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

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🌴 Mar-a-Lago behind-the-scenes

Screenshot: MSNBC I'm told that at his Thanksgiving Eve dinner at Mar-a-Lago, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg showed President-elect Trump a sharp pair of Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses. 🕶️ The demo was a hit, our spies say. Why it matters: Tech moguls are getting increasingly savvy about interacting with this government-in-waiting — where the picks for top jobs came fast, and the confidence is running high. I hear Howard Lutnick, Trump's pick for Commerce secretary, stopped by the dinner. Zuck met earlier in the day with Trump senior staff.

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Trump leashes watchdogs

Photo illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

After spending much of his first term and all of his post-presidency under investigation, President-elect Trump is moving to ensure that doesn't happen again, Axios' Neal Rothschild writes. The Justice Department, FBI, congressional committees and government watchdogs all launched probes into Trump's activities, paving the way for two impeachments and dozens of criminal charges. Now more familiar with the levers of power, Trump is attempting to insulate himself. Breaking it down: Trump and his allies have telegraphed unprecedented steps to put loyalists in roles that have historically been apolitical. FBI director: Trump has signaled he will fire Christopher Wray, whose 10-year term would run into 2027. Attorney general: The nomination of former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, who represented Trump at his first impeachment trial, would put a close ally in a position that by tradition (though not always in practice) has a level of independence from the president. Special counsels: Jack Smith moved to dismiss his cases against Trump after the election and is likely to resign before Inauguration Day. Inspectors general: Watchdogs for government agencies could also be on the chopping block, with Trump's allies calling for their removal, Politico reports. 🐘 Between the lines: Ending "political prosecution" is one of the hottest issues on the right. "Let Trump's Resounding Victory Be the End of Lawfare," National Review urged. Read on.   Youngkin to Trump staffers: Move here Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin is making a pitch to incoming staffers for President-elect Trump's administration: Move to Virginia, "right across the Potomac," Cuneyt Dil reports for Axios D.C. Why it matters: The Republican governor wants the blue suburbs of Northern Virginia to welcome MAGA world. "We offer a great quality of life," Youngkin says in a video posted on X, touting "safe communities, award-winning schools where parents matter, lower [income] taxes than D.C. or Maryland." Between the lines: Northern Virginia is poised for a roaring 2020s, helped on by its defense-tech corridor. GOP insiders already favor Virginia neighborhoods like Old Town Alexandria. Not to mention the elite ZIP codes of McLean and Great Falls. Trump National Golf Club, Washington D.C. is actually in Potomac Falls, Va. 🗳️ By the numbers: While Trump took just 20% of the vote in Arlington, 24% in Alexandria and 31% in Fairfax County, that's considerably higher than the 7% he got in D.C. In Maryland suburbs, Trump won 22% in Montgomery County and 11% in Prince George's County. 🔎 Go deeper: D.C.'s Trumpiest neighborhood was Hill East, which includes rowhouse neighborhoods in the vicinity of the RFK campus. The precinct gave Trump his biggest margin in the city — 22%, Axios' Cuneyt Dil reports.

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No, Mexican President Didn't Stop Migrant Caravans After Trump Threatened Tariffs

Claim:

The President of Mexico stopped migrant caravans heading to the U.S.-Mexico border in response to threats of tariffs from U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.

Rating:

FALSE

On Nov. 25, 2024, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump posted to his social media site Truth Social that on his first day in office, Jan. 20, 2025, he would sign an executive order placing 25% tariffs on products from Mexico and Canada. According to the post, those tariffs would remain in place "until such time as Drugs, in particular Fentanyl, and all Illegal Aliens stop this Invasion of our Country!"

 

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Trump plans to replace current FBI director with firebrand Kash Patel, drawing bipartisan fire

President-elect Donald Trump plans to nominate firebrand loyalist Kash Patel to serve as FBI director, an extraordinary move that would put a self-described enemy of the so-called deep state as the head of the nation’s top law enforcement agency — a role that would give Patel power to carry out Trump’s threats to go after his political opponents.

https://www.cnn.com/2024/11/30/politics/kash-patel-fbi-director-trump?

Trump says he’ll nominate Kash Patel as FBI director to remake the agency. Here’s what happens next

President-elect Donald Trump’s announcement that he will nominate Kash Patel as FBI director sets the stage for a fresh round of turbulence at a law enforcement agency tasked with protecting the homeland and investigating federal crimes. In selecting Patel, Trump is again testing his ability to get the Senate to bend to his will. Read more.

Trump's shock and awe

Two seemingly unrelated behind-the-scenes Mar-a-Lago dramas capture the shock soon to pound Washington, Mike Allen and Jim VandeHei write in a "Behind the Curtain" column:

• Elon Musk, the most powerful and persistent voice in President-elect Trump's ear, has been relentless in pushing "radical reform" of, well, almost everything. As he sits next to Trump discussing administration picks, Musk often asks if the person embodies "radical reform" — massive cuts and blow-it-up-to-rebuild instincts.
• Trump has been telling friends he denied Robert Lighthizer — his pro-tariff, China-hawk U.S. trade representative in the first term — a Cabinet role because he's "too scared to go big." He's loyal but too timid to take big, risky swings, Trump contends.

Why it matters: Trump advisers are running out of words to describe what's coming in January. They say he feels empowered and emboldened, vindicated and validated, and eager to stretch the boundaries of power.

• He's egged on by Musk and others — and picking trusted brawlers for the toughest, most controversial tasks.

