Donald Trump has sweeping plans for a second administration. Here’s what he’s proposed

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Musk causes uproar for backing Germany’s far-right party ahead of key elections

Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk caused uproar after backing Germany’s far-right party in a major newspaper ahead of key parliamentary elections in the Western European country, leading to the resignation of the paper’s opinion editor in protest. Read more.

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Visa feud

President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday defended the visa program that allows highly skilled foreign workers to immigrate to the US. It marked his first comments on an issue that has ignited sharp criticism from MAGA loyalists hoping to restrict immigration. Trump said in an interview with The New York Post that he's "a believer in H-1B," referring to the visas granted to thousands of foreign workers who immigrate to the US to fill specialized jobs. In his first term, Trump restricted access to foreign worker visas, and he has previously criticized the program. But during the 2024 campaign, Trump signaled openness to giving some foreign-born workers legal status if they graduated from a US university.

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📊 Support for using military in deportation

Data: PRRI Post-Election American Values Survey. Chart: Axios Visuals Nearly half of Republican voters believe the U.S. military should put undocumented immigrants in detention camps until they can be deported, Axios' Russell Contreras writes from a post-election survey by the nonpartisan Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI). Why it matters: President-elect Trump has suggested he'll use the military in immigration raids and turn to a 1798 law to put immigrants in camps. His base appears to support those plans. Explore the data.

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Trump endorses Mike Johnson to stay on as House Speaker despite government funding turmoil

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump on Monday endorsed House Speaker Mike Johnson, providing crucial backing for the Louisiana Republican as he prepares for what is expected to be another contentious speakership race this week.

https://apnews.com/article/trump-mike-johnson-house-speaker-gop-government-funding-8f4eef7f2b83d4c2d5db7fbce69f9368?

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Kremlin Insiders Reveal How Trump Is Already Secretly Helping Putin

Putin’s top propagandists highlight yet more similarities between Putin and Trump and explain how the President-elect is already helping the Kremlin.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/kremlin-insiders-reveal-how-trump-is-already-secretly-helping-putin/?

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Trump calls it the ‘center of the universe.’ Mar-a-Lago is a magnet for those seeking influence

PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — The cars begin lining up early in the morning to be screened by Secret Service agents under white tents near the fence that surrounds President-elect Donald Trump’s vast south Florida estate.

https://apnews.com/article/trump-maralago-musk-brand-bukele-golf-elon-zuckerberg-4a7dfb1cec7607962ed5ca8d3ddfa347?

ps:Of course he does!!

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Tesla Cybertruck explodes outside Trump hotel in Las Vegas, police say

A Tesla Cybertruck exploded outside Trump International Hotel Las Vegas' entrance on Wednesday, killing one person and wounding seven others, law enforcement officials said.

https://www.axios.com/2025/01/01/trump-vegas-tesla-cybertruck-explosion?

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Musk goes global

Elon Musk hijacked British politics this week with a stream of at least 60 X posts attacking Prime Minister Keir Starmer, defending an anti-Islam campaigner and endorsing the far-right Reform Party, Axios' Dave Lawler writes.

• Why it matters: The right-hand man to America's next president has gone after the leaders of several of its closest allies in recent months. But his fight with the British government is turning into the nastiest yet.

🎙While Musk's X microphone was enough to send Westminster into a frenzy, there's been intense speculation he'll also open his checkbook for Reform and its Trump-aligned leader, Nigel Farage.

• Musk told me he had yet to donate and wasn't sure whether that would be legal: "But I have voiced my opinion that the status quo parties are not the right move."

In the most recent of several attacks on Starmer, Musk labeled him "Keir Starmtrooper," and shared a meme claiming the PM was more concerned about policing social media posts than rape.

• That was part of a barrage of tweets attacking British political and legal establishment for failing to adequately investigate alleged child sex abuse rings — most infamously one in the town of Rochdale, in which dozens of young girls were raped between 2004 to 2013.
• Some on the right have argued the abuse was swept under the rug because the perpetrators were predominantly of Pakistani origin.

