Trump’s defense nominee Pete Hegseth ripped by Tammy Duckworth as GOP grilled on cabinet picks: Live updates
President-elect also made flurry of nominations on Friday night to form his new administration
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Your support makes all the difference.Donald Trump has named Brooke Rollins, founder of the America First Policy Institute, as his pick for secretary of agriculture, completing nominations for his cabinet.
The president-elect wasted little time after Matt Gaetz said he was withdrawing from consideration for attorney general. Hours later, Trump named Pam Bondi, former Florida AG, as his choice to lead the Department of Justice. Bondi represented him in his first impeachment trial.
Trump also announced hedge fund manager Scott Bessent as his choice for treasury secretary, and in a flurry of announcements on Friday night, he named Project 2025 co-author Russell Vought as the White House budget chief.
Trump also picked heads for the FDA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and a surgeon general — rounding out his nominees to join Robert F Kennedy Jr in radically transforming the nation’s healthcare and disease preparedness agencies.
On Sunday morning’s political talk shows, Republican lawmakers stepped up to defend some of Trump’s choices, including defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth who has been mired in scandal all week because of sexual assault allegations and views on women in combat roles.
Democratic senator Tammy Duckworth, a veteran, called him “unqualified and dangerous”.
Trump’s Cabinet and staff tracker: Here’s who is among the White House appointments so far
‘Funniest idea ever’: Elon Musk and Donald Trump Jr suggest buying MSNBC
Gaetz without ‘the baggage’: Trump’s new pick Pam Bondi could still disrupt Justice Department
What to know about Brooke Rollins, Trump's pick for agriculture secretary
Report: Trump will fire Jack Smith’s lawyers and use the DoJ to investigate the 2020 election
President-elect Donald Trump is reportedly set to attempt to fire the attorneys who worked with Special Counsel Jack Smith investigating the former president for his alleged mishandling of classified documents and for his connection to the Capitol riot.
Those affected are likely to include career professionals usually shielded from such revenge efforts, , according to The Washington Post.
Trump is also set to put together groups to look for evidence that the 2020 election was riddled with fraud.
Gustaf Kilander reports from Washington, DC.
Trump will fire Jack Smith’s lawyers and use the DoJ to investigate the 2020 election
Those affected are likely to include career professionals usually shielded from political revenge efforts, which may take years to enact
Initial meeting held between Trump and Biden national security advisors
The outgoing and incoming national security advisors for the Biden and Trump administrations met earlier this week, two people familiar with the meeting told Axios.
It was the first meeting between Biden National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Trump’s appointee to the role, Florida Rep. Mike Waltz.
Waltz is set to take over the White House advisory role amidst several global crises. The meeting occurred despite the Trump transition team not having signed a memorandum of understanding to allow the transition process to start.
The meeting went ahead after Sullivan returned from Biden’s trip to South America, and several global issues were discussed, such as the war in Gaza and the hostages still being held by Hamas, according to Axios.
Sullivan noted last week that he had met Waltz previously during his time as a member of the House.
"He and I obviously don’t see eye to eye on every issue, but I am very much looking forward to engaging him over these next 60 days, as I said, so that we can have this smooth handoff," Sullivan noted.
Who’s who among the White House appointments so far
President-elect Donald Trump is filling key posts in his second administration, rewarding longtime loyalists, aides and allies who were his strongest backers during the 2024 campaign and in his legal battles.
In the weeks since winning the election, Trump has named dozens of appointments to major government roles including some highly controversial picks. A week after he was nominated, Trump’s first pick for attorney general — now-former congressman Matt Gaetz — withdrew his name from consideration amid a looming congressional report into allegations of sexual misconduct.
Here’s a look at who Trump has selected for Cabinet positions and key roles so far.
Trump’s Cabinet and staff tracker: Here are the White House appointments so far
Here is who Donald Trump has chosen to fill key cabinet positions in his second administration
Pam Bondi, Hurricane Katrina and a rescued a dog — here’s what happened...
Donald Trump moved quickly to replace Matt Gaetz as his nominee for United States attorney general, tapping Pam Bondi for the job within hours of the former Florida lawmaker’s withdrawal.
Gaetz dropped out of the process on Thursday saying his candidacy was “becoming a distraction” after the House Ethics Committee came under pressure to release the findings of its investigation into allegations he had sex with a minor – accusations he has consistently denied.
Bondi, 59, served as the Sunshine State’s attorney general from 2011 to 2019 and represented Trump in his first impeachment trial before the Senate.
But she is not entirely free from controversy herself.