💥 You got a big taste of this yesterday:

1. Trump named real estate developer Charles Kushner — father of Trump's son-in-law, Jared — as ambassador to France. During the final month of his first term, Trump pardoned Charles Kushner, who had served federal time after being prosecuted by Chris Christie for preparing false tax returns, witness retaliation and making false statements to the FEC.
2. Less than six hours later, Trump announced he picked Kash Patel, one of the hardest of his first-term hardliners, as FBI director. That means the incumbent, Chris Wray, who's just over seven years into a 10-year term (so the job could transcend any one presidency), will resign or be fired. A transition insider told us the Patel pick is a "personal message to the left that was cheering on Jack Smith" — the special counsel who was prosecuting Trump, and plans to step down before Trump can fire him.

👀 Between the lines: Many in Trump's inner circle are gleeful at the aggressiveness of the Cabinet picks — former Fox News co-host Pete Hegseth, a decorated Army veteran who now faces questions about his treatment of women, to lead the Pentagon ... RFK Jr. to head HHS ... and former Democratic congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence.

• All of them want to disrupt the organizations they've been picked to lead. Patel told podcaster Shawn Ryan: "I'd shut down the FBI Hoover Building on Day 1, and reopen the next day as a museum of the Deep State." Patel told MAGA podcast warrior Steve Bannon last year: "We're going to come after the people in the media who lied about American citizens who helped Joe Biden rig presidential elections. We're going to come after you, whether it's criminally or civilly."
• The transition insider told us Trump "no longer listens to people, usually senators, who tell him 'that's not how it's done' or 'it doesn't work that way.' He no longer accepts that rationale."

"Every day is Christmas Day," Steve Bannon told us during an early flurry of announcements. "We are fixed bayonets on these nominations."

• Bannon called Patel, who sells pro-Trump merch with "K$H" logos, his "One AND Only!!" choice to lead the FBI.
• After yesterday's announcements, Bannon texted us, as if he were dictating old-school headlines: "Wildest Dreams — Now to Darkest Nightmare as the Established Order Goes Scorched Earth to Defeat the President During Confirmation ... MAGA Best @ Scorched Earth Battles."

Column continues below.

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Part 2: Chemistry counts

New York Post cover on Thanksgiving.

Chemistry with Trump is a huge factor in the most controversial picks, Mike and Jim write. "These are people that get him and understand him," a longtime Trump confidant told us. "Last time, there were lots of people who didn't understand the vision or buy into the vision." Another transition source tells us Patel was close to being named deputy FBI director, which would have been much less confrontational. But the former frontrunner for the job, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, flunked his Mar-a-Lago meeting with Trump. Bailey "looked the part" but "just didn't have the presence in the room," we're told. 🔭 The big picture: A tweet by Musk this past week captured the Mar-a-Lago vibe. "It's this time or never," he said about structural reform of the federal government. Musk, who said in 2018 that he was sleeping on a Tesla factory floor to stay on top of a production problem, has made Mar-a-Lago his new factory floor. He says the incoming administration is working "7 days a week." We're told Musk is pressing to instantly upend agencies by keeping the fewest possible people — like he did when he bought Twitter, now X. Trump confidants tell us their plans are radical only compared to the status quo. "We're looking for a return to normalcy," the insider said. "Nothing radical. Used to be common sense in this country (and every country) that you take care of your people first before getting generous with others." "There are a million examples of things that need to be taken care of at home before we look past our shores, and we're gonna focus on those things," the insider added. 🥊 Reality check: Patel faces a potentially explosive Senate confirmation fight. "Current and former law enforcement officials," The New York Times notes, "have worried that a second Trump term would feature an assault on the independence and authority of the F.B.I. and the Justice Department, and for many of them, Mr. Patel's ascension to the director's role would confirm the worst of those fears."

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💨 Lawyers try to flee government

Illustration: Maura Losch/Axios

U.S. government lawyers are clamoring for jobs at corporate law firms "in anticipation of vast cuts to the administrative state under Donald Trump," the Financial Times' Joe Miller reports. Why it matters: Most political appointees leave whenever the White House changes parties. But this time, "the attempted exodus from government is now extending to career civil servants ... [L]awyers expect whole teams to be culled and regulations to be slashed." Hundreds of employees from the Justice Department, the SEC and the FTC have applied to big law firms, the FT found. One top New York firm has been "deluged" by résumés, including from lawyers with decades of government experience. Keep reading (gift link).   RFK Jr.'s skeletons haunt nomination Unflattering stories about RFK Jr.'s personal life and influential criticisms of his public health stances are already piling up, Axios' Caitlin Owens writes. Why it matters: Kennedy can only afford to lose three Republican senators' votes to get confirmed as President-elect Trump's Health and Human Services secretary, assuming all Senate Democrats vote against him. 🔭 Zoom in: News stories published over the past few days highlight Kennedy's key vulnerabilities, including the wildcard presented by his colorful past. A deeply reported piece by the N.Y. Times discusses his "drug addiction, compulsive sexual behavior and deep dives into conspiracy theories," including his arrest and conviction for heroin possession and a journal he kept documenting sexual encounters with more than three dozen women in one year. Kennedy was accused of sexual assault in the late 1990s by a woman who interned at his law clinic and babysat for his family. The woman has said she's willing to testify before the Senate, The Wall Street Journal reports. He has used the word "fascism" to describe the CDC's vaccine division and compared an alleged widespread cover-up of vaccine harms — for which there is no evidence — to the Catholic Church's cover-up of child sexual abuse, NBC reports.   🌴 Trump announcement scale     Photo illustration: Maura Losch/Axios. Photo: Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images.   Just for fun, our friends at Penta Group are keeping a spreadsheet of the accolades President-elect Trump bestows on his picks for Cabinet and staff in the emailed announcements. Why it matters: "Great Honor" (capitalized) seems to be the highest compliment. "Pleased" is standard fare. Behold, the "Trumpology tracker" data: pleased: 18 very pleased: 4 most pleased: 1 proud: 4 honored: 3 thrilled: 2 great honor: 1 (Linda McMahon for SBA) Great Honor: 3 (the now-withdrawn Matt Gaetz for Justice, Marco Rubio for State and Brooke Rollins for Agriculture) 💬 Penta CEO Matt McDonald told me: "There is one final decider and as his statements come out, you can see slight nuances in the language." "It kind of reminds me of the old Kremlinology of the Cold War, where people were parsing whatever public indicators there were to tell who was up or who was out." Hat tip to Cameron Brown in Penta's London office for the analysis.