🔍 Zoom in: Musk also called for the release of anti-Islam activist Tommy Robinson, a figure so controversial in Britain that even Farage has distanced himself from him.

• Musk shared more than a dozen tweets praising Robinson.

🇩🇪 Zoom out: Musk also kicked up a furor in Germany last week by endorsing the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) ahead of snap elections next month.

• Chancellor Olaf Scholz rebuked him in a New Year's address, saying the election must be decided by Germany's citizens, not "owners of social media channels."

🇨🇦 Trump has also labeled Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau an "insufferable tool."

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Linda McMahon Has No Education Experience Except Wanting to Defund Public Schools

Her most important qualification is being a longtime Trump loyalist — and she’ll carry out his vision to gut the Department of Education.

https://theintercept.com/2024/12/30/linda-mcmahon-trump-education-schools-wwe/?

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Trump Has Promised to Build More Ships. He May Deport the Workers Who Help Make Them.

President-elect Donald Trump has promised to increase the pace of U.S. military shipbuilding. But his pledge to also clamp down on immigration could make it hard for shipyards already facing workforce shortages.

https://www.propublica.org/article/us-navy-shipbuilding-donald-trump?

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🇨🇳 Uphill Trump trade battle

Data: USA Trade. Chart: Erin Davis/Axios Visuals If Donald Trump succeeds in significantly reducing the U.S. trade deficit with China, he'll do so against the force of history — and of market expectations, Axios' Felix Salmon writes. Why it matters: By placing the trade deficit with China at the top of the list of things he wants to slash, Trump is facing off against trillions of dollars' worth of deeply entrenched global trade patterns. 🧮 By the numbers: The trade deficit with China — our imports minus our exports — has been larger than $200 billion since 2005. It reached a record high of $418 billion in 2018, Trump's second year in office. 🖼️ The big picture: The U.S. imports an astonishing array of goods from China, and it exports very little in the other direction. The tariffs imposed on China during the first Trump administration, which were then kept in place by President Biden, did relatively little to change that dynamic. During Trump's first term, when imports fell, exports fell too, blunting the effect on the trade deficit. That pattern would likely be repeated if he follows through on his pledge to impose a 60% tariff on goods from China: Our exports would end up being similarly taxed in retaliation.

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Exclusive interview: Susie Wiles on the next West Wing

Incoming White House chief of staff Susie Wiles tells Axios in an interview that she aims for the West Wing to be a no-drama zone for staff. If that works, it won't be the chaotic den of self-sabotaging that stymied the early days of President-elect Trump's first term.

• "I don't welcome people who want to work solo or be a star," Wiles, whose boss calls her the Ice Maiden, told Marc Caputo by email. "My team and I will not tolerate backbiting, second-guessing inappropriately, or drama. These are counterproductive to the mission."

Why it matters: Trump's 2024 campaign was more organized and less leaky than any previous Trump team. Wiles, who was co-campaign manager, gets much of the credit. Two weeks from today, she'll bring her formula to Washington.

🔎 Between the lines: Wiles, 67, will become the first woman to be White House chief of staff — and the fifth person to serve Trump in that role.

• The veteran Florida political operative — a former lobbyist who worked for Trump's GOP primary rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, in 2018 — has become a true Trump loyalist who stuck with him during his post-Jan. 6 political exile.
• That earned the trust of the typically mistrustful Trump. So Wiles has become the motherboard of the MAGA mainframe: Trump programs what he wants; she tries to turn it into reality.
• Wiles already is exercising power: During Friday's chaotic reelection of House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), a photo from the House floor showed the iPhone screen of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), a Trump loyalist, on the line with "Susie Wiles."

The backstory: Wiles says she tries not to manage Trump — and dislikes chatter that she does, pointing out that she managed the campaign, not the candidate.

