Trump returns to MSG for UFC fight night as he picks oil CEO Chris Wright for energy secretary: Live
Donald Trump returned to Madison Square Garden tonight after naming fracking CEO Chris Wright as his pick for energy secretary
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Your support makes all the difference.Donald Trump has returned to Madison Square Garden tonight to attend an Ultimate Fighting Championship event at the New York City arena.
The president-elect returned to the famed venue just weeks after his controversial campaign rally there. Attendees met him with thundering cheers as he entered alongside UFC CEO Dana White, billionaire ally Elon Musk, cabinet pick Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson. Popular podcaster Joe Rogan also attended, greeted Trump with a friendly handshake.
Meanwhile, Trump continues to fill key posts in his second administration and tonight named fracking CEO Chris Wright as his choice for energy secretary.
Wright, CEO of Denver-based Liberty Energy, is a vocal advocate of oil and gas development and one of the industry’s loudest voices against efforts to fight climate change.
Trump's transition team is also firefighting serious allegations surrounding Matt Gaetz for attorney general and Pete Hegseth for defense secretary.
A woman who gave testimony to the House Ethics Committee probing Gaetz claims that she witnessed him having sex with a minor, her lawyer told ABC. Gaetz denies all wrongdoing.
The president-elect's transition team is also reportedly "stunned" by a sexual assault allegation regarding Hegseth that only emerged within 48 hours of announcing him for the top defense job, CNN reports. He denied all the accusations.
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COMMENT: Climate diplomacy just about survived Trump’s first term – can it withstand a second?
Chris Wright writes:
In 2016, no one really knew what a Trump presidency would bring. But many feared that the hard-won Paris Agreement – the treaty that brought all countries together under a single framework – was now at risk of falling apart.
Today we may be on the brink of yet another major shift, as some of the world’s most senior diplomats have flagged in an open letter. And while it may be a bit premature, it is a fair question to ask whether or not these existing structures of climate diplomacy will survive – or even should.
Continue reading...
Climate diplomacy just about survived Trump’s first term – can it withstand a second?
As the 2016 US election results came in, I wept. The optimism felt by me and many other climate campaigners was swiftly crushed, writes Chris Wright
Trump can bypass FBI background checks and security clearance for key cabinet picks — here’s how...
The FBI has vetted cabinet picks since President Dwight D Eisenhower was in the White House.
But if he so chooses, Donald Trump, himself a convicted felon, can bypass background checks for those he has nominated for key roles in his administration.
Incoming cabinet members have traditionally faced intensive screening from the FBI with a binary purpose: to help with the Senate confirmation process and to vet nominees for security clearance.
Criminal histories, conflicts of interest, financial problems or other potentially disqualifying factors are typically investigated through this process.
But, despite established procedure, the president does have the power to bypass such checks and grant immediate security clearance to officials.
James Liddell explains.
How Trump can bypass FBI background checks and security clearance for cabinet picks
President-elect allegedly granted clearance to at least 25 people flagged by the FBI as possible dangers to national security in his first term
Rachel Zegler has issued an apology for her recent social media outburst, in which she raged against President-elect Donald Trump and his supporters.
Inga Parkel reports on what the Snow White star had to say:
Rachel Zegler apologizes for anti-Trump rant and contributing to ‘negative discourse’
‘I let my emotions get the best of me,’ the ‘Snow White’ star says
Watch: Trump’s cabinet picks show intent to ‘deconstruct the administrative state’
Could an X and Truth Social merger be in the works?
As the bromance between President-elect Donald Trump and Elon Musk continues, some now believe that a merger could be in the works between their respective social media platforms, Truth Social and X.
“I would suspect he would try to merge Truth Social” with X, tech journalist Kara Swisher said on CNN last week.
“They could merge them and make it a meme stock and make a lot of money for themselves. That could be interesting and incredibly corrupt,” she added.
Gustaf Kilander reports.
Could an X and Truth Social merger be in the works?
Deal could be a way ‘to funnel billions of dollars from Musk to Donald Trump,’ professor notes
Trump names Steven Cheung to White House comms role
President-elect Donald Trump has named two of his senior campaign advisers to roles at the White House.
Per a statement released today:
STEVEN CHEUNG will return to the White House as Assistant to the President and Director of Communications. Cheung was Director of Communications on the Trump-Vance 2024 Presidential Campaign and previously served in the Trump White House as Director of Strategic Response.
SERGIO GOR will serve as Assistant to the President and Director of the Presidential Personnel Office. Previously, Gor was CEO of Winning Team Publishing, while also running the pro-Trump Super PAC, Right For America.
“Steven Cheung and Sergio Gor have been trusted Advisors since my first Presidential Campaign in 2016, and have continued to champion America First principles throughout my First Term, all the way to our Historic Victory in 2024,” Trump said. “I am thrilled to have them join my White House as we, Make America Great Again!”
Who’s who in Trump’s cabinet nominations, so far...
President-elect Donald Trump is filling key posts in his second administration, putting an emphasis so far on aides and allies who were his strongest backers during the 2024 campaign.
Here’s a look at who he’s selected so far.
Trump’s Cabinet tracker: Here’s who is among the White House appointments so far
Here is who Donald Trump has chosen to fill key cabinet positions in his second administration
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