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Young men swung to the right for Trump after a campaign dominated by masculine appeals Donald Trump already had an edge among young white men four years ago, although he widened the gap this year. His support among both groups increased by about 20 percentage points this year, according to AP VoteCast — and their feelings toward Trump got warmer, too. Read more.

Why this matters: More than half of men under 30 supported Trump, according to AP VoteCast, a survey of more than 120,000 voters. White men under 30 were solidly in Trump’s camp this year — about 6 in 10 voted for Trump — while young Latino men were split between the two candidates. Most Black men under 30 supported Democrat Kamala Harris, but about one-third were behind Trump. But it wasn’t just Trump. The share of young men who identified as Republicans in 2024 rose as well.   With a policy agenda centered on a more macho understanding of culture, Trump framed much of his campaign as a pitch to men who felt scorned by the country’s economy, culture and political system. It’s unclear how many men simply did not vote this year. But there’s no doubt the last four years brought changes in youth culture and how political campaigns set out to reach younger voters.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Emboldened ‘manosphere’ accelerates threats and demeaning language toward women after US election   Recess appointments could put Trump at odds with conservatives on the Supreme Court   Trump threatens 100% tariff on the BRIC bloc of nations if they act to undermine US dollar   DACA recipients worry their protection from deportation won’t last another Trump term   Trump wants pardoned real estate developer Charles Kushner to become US ambassador to France   Trump names Massad Boulos, campaign liaison and family relative, as a senior adviser on Middle East     Trump family Donald Trump has selected billionaire Massad Boulos to serve as his senior adviser on Arab and Middle Eastern affairs — the second time in as many days the president-elect has chosen a family member for a key post. Boulos is the father-in-law of the president-elect’s daughter Tiffany and was heavily involved in campaigning for Trump in Muslim American communities in battleground states. On Saturday, Trump named real estate developer Charles Kushner as the next US ambassador to France. Kushner is the father of Jared Kushner, who is married to Trump’s daughter Ivanka. The elder Kushner was pardoned by Trump in 2020 following a 2005 conviction on federal charges. The selection of his daughters’ fathers-in-law for two critical posts underscores that Trump will continue to lean on trusted family members in his second term.

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What Kash Patel, Trump's FBI pick, has said he wants to do to reshape the bureau Patel has been well-known for years within Donald Trump’s orbit as a loyal supporter who shares the president-elect’s skepticism of the FBI and intelligence community. As he braces for a bruising Senate confirmation fight, Patel can expect scrutiny for his belief that the century-old FBI should be radically overhauled. Here’s a look at some of his proposals. Read more.

What to know: Patel has been a fierce critic of the FBI’s use of its surveillance authorities under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. This aligns him with both civil libertarians skeptical of government power and Trump supporters outraged by well-documented surveillance missteps during Trump’s 2016 campaign. But it sets him far apart from FBI leadership, which has stressed the need for the bureau to retain its ability to spy on suspected spies and terrorists even while also implementing corrective steps meant to correct past abuses.     Patel has advocated cutting the intelligence community, including the CIA and National Security Agency. He said last year that he would support breaking off the FBI's “intel shops” from the rest of its crime-fighting activities. It’s not clear exactly how he would intend to do that given that the FBI’s intelligence-gathering operations form a core part of the bureau’s mandate and budget.

Related coverage ➤  Trump names billionaire banker Warren Stephens as his envoy to Britain  Democrats’ outgoing chair says Trump’s win forces party to reassess how it reaches voters  Trump’s tariff threats create division between Canada and Mexico over security at borders      Trump President-elect Donald Trump is planning to visit Paris this week to attend the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral on Saturday, his first overseas trip since his election in November to a second term in office. Trump’s team has been in discussions for days with French President Emmanuel Macron’s office regarding the visit, and the president-elect was invited by the French government to attend the reopening, sources familiar with the plans told CNN. Trump and Macron worked together closely throughout the first Trump administration, with their relationship being described as somewhat of a “bromance,” despite at times appearing openly hostile toward one another. Macron was the first foreign leader to congratulate Trump after he became just the second US president to win a nonconsecutive term.

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Chad Chronister’s nomination to head DEA raises hackles for some conservatives

Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister is Donald Trump’s pick to head the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), responsible for enforcing America’s drug laws, the president-elect announced over the weekend.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2024/12/02/chad-chronisters-nomination-to-head-dea-raises-hackles-for-some-conservatives/?

ps:Another great pick!!! NOT

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🚨 Hegseth in trouble

Trump's defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth appears to be losing ground with GOP senators after a barrage of negative news articles.

• At least six Senate Republicans aren't on board with Hegseth at this point, NBC News reported tonight, citing allegations of sexual misconduct and misuse of alcohol.