• She never tells others what she tells Trump. If she disagrees with him, it's not done in front of anyone — and it doesn't leak. She avoids the spotlight. To survive in the MAGA-verse, you have to always remember that Trump is the star around which others revolve.
• "Susie likes to stay sort of in the back, let me tell you!" Trump said during his Election Night victory speech, as he thanked Wiles and co-campaign manager Chris LaCivita. "The Ice Maiden. We call her the Ice Maiden."
• Trump invited Wiles to speak. She shook her head "no."

Wiles is looking past the fabled first 100 days of a new administration — "an artificial metric," she told us — and said the most critical period will be between the inauguration and the 2026 midterms. For those precious two years, Republicans know they'll have full control of Congress.

• Translation: All gas and no brakes. Promises made and kept.

💡 The blueprint, Wiles said, includes "getting off to a quick start and staying on that pace, together with an expectation of excellence every day."

• The plans, she said, are all about "engendering public support" to deliver on Trump's promises and policies, including promoting energy production, "rolling back redundant and burdensome regulations, keeping taxes low, cutting government waste through DOGE [the new Department of Government Efficiency], and most importantly, sealing the border and deporting criminals who are in this country illegally."

Trump's first administration "had an enviable level of accomplishment" despite "impeachment attempts and other witch hunts," Wiles said, sounding Trumpian.

• "I have every hope that the 47 administration will not have the same number of attempts to put sand in the gears," she told us. "We are off to a fast start with congressional work, hiring the best people, preliminary discussion with heads of state, fine-tuning his policy agenda, and planning for the first 100 days."

Susie Wiles Q&A below.

 

🌴 Part 2: Susie Wiles on the record

Lightly edited excerpts from Axios' interview with Susie Wiles:

Q. How will the Trump 47 administration differ from Trump 45?

• Wiles: Trump "knows much more about the way the Washington institutions work, especially the need to have people who are serving be both competent and loyal. He has taken a keen interest in personnel and has personally interviewed and hired all the Cabinet and many sub-Cabinet hires."

Q. How did you and Trump approach the transition?

• Wiles: "He engaged fully with hiring ... He interviewed the Cabinet leadership, and made it clear his priorities for White House and agency staff. We set timelines and held ourselves accountable for the deadlines we set. President Trump 47 will have the finest public servants available with great work ethic, a demonstrated ability to break down bureaucratic walls to help hold the bloated federal workforce accountable, have fealty to the conservative and common-sense principles that President Trump ran — and won — on, and be determined to make a difference during their time serving. We are cognizant of a turning clock — much to do."

Q. What will the hallmark of this West Wing be?

• Wiles: "The West Wing staff is a mix of new and veterans — many are young, all are prepared to work punishing hours," Wiles said. "To my core, I believe in teamwork. Anyone who cannot be counted on to be collaborative, and focused on our shared goals, isn't working in the West Wing."

Q. What was Trump's instruction to the transition team?

• Wiles: "Be smart with hiring. Remember what President Trump promised the American people he would do: Set goals and then exceed them in every area, with every staff member."

Q. What did you learn on the campaign trail that you'll apply in the White House?

• Wiles: "I cannot stress teamwork and mutual support enough. ... It's not magic — set goals and timelines for me and the team and then work to exceed them. Simple, yes, but this worked quite nicely on the campaign."

Q. What has President Biden's team been like to work with during the transition?

• Wiles: White House chief of staff Jeff Zients "has been very helpful. He has made great suggestions, helped make sure we stay on time with required functions, helped us navigate the labyrinth that is the Executive Office of the President, and been very professional. He introduced me to the 'former chief of staff club' and even hosted a dinner [for Wiles and the former chiefs] at his beautiful home."

Q. You're a Floridian. Trump's a Florida resident. The campaign was based in West Palm Beach, and now the transition is. Several of his top picks are Floridians. How will that affect this administration?

• Wiles: "Florida people overpopulate the leadership of the administration, and we would not have it any other way!"
• Share this interview.

👀 Go inside Trump's Washington! Marc Caputo joins Jim VandeHei & Mike Allen — along with TD Cowen's Chris Krueger, one of our favorite policy minds — a week from today in an Axios AM Executive Briefing webinar on the Trump agenda.

