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Trump delivers Mar-a-Lago speech with Elon Musk and new HHS RFK Jr in attendance: Live updates

Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. were in attendance for Donald Trump’s first public speech since winning the White House

Gustaf Kilander,Joe Sommerlad,Rhian Lubin
Friday 15 November 2024 02:20 GMT
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Related video: Jake Tapper shares five words he ‘never contemplated using’ to describe Trump’s cabinet pick

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President-elect Donald Trump spoke publicly for the first time since winning the White House at the America First Policy Institute gala at Mar-A-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida on Thursday night.

Those in attendance included billionaire Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who were recently named co-chairs of Trump’s new Department of Government Efficiency. While speaking, Trump announced that North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum will be his nominee to lead the Department of the Interior.

Matt Gaetz, Trump’s pick for attorney general, was also in attendance. Gaetz resigned from his seat representing Florida in the House in light of the news on Wednesday. This will effectively end the House Ethics probe into allegations of sexual misconduct and drug use made against him.

“I don’t think it’s a serious nomination for the attorney general,” Alaska Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski said.

Members of both parties have called for the House Ethics report to be released.

Trump also nominated former independent presidential candidate and anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist Robert F Kennedy Jr to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.

“For too long, Americans have been crushed by the industrial food complex and drug companies who have engaged in deception, misinformation, and disinformation when it comes to Public Health,” Trump said in statement.

Mayor of Chicago calls Trump ‘threat’ to Black families in direct message to President-elect

Mr Johnson made the claim in response to Trump’s plan to address illegal immigration.

Speaking at a press conference on 12 November, Mr Johnson said: “His threat is not just towards new arrivals and undocumented families. His threats are also against Black families.

“We’re going to protect undocumented individuals. We’re going to protect Black folks, Brown folks, Asian folks. The city of Chicago will be better, stronger and safer despite who’s in the White House.”

Mayor of Chicago calls Trump a threat to Black families in direct message to new president-elect
Lucy Leeson15 November 2024 00:30

New York City is typically a blue Democrat haven. Except for these blocks where Trump’s MAGA red flies proudly

What do an Orthodox Jewish neighborhood in Brooklyn, the Italian south shore of Staten Island, and the western tip of the Rockaways have in common?

They are all neighborhoods in New York City where Donald Trump won by astronomical margins in the presidential election.

Although the city (and Manhattan in particular) still overwhelmingly votes for the Democrats, Trump increased his share of the vote in the five boroughs more than almost anywhere else in the country.

Inside the Trumpiest neighborhoods in NYC

New York City is Donald Trump’s hometown — but it hasn’t always liked him

Richard Hall, Alicja Hagopian15 November 2024 00:00

‘We are not a serious country’: Congress in shock after Gaetz tapped as Trump’s attorney general

Donald Trump has tapped long-time ally Matt Gaetz for Attorney General, prompting concern and disdain among lawmakers and social media users on both sides of the aisle.

Gaetz served as a representative from Florida until he resigned from the House on Wednesday following Trump’s announcement. The president-elect’s nomination of Gaetz comes after the 42-year-old and his associates were at the center of a sex trafficking investigation carried out by current Attorney General Merrick Garland.

Gaetz was ultimately never charged with a crime but remained the subject of a House Ethics Committee investigation regarding, among other claims, allegations of sexual misconduct. However, the committee’s investigation is now over following Gaetz’s resignation, which Speaker of the House Mike Johnson said was effective immediately.

Republicans and Democrats in shock after Gaetz tapped as Trump’s attorney general

‘God help us,’ Representative Maxwell Frost, a fellow Floridian, posted in response to the news

Katie Hawkinson, Eric Garcia, Andrew Feinberg, Kelly Rissman14 November 2024 23:30

Who is Pete Hegseth? The Fox News anchor turned nominee for Defense secretary

Pete Hegseth has been nominated for Secretary of Defense under President-elect Donald Trump - but who is the relative unknown to the DC sphere?

Hegseth’s most recent role was as a host on Fox and Friends morning show. That is where most of America knows him from, but he is also an author, husband, and dad and even found viral fame - though it landed him in legal hot water.

