calling it "the people's crypto".

Musk donated a reported $200m (£157m) to Trump's campaign, and was one of his top public surrogates.

Ramaswamy took on Trump for the Republican nomination during the primary election but became one of Trump's loudest supporters following his defeat.

The multi-millionaire has suggested a number of radical overhauls, including eliminating the FBI.

Image source, Getty Images

Donald Trump has confirmed he will appoint South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem to lead the Department of Homeland Security.

Noem - whose name was floated over the summer as a potential vice-presidential candidate - has long been a Trump ally and has vigorously campaigned on behalf of the president-elect.

She made headlines earlier this year when in her memoir she revealed she had killed her dog with a shotgun because it was "untrainable" and "dangerous".

Elon Musk and former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy have been tasked with leading a new Department of Government Efficiency by Donald Trump

"Together, these two wonderful Americans will pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies - Essential to the 'Save America' Movement," Trump said in a statement.

We'll bring you more on this story very shortly.

Image source, Getty Images

Pete Hegseth will be the next defence secretary, Trump just announced in a campaign release.

Hegseth is an army veteran, a Fox News host and former head of two advocacy groups for military veterans. He previously ran unsuccessfully for a Senate seat in Minnesota.

"Pete is tough, smart and a true believer in America First," Trump wrote in a statement. "With Pete at the helm, America’s enemies are on notice - Our Military will be Great Again, and America will Never Back Down."

His appointment is one of the most highly anticipated in Trump's cabinet as the wars in Ukraine and Gaza rage on.

"Nobody fights harder for the Troops and Pete will be a courageous and patriotic champion of our 'Peace through Strength' policy," Trump said.

Image source, Dan Scavino Jr/X

As Donald Trump assembles his new administration, officials from other countries are also weighing on the recent US election.

Australia's ambassador to the US - and former prime minister - Kevin Rudd was once a vocal critic of Trump, and the president-elect is not a fan of Rudd either, earlier this year saying he was "nasty" and "not the brightest bulb".

After the election last week, Rudd deleted several social media posts about Trump which were made before his time as ambassador. His office said this was to "eliminate the possibility" of them being "misconstrued" as reflecting the views of the Australian government.

But questions have been raised over whether Rudd's position in Washington is still tenable.

Influential Trump ally Dan Scavino Jr poured fuel on that fire on Tuesday, retweeting Rudd's statement congratulating Trump on his victory, external with a gif of an hourglass emptying - suggesting the ambassador was running out of time.

However Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has repeatedly said he has no plans to remove Rudd, and former Prime Minister Scott Morrison has also supported him - despite being a political rival of Rudd - by saying it is for Australia to decide who represents the country, not the US.

Kayla Epstein
reporting from New York

As he builds his new White House team, Donald Trump is recruiting from the US House of Representatives for key administration posts.

He has announced he will name New York Republican Elise Stefanik and Florida's Mike Waltz to his cabinet.

The appointments would be taking two lawmakers off the table when the battle for control of the US House remains razor thin.

Even so, things will probably be fine for Republicans in the House in the long term. Both of those lawmakers are in safely Republican districts, meaning the party has less of a chance of losing the seats to a Democrat. In New York and Florida, special elections will be called to fill the vacant seats.

Holding those special elections however, could take some time - perhaps a couple of months after the new US Congress is gavelled into session. And if partisan control of the US House turns out to be very narrow - as it is predicted to be - once all the races are called, any absence could have an impact during contentious votes.

It remains to be seen how many other sitting members of Congress Trump will choose for his new administration.

Trump also reportedly has plans to nominate Florida Senator Marco Rubio as Secretary of State, but his seat is guaranteed to stay in conservative hands. The state's Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, gets to name Rubio's replacement if he is appointed to the cabinet, and it is inconceivable that he wouldn't pick a member of the same party.