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☢️ Iran 2025: Nuclear crisis awaits Trump

Iran's recent nuclear advances give President-elect Trump a crucial decision to make in his first months in office: Try to neutralize the threat through negotiations and pressure, or order a military strike, Axios' Barak Ravid reports.

• Why it matters: Trump's decision in 2018 to withdraw from an Obama-era nuclear deal prompted Tehran to accelerate its nuclear program. Now it's a de facto "nuclear threshold state." Officials and diplomats from the U.S., EU and Israel all told Axios they expect Trump to face an Iran crisis in 2025.

🔎 Behind the scenes: Several Trump advisers privately concede Iran's program is now so far along that the strategy might not be effective. That makes a military option a real possibility.

• After Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer met Trump at Mar-a-Lago in November, Dermer came away thinking there was a high likelihood Trump would either support an Israeli military strike against Iran's nuclear facilities — something the Israelis are seriously considering — or even order a U.S. strike, two sources who spoke with Dermer after the meeting tell Axios.
• Some top advisers to President Biden have privately argued in recent weeks for striking Iran's nuclear sites before Trump takes office, with Iran and its proxies so badly weakened by their war with Israel, sources familiar with those discussions told Axios.
• With Biden now down to his final two weeks, there are no active discussions about bombing Iran.

The flipside: Others close to Trump expect he'll seek a deal before considering a strike.

• "Anything can happen," Trump told TIME in November, when asked about the possibility of war with Iran. "It's a very volatile situation."

The bottom line: Trump will take office with fewer options to contain or destroy Iran's program than he had in 2017, and less time to decide.

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Trump's agenda

Congress on Monday officially certified President-elect Donald Trump's victory in the 2024 election, paving the way for his inauguration in 13 days. The ceremonial process marked the first election certification since the attack on January 6, 2021, when protesters transformed the routine task into a violent riot at the US Capitol. Trump, meanwhile, has said he wants to put his entire legislative agenda into a single, massive bill. The sprawling package includes new immigration laws, energy policies and a tax overhaul — along with an increase of the national debt limit and spending cuts to federal programs. Republicans are looking to pass the bill using the budget process known on Capitol Hill as reconciliation, which allows bills to be approved by a simple majority, or 51 votes in the Senate. 

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Trump refuses to rule out use of military force to take control of Greenland and the Panama Canal

PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday said he would not rule out the use of military force to seize control of the Panama Canal and Greenland, as he declared U.S. control of both to be vital to American national security.

https://apnews.com/article/trump-biden-offshore-drilling-gulf-of-america-fa66f8d072eb39c00a8128a8941ede75?

 

🌎 Trump takes on the world

An aircraft carrying Donald Trump Jr. arrives in Nuuk, Greenland, today. Photo: Emil Stach/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images President-elect Trump today did not rule out using the military to reclaim the Panama Canal or acquire Greenland. "I can say this, we need them for economic security," Trump said during a news conference at Mar-a-Lago, referring to Greenland and the Panama Canal. Trump also said, "We're going to be changing the name of Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, which has a beautiful ring." 📣 What they're saying: Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said after Trump's remarks that Greenland is not for sale. Donald Trump Jr. arrived in Greenland today for a visit, though he is not expected to meet any officials. Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino has said he won't respond to Trump's comments about the canal until Trump takes office. Go deeper.

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Trump's Senate bash

President-elect Trump is preparing to invite the entire Senate Republican conference to Mar-a-Lago for a mega-MAGA party in the coming weeks, people familiar with the matter tell us.

Why it matters: Trump is keen to celebrate a victory he sees as historic and fete the senators who helped him achieve it. He also wants to build trust with the lawmakers he needs to pass his sweeping legislative agenda.

• "Mar-a-Lago is special to the president. He's at ease there. Everyone is," a Trump adviser told us.
• "So it's a good place to get everyone together outside of Washington. It's team bonding. Trump is very much the player-coach."