"The articles I've read, yeah, some of them are concerning," Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said today.

• "These disgusting allegations are completely unfounded and false, and anyone peddling these defamatory lies to score political cheap shots is sickening," a Trump transition spokesperson told NBC.

Zoom in: Trump's transition has finally cut a deal to allow background checks on his nominees, even as it's unclear if they're a requirement or a choice.

• "I thought it was necessary to smooth the transition," Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) told reporters.
• Grassley told Semafor he could live with a third-party investigation "if the resources are there."

Other Republicans were more absolute: "I believe that we need an FBI background check to evaluate the allegations," Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said when asked about Hegseth.

 

Pete Hegseth

President-elect Donald Trump’s choice of Pete Hegseth to run the Defense Department is in jeopardy as some key GOP senators raise questions over whether he’s fit for the job. The pressure is forcing Trump’s team to maneuver behind the scenes to avoid a second Cabinet pick from collapsing amid a possible Republican revolt, all while alternate names for Defense secretary begin to emerge should Hegseth falter. No Republicans have said they would not support Hegseth, but even some of the GOP senators closest to Trump, including Sen. Lindsey Graham, are now wondering whether Hegseth can survive the tightrope walk to confirmation — sending an ominous signal for the incoming White House. Hegseth, who has denied any wrongdoing, is under intense scrutiny amid a series of misconduct allegations, including a sexual assault allegation from 2017, which he has denied and in which no charges were filed.

 

🌴 President-elect Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis have personally discussed the possibility of DeSantis replacing Peter Hegseth as nominee for secretary of Defense, amid concerns that a slew of allegations could tank Hegseth, reports The Bulwark's Marc Caputo, who'll join Axios in January.

• "I can't say it's definitely going to happen, but the governor is receptive and Trump is serious," a top Republican source told Caputo.

🎤 Vivek Ramaswamy, co-leader of Trump's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), will be interviewed this afternoon at the Aspen Security Forum: DC Edition. Check out today's agenda and register for the livestream here.

 

Trump's shadow presidency

Photo illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios. Photo: Andrew Matthews WPA Pool/Getty Images

President-elect Trump's bombastic policy threats, Mar-a-Lago missives and mere presence have become a driving force in markets and capitals around the world — six weeks before his inauguration, Axios' Zachary Basu writes. Why it matters: Only one man occupies the White House. But the norm-busting assertiveness of Trump and his transition team — and the rapidly fading relevance of President Biden — have given the U.S. something of a two-headed presidency. 🖼️ The big picture: "Promises Kept," the Trump transition team boldly declared Monday, claiming achievements on border security, diplomacy, economic growth and anti-diversity initiatives — all before Trump has even taken office. The Trump effect is real. But posturing and preparation by companies, allies and adversaries don't necessarily foretell what his record will actually look like once his policies are implemented. 1. Borders: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau rushed to Mar-a-Lago this weekend after Trump threatened 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico in response to migrants and fentanyl crossing into the U.S. The two leaders ate dinner together during a three-hour social evening. Trudeau promised to deploy additional helicopters and drones to help tighten the northern border — earning praise from Trump. Trump spoke with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and declared that she had agreed to effectively close the southern border — a message Sheinbaum contradicted in her own account of the call. 2. Foreign policy: Even as Biden officials have worked feverishly to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, incoming National Security Adviser Mike Waltz credited Trump with bringing them to the table. Trump's team also claimed credit for Iran's apparent decision not to retaliate against Israel for its October attack, touting the doctrine of "peace through strength." 🌐 Trump has fully re-engaged in diplomacy by tweet — promising "ALL HELL TO PAY in the Middle East" if the Gaza hostages aren't released before his inauguration on Jan. 20. Still, plenty of global hotspots — Syria, Ukraine, even South Korea — appear to be heating up, not cooling down, as Trump prepares to take office. Image: Trump Vance Transition 3. Economy: Trump loves nothing more than to take credit for a booming stock market. And there are plenty of indications his business-friendly agenda is preemptively powering record highs — especially in crypto. But Wall Street has been defying gravity for years now. Trump is fortunate to be inheriting a remarkably strong economy from Biden — just as Trump inherited a strong economy from Barack Obama in 2017. One dynamic more directly connected to Trump's return is Walmart's rollback of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives last week — a victory for MAGA activists years in the making. Trump on Monday reiterated his campaign pledge to block the proposed acquisition of U.S. Steel by Japanese-owned Nippon Steel, sending shares of U.S. Steel tumbling. President Biden speaks yesterday during a visit to Angola's National Museum of Slavery on the outskirts of the capital, Luanda. Photo: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images 👓 Between the lines: Biden's relatively low profile since the election — aside from his controversial pardon of his son Hunter — has only compounded the feeling that Trump is already in power. "Ladies and gentlemen, as you know, I'm in the final weeks of my presidency," Biden said yesterday in Angola. "You don't have to clap for that. You can if you want," he joked.

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🌍 Trump inherits messy Middle East

The greater Middle East is erupting. In just six weeks, it's Donald Trump's problem, Axios Future of Defense author Colin Demarest writes.

• Why it matters: For all the attention paid to technological face-offs with China and measurements of military might in the Indo-Pacific, the pressures of the Middle East will dominate the early days of Trump's Pentagon.

💥 Zoom in: Among major flash points this year...