Joe Sommerlad reports.
Trump’s attorney general pick was once caught up in a bizarre dog custody battle
President-elect’s latest nominee was once embroiled in a bizarre canine custody battle
ICYMI: Trump delivers flurry of nominations
President-elect Donald Trump announced a flurry of nominations on Friday night, revealing his choices to lead the Treasury Department, the Office of Management and Budget, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the FDA, the CDC, the Office of the Surgeon General, and the Department of Labor.
Gustaf Kilander reports from Washington, DC.
Trump picks Scott Bessent for treasury as he announces flurry of cabinet picks
President-elect announced nominations to lead several departments and agencies as he continues to staff his next administration
Trump’s counter terror pick Sebastian Gorka is a ‘conman’ who needs FBI background check, Bolton says
When Donald Trump’s former national security adviser John Bolton appeared on CNN Friday night, he didn’t hold back when commenting on Trump’s pick for his counterterrorism director.
“Sebastian Gorka is a con man,” Bolton told host Kaitlan Collins.
“He needs a full-field FBI background investigation about his educational claims and things like that,” he added. “I think he is a perfect example of somebody who owes his position purely to Donald Trump, he doesn’t display loyalty, he displays fealty, and that’s what Trump wants.”
Read more:
Trump’s counter terror pick Sebastian Gorka is a ‘conman,’ John Bolton says
Former Trump national security adviser calls right-wing personality the ‘perfect example of somebody who owes his position purely to Donald Trump’
Seth Meyers skewers Gaetz over 8-day run for AG
Seth Meyers roasted Matt Gaetz for his failed eight-day run to become Donald Trump’s attorney general, marking one of the quickest withdrawals from a cabinet nomination in US history.
On Thursday’s Late Night with Seth Meyers, the comedian skewered the former Florida congressman after he dropped out of the confirmation process to head up the Justice Department following resurfaced sexual misconduct claims.
One allegation, which Gaetz denies, is that he paid for sex with a 17-year-old girl on more than one occasion.
“Matt Gaetz is out? But his nomination was only eight days old,’ Meyers said.
“Once again, he can’t even make it to 18,” he quipped.
Rhian Lubin has the story.
Seth Meyers skewers Matt Gaetz’s failed 8-day run for attorney general
The comedian roasted Gaetz, who dropped out of the process amid resurfaced sexual misconduct claims
Profile: Pam Bondi — Trump’s new pick for attorney general
The incoming Trump administration didn’t waste any time on Thursday after Matt Gaetz said that he was dropping his bid to become attorney general. Soon afterwards it announced that Pam Bondi, the former attorney general of Florida, would seek the top position at the Justice Department instead.
Bondi, 59, who served as Florida’s attorney general from 2011 to 2019 and represented the president-elect at his first impeachment trial in the Senate, is both an experienced public official and a long-time Trump ally.
Gaetz reacted to the choice on X by calling her “a stellar selection” as well as “a proven litigator, an inspiring leader and a champion for all Americans”.
South Carolina Republican senator Lindsey Graham was even more effusive, posting: “Well done, Mr President. Picking Pam Bondi for Attorney General is a grand slam, touchdown, hole in one, ace, hat trick, slam dunk, Olympic gold medal pick. She will be confirmed quickly because she deserves to be confirmed quickly.”
Here’s what you need to know about her.
Trump’s AG didn’t sue Trump University after $25K donation
Former Florida official has lengthy record of high-profile prosecutions, as well multiple moments of ethical scrutiny
Former Trump surgeon general sounds alarm on infectious diseases
Jerome Adams, who served as surgeon general in the first Trump administration is sounding the alarm about alarming trends in infectious diseases.
He says he hopes the incoming administration has a strong response plan and can ensure vaccine confidence stays high “or they’ll be distracted with outbreaks for 4 years this time instead of 1.”
Election workers defamed by Giuliani pen scathing letter accusing him of an ‘obvious attempt to intimidate’
Attorneys for election workers that Rudy Giuliani defamed wrote a scathing letter accusing the former New York City mayor of launching a crusade meant to “to obstruct and intimidate” them as they try to recover his assets.
In a Friday letter to a federal judge, Michael Gottlieb, a lawyer representing election workers Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, accused Giuliani of orchestrating a “public relations campaign” meant to stop the women from collecting the belongings they are owed.
Kelly Rissman reports.
Defamed election workers accuse Giuliani of ‘obvious attempt to intimidate’ them
Trump’s former lawyer launched a ‘public relations campaign’ to block them from his property, attorneys claim
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