Driving the news: Final details have not been locked down, but the big bash could come before Trump's inauguration.

• It will serve as an informal and more fun follow-up to his meeting tomorrow evening with GOP senators at their weekly policy get-together.
• Trump is also hosting governors at Mar-a-Lago on Thursday night, Politico reported.
• Also this week, Trump will welcome three House groups to his Florida club. There'll be separate meetings scheduled for the Freedom Caucus, committee chairs and the so-called SALT lawmakers from high-tax blue states.

Zoom out: Trump likes to play the role of DJ at his Palm Beach club, but the background music will likely be dominated by the same talk that has consumed D.C. these last few weeks.

• Republicans are in a heated internal conversation on whether to use one — or two — legislative vehicles to implement Trump's immigration and tax reform policies.

Trump isn't entirely indifferent, but he's indicated he can live with either approach.

• "I like one, big, beautiful bill," Trump said at a press conference today. "But if two is more certain, it does go a little bit quicker, because you can do the immigration stuff early."
• "I can live either way," he added.

Zoom in: This winter, Mar-a-Lago has been the warm-weather retreat for Trump's court — once in exile but now preparing to return to power. (Mar-a-Lago was dubbed the "Winter White House" long before Trump bought it).

• Government leaders and high-profile executives have visited Trump in Palm Beach not only to pay their respects but to understand his intentions and shape his views.

— Marc Caputo and Hans Nichols

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Takeaways from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago press conference Less than two weeks before taking office, President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday took some of his most audacious claims and promises of the transition period and amped them up to new levels. Read more.

Why this matters: Speaking to reporters at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida, Trump would not rule out using military force to seize control of the Panama Canal and Greenland, citing national security interests.   Trump has also repeatedly talked about Canada joining the U.S. as its 51st state — rhetoric that at first sounded like trolling of outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, but that has become increasingly serious. Trump told reporters he would not use military force to annex the country of more than 40 million people. Instead, he threatened “economic force” as he renewed talk of steep tariffs on both Canada and Mexico in response to their handling of the northern and southern borders.   In escalated threats against Hamas, Trump warned that, “All hell will break out in the Middle East” if the Israeli hostages still being held in Gaza are not returned before he takes office.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Why Greenland? Remote but resource-rich island occupies a key position in a warming world   Trump says he will change the name of the Gulf of Mexico   Sen. Warren presses Hegseth to answer questions about his past actions and statements   ‘Obamacare’ hits record enrollment but an uncertain future awaits under Trump   Immigration is a higher priority for Americans than it was a year ago, an AP-NORC poll shows   Meta adds three board members including UFC boss Dana White, key figure in Trump’s orbit   Elon Musk helped Trump win. Now he’s looking at Europe, and many politicians are alarmed   US shifts more than $100M in military aid from Israel and Egypt to Lebanon to bolster ceasefire   Trump announces $20B US investment by Emirati businessman   Trump’s inauguration coincides with an unprecedented string of high-stakes security events in DC   Biden administration withdraws old growth forest plan after getting pushback from industry and GOP   North Carolina justices block certification of election outcome in race for one of its own seats   Wisconsin Republicans pushing to make voter ID a constitutional requirement   Virginia Democrats retain their control of the Statehouse in special elections   Trump transition President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday said "all hell will break out" in the Middle East if the hostages still being held in Gaza are not returned by his inauguration on January 20. "It will not be good for Hamas and it will not be good, frankly, for anyone," Trump said at a news conference. Also in his wide-ranging remarks, Trump did not rule out using the military to acquire control of the Panama Canal and Greenland as he discussed his second-term agenda. Additionally, Trump said he could use "economic force" to turn Canada into the United States' 51st state and floated the idea of renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the "Gulf of America."

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Trump calls for avoiding default, possibly using military force for expansion

WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump said during a wide-ranging press conference at Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday he wanted to see the country’s debt limit addressed while cutting spending and would not rule out military force to expand U.S. territory. 

https://floridaphoenix.com/2025/01/07/dc/trump-calls-for-avoiding-default-possibly-using-military-force-for-expansion/?

