Joe Bidens Personal entstammt den üblichen Kaderschmieden wie Brookings, Yale, Harvard und dem Council on Foreign Relations. Manche pro-Trump-Medien framen die Angelegenheit als Wiedererstarken des „linken Deep States“ und belügen ihr Publikum über das Ausmaß, in dem Regierungsfunktionäre unter Trump aus ebenjenen Kaderschmieden kamen.
Die Briten hatten ihr Royal Institute of International Affairs in London, während der amerikanischen Ableger der Council on Foreign Relations wurde. In den späten 1930er Jahren begannen die Ford Foundation und die Rockefeller Foundation, dem Rat große Geldbeträge zur Verfügung zu stellen. Eine verwandte Organisation ist Bilderberg. Unter Trump dienten u.a.
- John P. Abizaid, Ambassador to Saudi Arabia (Individual CFR member)
- Elliott Abrams, Special Envoy on Venezuela (Individual CFR member)
- James H. Baker, Director of the Office of Net Assessment (Bilderberg attendee)
- Barbara Barrett, Secretary of the Air Force (Individual CFR member, Bilderberg attendee)
- David Bohigian, Executive Vice President of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (Individual CFR member)
- John Bolton, National Security Advisor (Individual CFR member)
- Dan R. Brouillette, Deputy Secretary of Energy (Individual CFR member)
- Elaine Chao, United States Secretary of Transportation (CFR Individual member)
- Richard Clarida, Vice Chairman of the Federal Reserve (CFR Individual member)
- Jay Clayton, Chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission (CFR corporate member)
- Gary Cohn, Director of the National Economic Council (CFR corporate member)
- Paul Dabbar, Under Secretary of Energy for Science, (Individual CFR member)
- Jamie Dimon, Member of Strategic and Policy Forum (CFR corporate member)
- Jim Donovan, Deputy Treasury Secretary (CFR corporate member)
- Mark T. Esper, Acting Secretary of Defense, Secretary of the Army, (Individual CFR member, CFR corporate member)
- Larry Fink, Member of Strategic and Policy Forum (CFR corporate member)
- Christopher A. Ford, Assistant Secretary for International Security and Nonproliferation (Individual CFR member)
- James S. Gilmore III, United States Ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (Individual CFR member)
- Lisa Gordon-Hagerty, National Security Advisor (Individual CFR member, Bilderberg attendee)
- Neil M. Gorsuch, Supreme Court Justice (Individual CFR member)
- Harry B. Harris Jr., Ambassador to South Korea (Individual CFR member)
- Vice Admiral Robert S. Harward, National Security Advisor (declined appointment) (CFR corporate member)
- Kevin Hassett, Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers (CFR fellow traveler)
- Robert Wood “Woody” Johnson IV, United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom (Individual CFR member)
- Kenneth I. Juster, Ambassador to India (Individual CFR member)
- Robert Kadlec, Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services (Preparedness and Response), (Individual CFR member)
- Lawrence Kudlow, Director of the National Economic Council (Individual CFR member)
- Jared Kushner, Senior Advisor to the President (Bilderberg attendee)
- Christopher Landau, Ambassador to Mexico (Individual CFR member)
- Robert Lighthizer, United States Trade Representative (Individual CFR member)
- David R. Malpass, World Bank (Individual CFR member)
- James Mattis, Secretary of Defense (Bilderberg attendee)
- K.T. McFarland, Deputy National Security Adviser (Individual CFR member)
- Brent McIntosh, Undersecretary for international affairs, Department of the Treasury and General Counsel of the Department of the Treasury (Individual CFR member)
- Linda McMahon, Administrator of the Small Business Administration (CFR corporate member)
- Army Lt. General Herbert Raymond “H. R.” McMaster, National Security Advisor (Individual CFR member, Bilderberg attendee)
- Jim McNerney, Member of Strategic and Policy Forum (CFR corporate member)
- Steve Mnuchin, Secretary of the Treasury (CFR corporate member)
- Justin G. Muzinich, Deputy Secretary of the Treasury (Individual CFR member)
- Denise Natali, Assistant Secretary of State for Conflict and Stabilization Operations (Individual CFR member)
- Indra Nooyi, Member of Strategic and Policy Forum (CFR corporate member, Bilderberg attendee)
- Rick Perry, Secretary of Energy (Bilderberg attendee)
- Mike Pompeo, Secretary of State (Bilderberg attendee)
- Matthew Pottinger, Senior Director of the National Security Council (Bilderberg attendee)
- Dina Powell, Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategy (CFR corporate member)
- Jerome Powell, Chairman of the Federal Reserve (Individual CFR member)
- Mira R. Ricardel, Deputy National Security Advisor (Individual CFR member)
- Ginni Rometty, Member of Strategic and Policy Forum (CFR corporate member)
- William B. Roper Jr., Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology, Logistics (Individual CFR member)
- Jeffrey A. Rosen, Deputy Secretary of Transportation and Deputy Attorney General (Individual CFR member)
- Wilbur Ross, Secretary of Commerce (Bilderberg attendee)
- Anthony Scaramucci, Director of Communications (Individual CFR member)
- Nadia Schadlow, Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategy (Bilderberg attendee)
- Stephen Schwarzman, Member of Strategic and Policy Forum (CFR corporate member)
- Patrick Shanahan, Deputy Secretary of Defense and Secretary of Defense (CFR corporate member)
- Susan A. Thornton Assistant secretary for East Asian and Pacific affairs (Individual CFR member)
- Rex Tillerson, Secretary of State (CFR corporate member)
- Rick L. Waddell, National Security Advisor (Individual CFR member)
- Elizabeth E. Walsh, Director General of the United States Commercial Service and Assistant Secretary of Commerce (Global Markets) (Individual CFR member)
- Ray Washburne, President and CEO of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (Individual CFR member)
- Jack Welch, Member of Strategic and Policy Forum (CFR corporate member)
- Owen West, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict (Individual CFR member)
- Robert Wilkie, Secretary of Veterans Affairs (Individual CFR member)
- Heather Ann Wilson, Secretary of the Air Force (Individual CFR member)
