Trump transition live updates: President-elect to meet with Biden at White House; Senate to pick new leader
Donald Trump back in Washington DC on Wednesday to sit down with Joe Biden to discuss transition after announcing a series of new cabinet appointments
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Your support makes all the difference.Donald Trump will return to Washington DC on Wednesday to meet with Republicans on Capitol Hill and Joe Biden at the White House to discuss a transition schedule as the Senate elects a new majority leader in place of Mitch McConnell, with Rick Scott, John Cornyn and John Thune in contention.
The president-elect has meanwhile announced that tech billionaire Elon Musk and ex-Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy will head a new “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE), tasked with cutting the cost of government, stripping away regulations and restructuring federal agencies.
Musk responded to the news by pledging that DOGE “will send shockwaves through the system, and anyone involved in government waste, which is a lot of people”.
The incoming 47th president unveiled a number of other appointments to his new administration on Tuesday, picking John Ratcliffe, his director of national intelligence from 2020 to 2021, to be his next CIA director and Fox News host Pete Hegseth as secretary of defense.
Trump also revealed that Mike Huckabee has been chosen as his new ambassador to Israel, Steven Witkoff will be his special envoy to the Middle East and William Joseph McGinley his White House counsel.
Live: Trump and Biden to meet at the White House
You can watch a livefeed of Donald Trump’s upcoming meeting with Joe Biden in the Oval Office via our YouTube channel below.
Trump announces four more advisers joining White House staff
Here’s the latest HR news out of Mar-a-Lago as the Trump transition team confirms reporting earlier this week that Stephen Miller will join his second administration as assistant to the president, deputy chief of staff for police and homeland security adviser.
In addition, Trump’s former caddy and long-time social media adviser Dan Scavino will return as assistant to the president and deputy chief of staff, James Blair will be an assistant to the president and deputy chief of staff for legislative, political and public affairs and Taylor Budowich will serve as assistant to the president and deputy chief of staff for communications and personnel.
“Dan, Stephen, James and Taylor were ‘best in class’ advisors on my winning campaign, and I know they will honorably serve the American people in the White House,” quoth Trump.
“They will continue to work hard to Make America Great Again in their respective new roles.”
Trump addresses Republicans in DC: ‘It’s always nice to win'
The president-elect is currently addressing the House GOP conference at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in triumphant fashion, basking in the glow of last week’s election results.
His new best friend has a front row seat.
Melania hits out over ‘false, misleading and inaccurate’ reporting about her absence
While still declining to offer an explanation for her not joining her husband today, the past and former first lady hits out at the press and warns: “Be discerning with your source of news.”
Trump jets in for White House meeting with Joe Biden
The president-elect’s private plane landed in Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, a short while ago to whisk him across to Washington DC.
Elon Musk, his chief of staff-designate Susie Wiles and Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz were among Trump’s fellow passengers.
MAGA congresswoman claims Lara Trump is ‘perfect fit’ to replace Rubio in Senate
Florida Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna believes the RNC co-chair, Donald Trump’s daughter-in-law, should take Senator Marco Rubio’s seat in the upper chamber of Congress now that he is expected to be tapped to serve in Trump’s cabinet.
Kelly Rissman reports.
MAGA congresswoman claims Lara Trump is best fit to replace Marco Rubio in Senate
Rep Anna Paulina Luna credited Trump’s daughter-in-law as being ‘largely responsible for securing Trump’s win’
Musk supports radical change in who controls America’s supply of money
The Tesla and SpaceX CEO signaled his support for abolishing the Federal Reserve in a post on X last week, just days before Trump announced the billionaire’s new “efficiency” role under his government.
Musk shared a post by Republican Senator Mike Lee that called for an end to the United States’s central bank.
Musk included a “100” emoji in the caption of his re-post on Friday.
“The Executive Branch should be under the direction of the president,” the Utah senator wrote in his post.
“That’s how the Constitution was designed. The Federal Reserve is one of many examples of how we’ve deviated from the Constitution in that regard. et another reason why we should #EndTheFed.”
Katie Hawkinson has more.
Elon Musk supports radical change in who controls America’s supply of money
Donald Trump has since appointed Musk as co-chair of the new ‘Department of Government Efficiency’
Tommy Tuberville says the US military ‘couldn’t beat anyone right now’
The Alabama Senator told Fox News host Laura Ingraham last night that her stablemate Pete Hegseth will have his work cut out for him because the US military is a “disaster” and “couldn’t beat anybody right now”.
Tuberville – a former football coach who never served and has no background in military strategy – made the comments while insisting that the nation needs to revamp its armed forces.
“We need to build our military up,” the Republican said.
“Our military right now, Laura, is a disaster. Absolute disaster. We couldn’t beat anybody right now.”
Tuberville said while “we’ve got some good people in the military… [the] structure of it, the things that we’ve done, the Democrats have destroyed it”.
Graig Graziosi has more.
Tommy Tuberville says the military ‘couldn’t beat anyone right now’
Tuberville insisted the military needed to be built up despite freezing service member promotions for a year because he opposed the Pentagon’s abortion policy
Ex-Fox News host slams colleague’s appointment to run Pentagon under Trump
Gretchen Carlson has said she was left “stunned” by Trump’s decision to select her one-time colleague Pete Hegseth as his new secretary of defense.
“From silly diner interviews on Weekend Fox and Friends to Secretary of Defense?” she wrote on X last night.
“I never thought I’d say I’m stunned about any pick after the election but nominating Pete Hegseth for this incredibly important role? Yes he’s a veteran… and?”
James Liddell has more.
Ex-Fox News host slams colleague’s appointment to run Pentagon under Trump
‘I never thought I’d say I’m stunned about any pick after the election but nominating Pete Hegseth for this incredibly important role?’ Gretchen Carlson questioned
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