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Trump's ever-expansive power

President-elect Trump — whose power was immense after his comeback win, enhanced by the coming full Republican control of Congress — has expanded that power substantially in the nine weeks since his victory, Axios' Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen write in a "Behind the Curtain" column.

• Why it matters: It's rare, if not unprecedented, for a newly elected leader to have so many world leaders and CEOs shift their policies or posture so blatantly during the transition to curry favor with a new president.

Trump will start his presidency with a very loyal GOP Senate and House, a vastly empowered MAGA-friendly media and information ecosystem, businesses scrambling to make amends or further improve cozy relationships, and money flowing fast into his family's business endeavors.

• His Democratic opposition is weak and largely powerless — although Republicans' tiny margin in the House will be a constant threat.

In two short months …

• Major tech CEOs traveled to meet Trump in person and cut $1 million checks to his inauguration.
• Meta shifted top personnel and its social media policing policies to match Trump's interests.
• With the news media more fractured and less trusted than ever, outlets that once covered Trump with skepticism — and even disdain — have made surprise overtures to the president-elect.
• Democrats' post-2016 "resistance" movement is in complete disarray: Some lawmakers instead want to work with the Trump administration on bipartisan goals, with border security and his new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) emerging as two early examples.
• Trump-aligned nationalist movements are disrupting long-liberal foreign allies — from Canada to Britain to Germany — in part because of aggressive information wars waged by Elon Musk and his supporters.
• Two billionaire CEOs announced big U.S. investments to kick off Trump press conferences at Mar-a-Lago: Before Christmas, SoftBank Group CEO Masayoshi Son announced plans by the Japanese company to invest $100 billion in U.S. projects over the next four years. This week, the UAEW's Hussain Sajwani, a close business partner of the Trump family, made a $20 billion commitment to build data centers in the U.S.
• Trump moved the Overton window on American expansion by publicly musing about seizing or acquiring Greenland, Canada and the Panama Canal — a reminder to the world and media that Trump is willing to say or do anything. Trump even said he'd move to rebrand "the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, which has a beautiful ring ... what a beautiful name."
• Trump is by far the most popular politician in Israel, giving him enormous leverage over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose coalition is weak and polls are bad. Trump said at his press conference this week that if the hostages in Gaza aren't "back by the time I get into office, all hell will break out in the Middle East." With Trump's prodding, Bibi sent his negotiators back to Doha, Qatar, three weeks ago to resume indirect talks with Hamas in an effort to reach a deal by Jan. 20.
• The Trump effect in the Middle East extends beyond Israel. Iran is trying to keep a low profile in the region, shelved a retaliation plan against Israel, signaled several times it wants to negotiate a new nuclear deal and is uncharacteristically staying out of today's presidential election in Lebanon.
• Trump has raised a record $170 million for his inauguration — with so much still coming in that VIP events are over-capacity and "some donors have taken the unusual step of offering donations as high as $1 million without receiving anything in return," the N.Y. Times reports (gift link).
• Trump is already accepting funds for a future presidential library. The Times found Trump's allies have raised more than $250 million since Election Day for his political projects.
• As Jeff Bezos cozies up to Trump, Amazon Prime Video made a $40 million deal for streaming and theatrical rights to a documentary with behind-the-scenes access to Melania Trump — with her as an executive producer.

🥊 Reality check: This is raw, transactional power — based in many cases on efforts to curry favor, as opposed to clear-cut inspiration or ideological embrace.

🔎 Between the lines: Trump empowers himself and his entourage by castigating traditional media, which is more fractured and less trusted than ever.

🔮 What to watch: The Supreme Court, with its decisive conservative majority, will offer a key test of how far Trump can press his influence beyond the executive and legislative branches.

• Trump filed a brief last month asking the court to delay the Jan. 19 deadline for TikTok to be sold off or banned in the U.S. Oral arguments will take place tomorrow.
• Trump also has asked the high court to block tomorrow's sentencing in his New York hush-money case, arguing presidential immunity should extend to the transition period.