• Breakthrough fighting in Syria throws Russia off balance and elevates Turkey. The U.S. keeps about 900 troops in the country.
• Houthi attacks off Yemen paralyze global shipping and push U.S. Navy stockpiles into the spotlight.
• Months of war in Gaza, spurred by the Oct. 7 terrorist attack, stress test the U.S.-Israel relationship. A fragile ceasefire is brokered with Lebanon.
• Iran pushes ahead with its nuclear program, earning a jab from the International Atomic Energy Agency, and launches historic but largely intercepted drone and missile barrages.

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Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister withdraws from consideration to head the DEA

Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister announced on Tuesday afternoon that he is withdrawing from consideration to head the Drug Enforcement Agency, a position to which President-elect Donald Trump announced he was nominating him on Saturday night.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2024/12/03/hillsborough-county-sheriff-chad-chronister-withdraws-from-consideration-to-head-the-dea/?

 

Pete Hegseth, Trump's defense pick, faces deepening scrutiny in the Senate President-elect Donald Trump’s defense pick is running into questions over a sexual assault allegation, which he has denied, and other emerging reports about his work conduct and history. Hegseth told reporters he was planning to sit down with senators, even those potentially skeptical of his nomination. He has spent a second day on Capitol Hill meeting privately with Republican senators. Read more.

Why this matters: GOP senators have been weighing their options. Sen. Lindsey Graham said some of the reports are “disturbing.” “I want to make sure that every young woman that joins the military feels respected and welcomed,” Graham told CBS News. The South Carolina lawmaker told the AP later that he doesn’t know whether to believe the allegations, and Hegseth “has a chance to say that’s true or not true.”   Trump’s choices can only afford to lose a few detractors in the Senate, where it takes majority approval to be confirmed. Republicans will have a 53-seat majority in the new year, meaning four GOP votes could sink a nominee, if all Democrats are opposed.   If confirmed, Hegseth would not only be part of critical command and control of the nation’s nuclear weapons, but he would also be sixth in the line of succession to the presidency. It’s a position that ages its occupants and demands constant response, due to the number of middle-of-the-night contingencies that can occur when U.S. service members are put in harm’s way.

Related coverage ➤ Chad Chronister, Trump’s DEA pick, withdraws name from consideration Democrats stick with Schumer as leader. Their strategy for countering Trump is far less certain  Democrat Adam Gray captures California’s 13th US House District, ousting Republican Rep. John Duarte  Trump and Republican senators plan agenda for first 30 days

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Peter Navarro served prison time related to Jan. 6. Now Trump is bringing him back as an adviser

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former White House adviser Peter Navarro, who served prison time related to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, will return to serve in Donald Trump’s second administration, the president-elect announced Wednesday.

https://apnews.com/article/trump-transition-peter-navarro-nasa-isaacman-2566b318a1f82ad17d8d1abf17e9d218?

ps:It just gets better and better!!

Trump nominates cryptocurrency advocate Paul Atkins as SEC chair

President-elect Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he intends to nominate cryptocurrency advocate Paul Atkins to chair the Securities and Exchange Commission.

https://apnews.com/article/sec-chair-atkins-gensler-investors-financial-markets-d1c544f1846071b33c75b9f2dd0c1ba4?

ps:Of course!!

 

✂️ DOGE's two jobs

Slashing the federal workforce isn't primarily about saving money, says Vivek Ramaswamy, who's advising President-elect Trump.

• DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) — the advisory committee Ramaswamy leads with Elon Musk — mainly wants to find ways to shrink the federal government's power.
• The savings that would generate are secondary, Ramaswamy told me onstage today at the Aspen Security Forum.

🏛️ "The idea of reducing the federal employee headcount is not really about saving cost. I think that's either been a misunderstanding or mischaracterization of the objective," he said.

• "Part of what you have is an overgrown federal government that's doing things that were never supposed to be done by the federal government in the first place."

💰 Bigger savings will come from reducing waste, fraud and abuse in entitlement programs, as well as efficiencies like better government IT systems and a new approach to Pentagon contracting, he said.

Go deeper ... Watch the interview.

 

Trump taps billionaire Jared Isaacman to lead NASA

President-elect Trump announced Wednesday that he has nominated Jared Isaacman, billionaire and commercial astronaut, as the next head of NASA.

https://www.axios.com/2024/12/04/trump-jared-isaacman-nasa?

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Donald Trump’s mental collapse rages on with suggestion that an entire country become America’s 51st state

Without a doubt, Donald Trump has made a plethora of head-scratching decisions in his life, but proposing an entire country become the 51st state in the U.S. might be proof in the pudding that his brain has gone to absolute mush.

https://wegotthiscovered.com/politics/donald-trumps-mental-collapse-rages-on-with-suggestion-that-an-entire-country-become-americas-51st-state/?

ps:This can't be true??

 

📞 Trump not calling

President-elect Trump isn't working the phones for Pete Hegseth in his hour of need, leaving the embattled Department of Defense nominee to press his own case to skeptical senators, we have learned.

• "I don't think it's going anywhere," one senator told us about Hegseth's nomination chances.

Why it matters: Trump is on path to lose his third nominee in two weeks, and this time he's leaving his candidate out to dry.

• GOP senators took Trump's handling of the Matt Gaetz nomination as a sign he's open to changing his mind — and he's not that serious about fighting the Senate on rules and procedure just yet.

Trump waged a phone campaign last month before telling Gaetz to drop out. Before he announced Gaetz, he demanded consideration of recess appointments from Senate GOP leader candidates.

• The pipeline of backup names for defense secretary floated to the press — including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis — only further signals Trump could be open to switching things up again.

