List reveals Sarah Palin and Chris Christie as well as oil tycoons and bankers in Donald Trump's possible cabinet

President-elect's transition team compiles options including figures from private sector

A list of the President-elect's cabinet shortlist was leaked to BuzzFeed (Getty Images)

Sarah Palin, governor Chris Christie, former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, defeated Republican rival Ben Carson and a slew of private sector executives are among the contenders for top positions in Donald Trump’s cabinet.

A list of 41 candidates compiled by the President-elect’s transition team has been obtained by BuzzFeed News, covering 13 departments that will make up his powerful cabinet.

Ms Palin, the former Alaska governor who unsuccessfully ran as vice-president in 2008, is one of seven possibilities for Secretary of the Interior, including governors Jan Brewer and Mary Fallin, venture capitalist Robert Grady, oil executive Forrest Lucas and entrepreneur Harold Hamm.

Mr Christie, the New Jersey governor damaged by the “Bridgegate” scandal, is in contention for the positions of Attorney General and Secretary of Commerce; while Newt Gingrich could be made Secretary of State.

Mr Giuliani is also up for Attorney General while Dr Carson, who bowed out of the Republican nomination race earlier this year, is listed for the education and health briefs.

A hotly tipped option for Secretary of Defence is Mike Flynn, a retired general and former head of the Defence Intelligence Agency, who has been Mr Trump’s chief defence policy adviser during the campaign.

The list, which is not final, includes several high-profile figures from the energy and banking industries, following Mr Trump’s anti-“politician” rhetoric during his campaign. Among them are oil, gas and steel executives, a venture capitalist, bankers, investors and financiers from the private sector.

Several of the candidates were praised by Mr Trump in his victory speech on Wednesday, including possible Attorney General, Defence Secretary, or Office of Management or Budget director Jeff Sessions.

Reince Priebus, the Republican National Committee chairman listed as the sole candidate for Chief of Staff, was also named, with Mr Trump calling him “a very special person”.

“We have got tremendously talented people up here, I want to tell you, it’s been very, very special,” said the President-elect.

He was due to meet Barack Obama at the White House on Thursday to start the formal process of transition ahead of his inauguration in January.

The contenders for Mr Trump’s cabinet

Attorney General:

Gov Chris Christie

Attorney General Pam Bondi

Sen Jeff Sessions

Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani

Mr Trump and New Jersey governor Chris Christie on election night (Reuters)

Secretary of Commerce:

Chris Christie

Former Nucor CEO Dan DiMicco

Businessman Lew Eisenberg

Former gov Mike Huckabee

Sen David Perdue

Former Sen Jim Talent

Mike Huckabee – a possible Commerce Secretary? (Reuters)

Agriculture Secretary:

Gov Sam Brownback

National Council of Farmer Cooperatives CEO Chuck Conner

Gov Dave Heineman

Texas Agricultural Commissioner Sid Miller

Former Georgia gov Sonny Perdue

Secretary of Education:

Ben Carson

Hoover Institution fellow William Evers

Ben Carson endorsed Mr Trump at the billionaire's Mars-A-Lago beach club (Getty Images)

Secretary of Energy:

Venture capitalist Robert Grady

Businessman Harold Hamm

Secretary of Health and Human Services:

Former New Jersey state Sen Richard Bagger

Ben Carson

Newt Gingrich

Gov Rick Scott

Donald Trump with Newt Gingrich (Getty)

Secretary of Homeland Security:

Chris Christie

Sheriff David Clarke

Secretary of the Interior:

Gov Jan Brewer

Gov Mary Fallin

Robert Grady

Harold Hamm

Oil executive Forrest Lucas

Rep Cynthia Lummis

Former Gov Sarah Palin

Donald Trump and Sarah Palin at a restaurant in New York in 2011 (Picture: Getty)

Secretary of Defense:

Former Gen Mike Flynn

Stephen Hadley

Rep Duncan Hunter Jr

Jeff Sessions

Former Sen Jim Talent

Secretary of State:

John Bolton

Sen Bob Corker

Newt Gingrich

Treasury Secretary:

Rep Jeb Hensarling

Businessman Carl Icahn

Banker Steven Mnuchin

Chairman of the Republican National Committee, Reince Priebus (Getty)

Chief of Staff:

Reince Priebus

Director of Office of Management and Budget:

Jeff Sessions

Secretary of Labor:

EEOC commissioner Victoria Lipnic

Veterans Affairs:

Rep Jeff Miller

White House Counsel:

Donald McGahn