Who's in line for a Trump cabinet spot?

As debate circulates about who US President-elect Donald Trump will pick for his cabinet, an expert runs down his list of possible candidates.

President-elect Donald Trump looks on in the Oval Office of the White House during a meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama Source: AAP

Trump gave shoutouts in his victory speech on Thursday to the handful of Republican politicians who stood by him in the bruising race to the White House.

They will almost certainly be rewarded with key posts. Other picks could come from the private sector.

Tom Switzer from the US Study Centre at the University of Sydney spoke to SBS about possible choices for top foreign affairs positions in Trump's cabinet.

Rudy Giuliani

Mr Switzer said former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani could get "whatever he wants" when it came to a cabinet position.

"He’s been one of Trump’s biggest backers in the media over the past six months, which was a heck of a job because he was often on the back foot," he told SBS.

"He will get whatever he wants, which probably means attorney general."

Giuliani, 72, a former prosecutor, is seen as at the front of the line to be attorney general, having gone through the campaign's highs and lows.

He was the first to get a shoutout during Trump's post-election speech on Thursday.

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani has been a huge Trump supporter (AAP) Source: AAP

"He's unbelievable. Unbelievable. He travelled with us and he went through meetings, and Rudy never changes," Trump enthused.

Giuliani was celebrated as the determined face of New York after the September 11, 2001 attacks that toppled the World Trade Center.

As mayor of the city from 1994 to 2001 he was credited with lowering the rate of violent crime and making major improvements in the quality of life in America's biggest and most complex metropolis.

As US attorney for the Southern District of New York he prosecuted major Mafia cases and Wall Street corruption.

He ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008 but withdrew after learning he had prostate cancer.

Newt Gingrich

Gingrich, 73, is tipped by many pundits to be the next secretary of state.

A mercurial former speaker of the House of Representatives, the former Georgia lawmaker was the architect of a 1994 Republican insurgency that ended four decades of Democratic control of the chamber.

He was forced to resign the speakership four years later because of ethics violations.

But he remained an influential Republican ideas man, writer and political consultant in his years out of office. He made an unsuccessful run for the Republican presidential nomination in 2011.

"Like Giuliani, Gingrich has been an unashamed supporter of Trump throughout the last six months," Mr Switzer said.

"I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s appointed secretary of state – he’s a very provocative pick. But it’s interesting because Gingrich is part of the Republican Party that believes in the notion of ‘American global leadership’, which will contradict Trump’s America first approach. He’s someone we should keep an eye on."

An early Trump supporter, Gingrich reportedly made the New York billionaire's shortlist of potential vice presidential running mates but was passed over in favor of Indiana Governor Mike Pence.

File image of Newt Gingrich (AAP) Source: AAP

Chris Christie

The New Jersey governor swung his support behind Trump after his bid for the Republican nomination fizzled.

Christie, 54, has been mentioned for various posts in a Trump administration, including attorney general or commerce secretary.

The burly, blustery Christie is considered a Republican political talent.

But he comes with a major liability: a scandal over the closure of a major bridge linking New Jersey and New York, allegedly to punish a local mayor. Two former aides to Christie were convicted of all charges in the case on November 4.

Mr Switzer said despite Christie's "ethic issues", Trump may "play with fire" by appointing Christie attorney general because the Republicans control the senate, which would "make the nomination process easier".

During the Republican primary debates, Christie helped Trump by damaging rival Marco Rubio with a scathing attack on the Florida senator's scripted answers to questions.

A former US attorney, Christie later headed Trump's transition team and was reportedly on the shortlist for his vice presidential running mate.

Reince Priebus

Priebus, 44, is said to be the inside favorite to be Trump's White House chief of staff.

The morning after Tuesday's stunning victory, he was huddled with the president-elect at Trump Tower in New York.

As chairman of the Republican National Committee, Priebus provided Trump with a crucial link to the party's resources in getting out the vote as well as to a skittish Republican leadership.

A lawyer with deep roots in Wisconsin's Republican party, Priebus is close to House Speaker Paul Ryan, a fellow Wisconsinite who will be key to passage of the new administration's legislative agenda.

Wisconsin was in Trump's win column, a stunning Republican breakthrough in a state that has long voted for Democrats for president.

“I’ve heard his name mentioned as a chief of staff, but that idea was scoffed at by (US analyst) Ying Ma who is close to the Trump team," Mr Switzer said 

"I do a radio national program on the ABC and this subject came up yesterday, and Ying Ma scoffed at the idea that Reince Priebus could be chief of staff – but that name has been mentioned."

Reince Priebus, Chair of the Republican National Committee, right, speaks as President-elect Donald Trump stands nearby on election day (AAP) Source: AAP

Michael Rogers

CNN national security commentator Michael Rogers is a man being overlooked by pundits, according to Mr Switzer.

As chairman of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Rogers has been advising Trump on national security issues.

"He’s highly regarded in Canberra and Washington, in fact he was out here a couple of years ago and my sources at the US embassy in Canberra tell me that he’s a serious person in a Trump administration," Mr Switzer said.

"Now whether that’s a national security adviser, head of the Pentagon, head of the CIA or Secretary of State – I just don’t know.

"I think he will be a major player in the foreign policy apparatus of a Trump administration"

Jeff Sessions

The US senator from Alabama, a Trump supporter when other leading Republicans were dead set against his candidacy, is being touted as a possible secretary of defense.

At his victory bash in New York, Trump hailed the 69-year-old Sessions as "the first man, first senator, first major, major politician" to endorse him.

"Let me tell you, he is highly respected in Washington because he is as smart as you get," Trump said.

One of the senate's most conservative members, Sessions has opposed nearly every Democratic initiative under President Barack Obama, including the Affordable Care Act and the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," the ban on gays serving in the military.

A supporter of the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, he sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee, the Judiciary Committee, the Budget Committee and the committee on environment and public works.

Steven Mnuchin

Trump's campaign finance chairman, Mnuchin is reported to be the likely choice for Treasury secretary.

A veteran of Goldman Sachs with deep connections in Wall Street, Mnuchin would be a relatively unconventional pick for a president-elect who campaigned as a populist fighting a "rigged system."

After amassing a fortune working at Goldman Sachs, the Yale graduate became a movie producer, founding a company involved in bringing out a number of box office hits, including the "X-Men" franchise, "Avatar," and "American Sniper."

Michael Flynn

A retired lieutenant general, Flynn served as a campaign surrogate who gave Trump credibility with veterans despite the candidate's lack of military service.

A former director of the Defense Intelligence Agency from 2012-2014, Flynn was reportedly forced out of that post after clashing with his superiors.

During the campaign, he was sharply critical of the administration's handling of the threat posed by the Islamic State group.

He was a keynote speaker at the Republican National Convention and was mentioned as a possible Trump running mate.

He could be rewarded with a top security position like national security adviser.

-With AFP