Let's run the tape on Hegseth's day:

• His meeting didn't seem to go great with top skeptic Sen. Joni Ernst, a combat veteran and sexual violence victim. The Iowa Republican issued a bland statement after the meeting, saying the convo was "frank and thorough." Hegseth has said women shouldn't serve in combat, and he faces sexual misconduct allegations.
• Hegseth promised to stay sober in the job — a promise he made both to Megyn Kelly in an interview and during a meeting with Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) — after unflattering stories about his use of alcohol.
• Hegseth pleaded with House Republicans to publicly endorse him — and said Trump was still on his side after the two spoke today.

What to watch: Other potential detractors are set to meet with Hegseth next week — Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska).

• Murkowski told us she has "a lot of questions" for the nominee.

— Stef Kight and Hans Nichols

[bonnie1962]

On 12/1/2024 at 8:35 PM, phkrause said:

On 12/2/2024 at 5:52 PM, phkrause said:

Trump family Donald Trump has selected billionaire Massad Boulos to serve as his senior adviser on Arab and Middle Eastern affairs — the second time in as many days the president-elect has chosen a family member for a key post. Boulos is the father-in-law of the president-elect’s daughter Tiffany and was heavily involved in campaigning for Trump in Muslim American communities in battleground states. On Saturday, Trump named real estate developer Charles Kushner as the next US ambassador to France. Kushner is the father of Jared Kushner, who is married to Trump’s daughter Ivanka. The elder Kushner was pardoned by Trump in 2020 following a 2005 conviction on federal charges. The selection of his daughters’ fathers-in-law for two critical posts underscores that Trump will continue to lean on trusted family members in his second term.

Probably not the best idea. Imagine if Biden had done same 

Trump leashes watchdogs

Photo illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

After spending much of his first term and all of his post-presidency under investigation, President-elect Trump is moving to ensure that doesn't happen again, Axios' Neal Rothschild writes.

 Aww shucks, no more Russian Hoax or daddy taking questionable showers  .

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🌴 Trump nomination cheat sheet

Chart: Axios Visuals President-elect Trump unleashed more than a dozen nominations and appointments yesterday — many of which will be central to his economic agenda: Peter Navarro, senior counselor for trade and manufacturing. He's a hardline China hawk who will likely play a key role in plans to impose heavy tariffs on imports. Dan Driscoll, secretary of the Army. Driscoll served in the Army for three and a half years, including a deployment to Iraq in 2009, before attending Yale Law and befriending JD Vance. Jared Isaacman, NASA administrator. The billionaire entrepreneur and close Elon Musk ally has been to space on SpaceX missions, giving Musk yet more insider access to key government funding. Adam Boehler, special presidential envoy for hostage affairs. Trump wrote that Boehler was the lead negotiator for the Abraham Accords. Bill McGinley, counsel for DOGE, the Department of Government Efficiency. McGinley was picked to be White House counsel last month, but was swapped yesterday. David Warrington, White House counsel. The Trump campaign's top lawyer is replacing McGinley. Monica Crowley, assistant secretary of State and chief of protocol. The former Fox News star will represent the administration for major international events such as the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 L.A. Olympics. Paul Atkins, SEC chair. Atkins is a staunch crypto advocate who has a long history of supporting the industry. Gail Slater, assistant AG for the antitrust division. Slater was a key adviser to Vice President-elect JD Vance, whose deep criticism of Big Tech may show its hand in Slater's approach to (potentially) blocking mergers. Michael Faulkender, deputy secretary of Treasury. He was the department's chief economist in Trump's first term, and has worked with groups working to advance Trump's policy goals since. Billy Long, IRS commissioner. The former Missouri congressman's mission will be to downsize an agency that Trump wants to spend less time auditing people. Kelly Loeffler, the former Georgia senator tapped to head the Small Business Administration, is a long-time Trump loyalist who was widely expected to feature somewhere in his Cabinet. Frank Bisignano, Social Security Administration commissioner. Bisignano is the CEO of financial software giant Fiserv and a veteran of JPMorgan Chase. Ben Berkowitz contributed reporting.

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Trump contradicts Chad Chronister; insists he ‘pulled’ him from DEA over pastor’s arrest

Donald Trump is insisting that Chad Chronister didn’t withdraw as a candidate for head of the Drug Enforcement Agency, but rather that he himself “pulled” the nomination after learning the Hillsborough County sheriff arrested a pastor for violating the COVID lockdown in 2020.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2024/12/04/trump-contradicts-chad-chronister-insists-he-pulled-him-from-dea-over-pastors-arrest/?

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Suddenly, Trump’s Ugliest Threats Are Facing Surprise GOP Resistance

There are still nearly two months to go before Donald Trump assumes the presidency again, but Republicans or GOP-adjacent industries have already begun to admit out loud that some of his most important policy promises could prove disastrous in their parts of the country.

https://local.newsbreak.com/georgia-state/3702617641753-suddenly-trumps-ugliest-threats-are-facing-surprise-gop-resistance?