The bottom line: It's easy to offer symbolic gestures in good times. Trump's true test will come when he has to pick winners and losers — and the losers decide how to react.

Axios' Zachary Basu, Marc Caputo and Barak Ravid contributed reporting.

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Trump's 100 executive orders

President-elect Trump and top advisers previewed ambitious plans for 100 executive orders in a meeting with Senate Republicans in the Capitol last night, Axios' Stef Kight reports.

• Why it matters: Trump let senators know he's ready to roll, especially on immigration, even before Congress tackles his aggressive agenda.

Stephen Miller — Trump's longtime immigration adviser, and incoming White House deputy chief of staff for policy, and homeland security adviser — dove into how the administration will use executive power to clamp down on the border and immigration starting Day 1.

📜 One big border plan, according to multiple sources: reinstating Title 42,

• The pandemic-era public health policy allows for rapid expulsion of migrants at the border — preventing them from a shot at asylum. There were millions of Title 42 expulsions from early in the COVID pandemic, until President Biden ended the policy in 2023.

Other executive actions and plans outlined by Miller:

• More aggressively using a part of the Immigration and Nationality Act — 287(g) — which allows some state and local law enforcement to assist in some of the duties of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
• Building the border wall, constructing soft-sided facilities to hold migrants and implementing other asylum restrictions.

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Donald Trump has a new preoccupation: Imperialism Donald Trump ran on a return to his “America First” foreign policy platform. The U.S., he said, could no longer afford to be the world’s policeman. On his watch, he pledged there would be no new wars. But since winning a second term, the president-elect has been embracing a new imperialist agenda. Read more.

Why this matters: Talk of undermining sovereign borders and using military force against allies and NATO members — even if said lightly — marks a stunning departure from decades-old norms about territorial integrity. It’s rhetoric that analysts say could embolden America’s enemies by suggesting the U.S. is now OK with countries using force to redraw borders at a time when Russia is pressing forward with its invasion of Ukraine and China is threatening Taiwan.   Trump allies have long argued that his most audacious statements are all part of his complex negotiating tactics. But Michael McFaul, the Obama-era ambassador to Russia, said Trump’s language is counterproductive to U.S. national security interests. Trump’s trolling is not the negotiating ploy of “crazy genius,” he said, and will have consequences.   “It is the resurrection of masculine American energy. It is the return of Manifest Destiny,” said Charlie Kirk, whose Turning Point group helped with Trump’s get-out-the-vote effort.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Germany’s leader says all countries must respect existing borders, in a rebuttal of Trump   Trump gives GOP senators no set strategy as leaders struggle to craft his priorities   Trump’s inaugural committee has already raised a record $170M in donations   Supreme Court Justice Alito says he spoke with Trump about clerk before hush-money filing   No more fact-checking for Meta. How will this change media — and the pursuit of truth?   US troops need to stay in Syria to counter the Islamic State group, Austin says   Biden casts doubt on his fitness to serve another four years days before term ends   Ex-FBI informant who fabricated bribery story about Biden and his son Hunter gets 6 years in prison

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Trump's collision course

Illustration: Lindsey Bailey/Axios

Some of President-elect Trump's most audacious promises — lobbed during the comfort of the campaign trail — are already on a collision course with reality, Axios' Zachary Basu writes. ✂️ Elon Musk last night scaled back his radically ambitious pledge to slash "at least $2 trillion" from the federal budget, suggesting in a new interview that achieving just half of that would be an "epic outcome." 🇺🇦 Trump's team has told European officials that the true deadline for ending the war in Ukraine is "several months," despite Trump long claiming he would do so within 24 hours of taking office, the Financial Times reported today. 🍳 Weeks after winning an election dominated by inflation concerns, Trump rejected the notion that his presidency would be a "failure" if he were unable to bring down grocery prices. Between the lines: This isn't to say Trump cannot, or will not, succeed in his ambitious plans to secure the border, downsize government and fundamentally reorder the global economy. Hyperbole is part and parcel of the Trump experience, and his supporters often advise the public and the media to "take him seriously, not literally." 💬 What they're saying: "This is fake news. President Trump and his team are working hard before even taking office to deliver on his promises and make life better for the American people," Trump-Vance spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told Axios in a statement. "President Trump has every intention of delivering, and he will. Anyone who says otherwise has no idea what they're talking about."

