The composition of the future administration led by Donald Trump in the United States has now been almost entirely mapped out. The key positions have been filled, and several choices made by the US president-elect have not been without controversy. Standing alongside him will be oil executives, billionaires and climate sceptics.

Steven Mnuchin, the Wolf of Wall Street at the Treasury

Steven Mnuchin, 53, spent seventeen years as a senior executive at Goldman Sachs, a bank widely criticised for the role it played in the American and global financial crisis. He worked specifically on government securities and mortgage-backed securities. He subsequently ran a hedge fund in California. More recently, he served as chief financial officer of Donald Trump's electoral campaign.

John Kelly, a general for the Department of the Interior

John Kelly will head the Department of the Interior. A former general in the United States Army, over the course of his long military career he led the controversial American base at Guantanamo in Cuba. He was chosen by Trump above all to crack down on the phenomenon of illegal immigration.

Jeff Sessions, the anti-immigration pick for Justice

Jeff Sessions is the new Attorney General. Ultra-conservative, he is known for his particularly hardline positions on immigration. In 1986, a statement he made caused a scandal when he accused a white lawyer of being a disgrace to his race, on the grounds that the attorney also defended black clients.

Rex Tillerson, the oil man at the State Department

Rex Tillerson, the chief executive of America's largest oil company, ExxonMobil, will represent the United States on the world stage as Secretary of State. Tillerson will thus hold the most senior position in Trump's cabinet. A friend of Russian president Vladimir Putin, he is a staunch defender of the fossil fuel cause, and consequently a firm opponent of the environmental policies pursued by Barack Obama during his two terms in the White House.

Betsy DeVos, ultra-conservative, at Education

Betsy DeVos has been chosen as Secretary of Education. Regarded as ultra-conservative, she is a fervent advocate of a school system based on private institutions. She is the wife of Dick DeVos, the 88th richest man in the United States. Their combined wealth has been estimated at around 5 billion dollars.

Stephen Bannon, Trump's chief strategist accused of racism

Stephen Bannon, after running Trump's campaign, will take on the role of "chief strategist". During a recent visit to the newsroom of the New York Times, the president-elect was forced to defend him against accusations of harbouring racist tendencies. Bannon is indeed a particularly controversial figure owing to his ties with the far right: until recently, the future senior White House adviser owned the news website Breitbart, known for its extremist positions.

Michael Flynn, anti-Islam, at National Security

Michael Flynn has been designated as Special Adviser for National Security in the Trump administration. Over the course of a very long military career spanning 33 years, he led Nato missions in Afghanistan and Iraq. He then served as director of the Defence Intelligence Agency from 2012 to 2014. Democrats have criticised him sharply, accusing him of anti-Islamic positions and of being too close to Russian president Vladimir Putin.

Tom Price, surgeon and opponent of Obamacare, at Health

Tom Price will be Donald Trump's Secretary of Health. A surgeon, during the years of Barack Obama's administrations he was a fierce critic of the healthcare reform championed by the Democratic president, known as Obamacare. The latter made it possible to cover health insurance costs for millions of American citizens living below the poverty line. Price is also a fervent opponent of abortion.

Ben Carson, anti-gay, to lead the Department of Urban Development

Ben Carson will be Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. A retired neurosurgeon, he had initially been put forward for the post of Secretary of Education, but was forced to step back owing to the controversy surrounding a series of his "policy statements". In particular, he explained that he had wanted to promote the "Christian roots" of American history, reduce the space devoted to Islam (which "is not a religion") in textbooks, and abolish public funding for schools that "foster anti-American prejudice". He also explained that he wished to call into question the theory of evolution and theories on the origin of the universe.

Wilbur Ross, billionaire Secretary of Commerce

Also a former banker at financial giants such as Rothschild and Goldman Sachs, and a specialist in rescuing companies on the brink of bankruptcy, Wilbur Ross has been designated as Secretary of Commerce. He is one of the wealthiest men in the United States: his fortune is estimated at around 3 billion dollars.

Gary Cohn, banker at the head of the Economic Council

Gary Cohn is a former banker. Over the course of his career he held the role of number two at Goldman Sachs in particular, an institution at which he worked for 27 years. He has been entrusted with the role of head of the Economic Council: he will be responsible in particular for the United States federal budget.

James Mattis, the marine who "enjoys shooting people", at Defence

James Mattis will be Secretary of Defence. A former Marine general, in 2005 he stirred up a hornet's nest of controversy by declaring that shooting people is fun.

Scott Pruitt at the Environmental Protection Agency

Scott Pruitt, a climate sceptic and ardent supporter of fossil fuels, has been appointed to head the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). According to the New York Times, "Pruitt, 48, is a hero to conservative activists. He is among the Republicans who in recent years have forged an alliance with the country's leading energy producers in order to push back against the Obama administration's environmental policies".