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Trump's gilded Cabinet

Data: Axios and Americans for Tax Fairness research. Chart: Axios Visuals President-elect Trump has assembled an administration of unprecedented, mind-boggling wealth — smashing his own first-term record by billions of dollars, Axios' Zachary Basu writes. That's even without counting the ballooning fortunes of his prized outside adviser and the world's richest man: Elon Musk. Why it matters: It's not hyperbole to call this a government of billionaires. Whether it acts as a government for billionaires — as Democrats argue is inevitable — could test and potentially tarnish Trump's populist legacy. 🎨 The big picture: Besides Trump, Musk and his fellow Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) head Vivek Ramaswamy, at least 11 billionaires will serve key roles in the administration. They've been picked to lead the departments of Treasury (Scott Bessent), Commerce (Howard Lutnick), Education (Linda McMahon), Interior (Doug Burgum), the Small Business Administration (Kelly Loeffler) and NASA (Jared Isaacman). Financier Stephen Feinberg has been nominated for the No. 2 position at the Pentagon. Trump family in-laws Charles Kushner (ambassador to France) and Massad Boulos (Middle East adviser) were tapped for diplomatic roles, alongside billionaire donor Warren Stephens (ambassador to the U.K.). An additional four top appointees are hundred-millionaires: celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz (Medicare and Medicaid administrator), Fiserv CEO Frank Bisignano (Social Security commissioner), real estate executive Steven Witkoff (Middle East envoy) and fracking CEO Chris Wright (Energy Department). By the numbers: Trump's projected Cabinet alone is worth at least $10 billion, according to research by Axios and the nonprofit Americans for Tax Fairness — an estimate that likely undervalues the true total. With Musk, Ramaswamy and other wealthy appointees included, the top of the Trump administration's net worth is likely higher than the GDP of hundreds of countries, including Finland, Chile and New Zealand. President Biden's Cabinet, by comparison, was worth an estimated $118 million when he took office, according to Forbes. 🔎 Between the lines: Trump's gilded Cabinet is the product of an election in which billionaires spent like never before in U.S. history — mostly on behalf of Republicans. Yet it was Democrats who shed major support among working-class voters, suggesting Trump's populist message — and the aspirational riches he represents — once again were underestimated. What to watch: By rewarding so many of his biggest donors and billionaire allies with plum postings, Trump could risk flying too close to the sun. With every billionaire appointee comes a minefield of conflicts of interest and ethical concerns — exactly the kind of swampy conditions that Trump has vowed to drain. The optics alone could turbocharge the strain of populist left politics — championed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) — that characterizes America today as an "oligarchy."

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🤖 Trump's AI + crypto czar

President-elect Trump's choice of David Sacks as his "White House AI & Crypto Czar" will put a controversial Silicon Valley veteran, ally of Elon Musk and popular podcaster in charge of the White House's emerging-tech policy.

• Why it matters: The tech industry's conservative-libertarian wing has long complained Washington's leaders and culture stifle innovation. Now it will be their turn to call the shots, Axios managing editor Scott Rosenberg writes.

Catch up quick: Sacks was a co-founder of PayPal, where he worked with Musk and Peter Thiel, and later invested in their companies SpaceX and Palantir.

• Sacks co-hosts the "All-In Podcast" and is a leading critic of progressive ideas.
• In June, he hosted a fundraiser for Trump at his San Francisco home. In July he spoke at the Republican National Convention.
• He runs his own VC firm and this year launched Glue, an AI-driven Slack competitor.

Trump wrote that Sacks "will safeguard Free Speech online, and steer us away from Big Tech bias and censorship. He will work on a legal framework so the Crypto industry has the clarity it has been asking for, and can thrive in the U.S."

• Trump said Sacks will lead the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.

Between the lines: Sacks' appointment takes the same side door Trump is using to put Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy in charge of his DOGE efficiency office.

• Sacks will become a "special government employee" and can serve a maximum of 130 days a year, with or without compensation, per Bloomberg.
• That means he won't face confirmation hearings or financial disclosure requirements.
• Read Trump's announcement ... Share this story.

🇨🇳 P.S. Trump picked former Sen. David Perdue (R-Ga.), a former businessman with experience dealing with Communist Party officials, as his ambassador to China.

• The choice "offers a potential olive branch to Beijing," Bloomberg reports: In 2019, during the first Trump administration, Perdue told Chinese trade negotiators in a CNBC opinion piece that "cooperation is our ultimate goal."

 

🚀 Trump friends make his win their gain

Data: YCharts. (SpaceX private-company valuation per news reports.) Chart: Axios Visuals Two of President-elect Trump's closest allies have seen their wealth supercharged by his election — and the assumption that lucrative government business will now flow their way, Axios' Felix Salmon writes. Why it matters: Investors aren't necessarily clamoring for SpaceX shares because Starlink has become more profitable or Palantir shares for some sudden AI breakthrough. Instead, they're buying into the proximity of Elon Musk and Palantir co-founder Peter Thiel to President-elect Trump. Both companies have gotten exponentially more valuable in recent months. SpaceX's private valuation has reportedly increased by $140 billion just since June, to the neighborhood of $350 billion. Palantir's publicly traded stock has more than tripled this year. 🖼️ The big picture: Both companies are now worth substantially more than market fundamentals would usually suggest. SpaceX is worth more than double most any other defense contractor. Palantir is trading at 60 times its revenue over the last 12 months (charted below). Data: Yahoo Finance. Chart: Axios Visuals 👓 Between the lines: Both men are likely to use their access to Trump in different ways, and investors are counting on it to pay off. Musk, wearing his DOGE hat, could attempt to sell Trump on the idea that Space Force is much cheaper than the Army, Navy or Air Force, while also being a smarter strategic investment. Thiel has been described as a "kingmaker" in Trumpland after Trump picked Thiel protégé JD Vance as his running mate. Go deeper on Elon Musk + SpaceX ... Palantir.

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Trump defends Hegseth as his confirmation chances dim

President-elect Trump on Friday defended his embattled Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth as his path to Senate confirmation appears in jeopardy.

https://www.axios.com/2024/12/06/trump-defends-hegseth-pentagon?