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Trump's Hill weapon

Stephen Miller is asserting himself as the key player in the White House's plan to pass President-elect Trump's sweeping agenda through Congress.

Why it matters: Trump trusts Miller implicitly, as does incoming Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, with whom Miller worked hand-in-glove on the campaign.

• Miller has become key as Senate GOP leader John Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson haggle over how to pass MAGA priorities, fast.

👀 Insiders say Miller, 39, has improved his bedside manner from Trump's first term, when he rubbed some staffers and Hill leaders the wrong way.

• "In the past, he would just bull rush to get his way and he didn't care what enemies he made," a Trump adviser told us.
• "Now he works the s--t out of everybody. ... Yeah, he has the ear of the president, but now he gets allies so that he can just have surround sound."

What they're saying: "Senators know that he's not just speaking faithfully to what the Trump Team wants, but he's offering counsel on how to enact the policies that we care about," Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) said.

• "It seems very clear that if you want to get a piece of legislation done, you got to work with Stephen Miller," a top adviser to a GOP senator told us.

Zoom in: In a sign of the kind of power he wields, Miller presented alongside Trump during Wednesday's meeting with senators.

• Miller used the opportunity to provide a detailed plan of attack for Trump's first 100 executive orders, as we first scooped.
• Also in the meeting were Wiles, incoming deputy chief of staff James Blair, and James Braid, Trump's incoming director of the Office of Legislative Affairs.
• While Miller talks policy, Braid — who previously served as Vice President-elect Vance's deputy staff chief in the Senate — and Blair will be taking over the process of getting the legislation passed.

What we're hearing: Miller's allies, and even his enemies on the left, say he derives much of his power from his deep understanding of immigration and the border.

• "Stephen is the Swiss Army knife for Trump: He does the policy, the politics and the media," another Trump insider told us.
• Miller is previewing his tactical plans to stem illegal immigration: "We are going to use the Defense Department to secure the border of our country," he told Newsmax.
• Miller did not respond to a request for comment.

The intrigue: Senators frequently discuss what they have heard from Miller on reconciliation strategy more than any other Trump team member, a senior Hill aide told us.

• Miller is also discussing Trump's tax and foreign policy with lawmakers.

The bottom line: Miller is seen by many as not just Trump's man on the Hill but one of the most influential figures in Washington.

• "Stephen right now looks like he'll be the most powerful unelected man in the White House," said another Trump adviser, who added that "Susie Wiles is the most powerful Trump appointee, and Stephen knows that and she's happy to let him do his thing."

— Marc Caputo, Stef Kight and Hans Nichols

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Trump is planning 100 executive orders starting Day 1 on border, deportations and other priorities

President-elect Donald Trump is preparing more than 100 executive orders starting Day One of the new White House, in what amounts to a shock-and-awe campaign on border security, deportations and other policy priorities. While executive actions are common on the first day, what Trump and his team are planning is an executive punch unseen in modern times. Read more.

[phkrause]

The Trump DOJ Loved Leaking, as Long as It Was to Rupert Murdoch’s Newspapers

The first Trump administration launched a sprawling campaign to ferret out leakers, which targeted reporters at CNN, the Washington Post, and the New York Times, plus members of Congress and their staff. But a watchdog report released to The Intercept shows that just days before the 2020 presidential election, senior Justice Department officials signed off on leaks to two favored newspapers with conservative reputations, both owned by the biggest name in right-wing media.

https://theintercept.com/2025/01/12/trump-justice-department-new-york-post-wsj-leak/?