President-elect Donald Trump named Monica Crowley, a former Fox News contributor, as his nominee for chief of protocol at the State Department—marking the latest network personality to land a job in the incoming administration.
Trump, an avid viewer of the right-leaning cable network, seems to be using the network as a farm team for his political appointees. His nominations include at least 12 more people who have been on the Fox payroll, according to a comprehensive list compiled by left-leaning watchdog organization Media Matters for America.
The list includes paid contributors, a few hosts, and even a former senior vice president on the network’s business side. Another eight appointees were noted as frequent guests on the network. Some former Fox stars are slated to have an outsized role in policy with nominations for key positions, including secretary of defense and national security adviser.
The Fox personality that has made the biggest impact so far is Pete Hegseth, the former host of Fox and Friends Weekend and Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Defense. Hegseth, an Army National Guard veteran, began working for the cable network as a political commentator in 2014.
However, Hegseth’s confirmation process has had a rocky start after reports of his sexual assault allegations and drinking habits at work have dominated the news cycle.
Other major names include former Rep. Sean Duffy, the former cohost of Fox Business Network’s The Bottom Line, who was tapped to lead the Department of Transportation. Duffy is also married to Rachel Campos-Duffy, Hegseth’s former co-host at Fox & Friends Weekend.
Duffy had a long and varied career before his stint in conservative media—he first rose to fame as a reality television star on The Real World: Boston and Road Rules: All Stars.
Duffy served as the district attorney of Ashland County, Wisconsin, until 2010. He was elected to represent Wisconsin’s 7th District the same year, and served until resigning in 2019.
Tulsi Gabbard, the former Democratic representative from Hawaii, became a paid contributor on the network in 2022 after leaving her party and embarking on an abrupt rightward turn. Trump has since nominated her to serve as director of national intelligence.
Gabbard was one of a handful of fellow contributors tapped to staff the Trump administration. Others include former medical contributor Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, Trump’s pick for surgeon general, and former Florida Rep. Michael Waltz, selected to serve as national security adviser.
Crowley, a longtime conservative political commentator who worked for years as a Fox contributor, is also a veteran from Trump’s last administration, where she served as the assistant secretary of the Treasury for public affairs.
At least one other Fox veteran was tapped for a diplomatic post—former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who hosted his own program Huckabee on the network from 2008 to 2015. Trump announced Huckabee as his pick to serve as ambassador to Israel earlier in November.