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😍 Trump's House obsession

Data: Axios research; Chart: Axios Visuals Donald Trump is dramatically outpacing other presidents when it comes to staffing his Cabinet with House lawmakers. Why it matters: Trump's nominations have left Speaker Mike Johnson with a 217-215 majority for the critical first months of the administration. Trump prefers the lower chamber to the more detached and regal Senate — where even now members are flexing their independence from the incoming president. House members are typically more in touch with the fanatically pro-Trump GOP base, especially since they face reelection every two years. "We know what people expect. We all have unique experiences. And many were the first to endorse him and remain loyal," Rep. Marc Molinaro (R-N.Y.) told us. By the numbers: Trump has picked a staggering seven people for Cabinet-level positions whose last significant public service was in the House. Another two have served in the House but since held another public office such as governor or senator or previous administration post. Even more former House members are being tapped for sub-Cabinet posts, with Trump nominating former Rep. Billy Long (R-Mo.) to lead the IRS and former Rep. Dave Weldon (R-Fla.) to head the CDC. Several outgoing House members are also rumored to be in the mix for administration roles, including Molinaro and Rep. Garret Graves (R-La.). The bottom line: Trump's penchant for picking House members could hobble his agenda. He plucked three House members who had already won election to the 119th Congress, including Reps. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) for U.N. ambassador and Mike Waltz (R-Fla.) for national security adviser. Former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) has since withdrawn his nomination for attorney general but has said he will not return in the next Congress. — Andrew Solender

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🔎 Trump loyalty tests

During job interviews at the Trump transition offices in West Palm Beach, some prospects for top Pentagon and intelligence jobs have been asked what they thought about Jan. 6 and whether the 2020 election was stolen, the N.Y. Times' David E. Sanger, Jonathan Swan and Maggie Haberman report.

• Loyalty questions have been asked in interviews across multiple agencies. President-elect Trump's team has researched what candidates said about him on the day of the Capitol riot and in the days following, sources told The Times.

Why it matters: The questions go beyond the typical focus on alignment with the incoming president's agenda. "The Trump transition team appears to be trying to figure out whether prospective hires have ever shown a hint of daylight between themselves and Mr. Trump on specific issues," The Times notes.

👀 Behind the scenes: The sense interviewees got "was that there was only one right answer to each question," The Times learned from nine people who interviewed for or were directly involved in the process.

• "Among those were applicants who said they gave what they intuited to be the wrong answer — either decrying the violence at the Capitol on Jan. 6 or saying that President Biden won in 2020. Their answers were met with silence and the taking of notes. They didn't get the jobs."

Candidates are rated on a scale of one to four in more than a half-dozen categories, including competence.

• Karoline Leavitt, the incoming White House press secretary, said: "President Trump will continue to appoint highly qualified men and women who have the talent, experience, and necessary skill sets to make America great again."

Keep reading (gift link).

ps:Just amazing!!!!!

 

Military leaders are rattled by a list of ‘woke’ officers that a group urges Hegseth to fire

WASHINGTON (AP) — Military leaders are rattled by a list of “woke” senior officers that a conservative group urged Pete Hegseth to dismiss for promoting diversity in the ranks if he is confirmed to lead the Pentagon.

https://apnews.com/article/hegseth-trump-diversity-pentagon-list-602477b6e80641b53f4f9b640a14f4ce?

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Trump calls for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine Donald Trump on Sunday pushed Russian leader Vladimir Putin to act to reach an immediate ceasefire with Ukraine, describing it as part of his active efforts as president-elect to end the war despite being weeks from taking office. Read more.

What to know: Trump’s call went beyond the public policy stands taken by the Biden administration and drew a cautious response from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who described discussions Saturday with Trump as “constructive” and gave no further details. It also marks Trump wading deeply into efforts before his Jan. 20 inauguration to resolve one of the major global crises facing the lame-duck Biden administration.   The Biden administration and other supporters of Ukraine have made a point of not being seen to press Ukraine for an immediate truce. Ukraine’s allies fear a quick deal would be largely on the terms of its more powerful neighbor, potentially forcing damaging concessions on Ukraine and allowing Russia to resume the war again once it has built back its military strength.   Trump renewed his warning to NATO allies that he did not see continued U.S. participation in the Western military alliance as a given during his second term. Trump has long complained that European and Canadian governments in the mutual-defense bloc are freeloading on military spending by the U.S., by far the most powerful partner in NATO. NATO and its member governments say a majority of countries in the bloc are now hitting voluntary targets for military spending, due in part to pressure from Trump in his first term.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Arms producers saw revenue up in 2023 with the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, a new report says   Russia has used its hypersonic Oreshnik missile for the first time. What are its capabilities?   Election Day has long passed. In some states, legislatures are working to undermine the results   In promising to shake up Washington, Trump is in a class of his own   Lara Trump steps down as RNC co-chair and addresses speculation about Florida Senate seat   Trump taps his attorney Alina Habba to serve as counselor to the president

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Trump transition

President-elect Donald Trump previewed a sweeping agenda for his second term in an interview with NBC News that aired Sunday. Trump vowed to pursue pardons for January 6 defendants and raised the possibility that some of his political opponents could face jail time. He outlined how his administration will prioritize mass deportations but said he's open to working with Democrats to preserve the legal status of "Dreamers" — an often-used term for immigrants who were brought to the US as children. Trump also doubled down on his campaign promise to end birthright citizenship, which is guaranteed by the 14th Amendment, and suggested he may attempt to overturn the right through executive action. "We have to end it. We're the only country that has it," he falsely said. As CNN has reported, about three dozen countries provide automatic citizenship to people born on their soil.