Hegseth is also a military veteran, earning the rank of major in the Army while serving in the Minnesota National Guard. He served in both the Iraq War and the War in Afghanistan. He earned numerous medals. After he left the military, he served as executive director of the political groups Vets for Freedom and Concerned Vets for America while he made appearances on TV as a political commentator.

Who is Pete Hegseth? The Fox News anchor turned nominee for Defense secretary

The ‘Fox and Friends’ co-host married television producer Jennifer Rauchet in 2019

Amber Raiken14 November 2024 23:00

Gabbard says she anticipated ‘resistance to change from the swamp'

Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s nominee to be the next director of national intelligence, appeared on Fox News, saying that “of course, there’s going to be resistance to change from the swamp in Washington.”

Gustaf Kilander14 November 2024 22:45

Watch Alex Jones rant about ‘deep state’ after The Onion takes over Infowars

Jones was ordered to pay $1.5 billion to the families of Sandy Hook victims over his repeated false claims that the 2012 massacre of children at Sandy Hook Elementary School was a hoax.

In September, a Texas judge ruled that Jones’ assets, including the Infowars properties, could be auctioned off in order to pay the penalties he owed.

Jones took to X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday (14 November) to share his disgust, stating: “We are not going to be silenced.”

Watch Alex Jones rant about 'deep state' after The Onion takes over Info Wars
Lucy Leeson14 November 2024 22:30

RFK Jr and Trump are mulling banning fluoride from drinking water. Here’s what the mineral actually does

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has said that a second Trump administration would advise the nation to remove fluoride from public water supplies.

“Fluoride is an industrial waste associated with arthritis, bone fractures, bone cancer, IQ loss, neurodevelopmental disorders, and thyroid disease,” Kennedy claimed.

He recently wrote that former President Donald Trump and his wife, Melania, want to “Make America Healthy Again,” also sharing a link regarding a recent court ruling that found the mineral poses enough risk to be further regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency.

RFK Jr, Trump are mulling banning fluoride from drinking water. Here’s what it does

Fluoride prevents cavities in a quarter of adults and children but excess and prolonged exposure can lead to health risks

Julia Musto14 November 2024 22:15

VOICES: Could Zelensky really go nuclear and build a ‘dirty bomb’ if Trump ends US support of Ukraine?

Two years ago, as the Russian army was retreating back from north-east Ukraine, there were serious worries that Vladimir Putin would use tactical nuclear weapons to block the Ukrainian advance. In September, 2022, Liz Truss is reported to have spent her last days in No 10 pouring over maps of potential fall-out zones affecting this country.

Although Putin has rattled his nuclear sabres several times since, he’s confined himself to launching horrific sub-nuclear thermobaric bombs amid his swarms of rockets and drones striking Ukrainian cities.

But the threat of the war turning nuclear has raised its head again – this time from Kyiv, rather than the Kremlin.

Could Zelensky really go nuclear and build a ‘dirty bomb’?

The fall out from the war in Ukraine looks to be heading west, writes Mark Almond – no thanks to the White House

Mark Almond14 November 2024 22:00

Report: Musk met with Iran’s UN Ambassador

Elon Musk met with Iran’s ambassador to the UN on Monday in New York, according to The New York Times.

Two Iranian officials said the meeting was intended to be a discussion about how to lower tensions between Iran and the US.

They told the paper that the meeting with Amir Saeid Iravani lasted for more than an hour and was conducted at a secret location.

The Iranian officials described the development as “positive” and “good news.”

Gustaf Kilander14 November 2024 21:54

Shares in vaccine makers drop after Trump announces RFK Jr to lead HHS

Shares of vaccine makers Moderna, Pfizer, and Novavax plummeted after Trump announced that he would nominate anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist Robert F Kennedy Jr to be health secretary, according to Bloomberg.

“The Safety and Health of all Americans is the most important role of any Administration, and HHS will play a big role in helping ensure that everybody will be protected from harmful chemicals, pollutants, pesticides, pharmaceutical products, and food additives that have contributed to the overwhelming Health Crisis in this Country,” Trump said in a statement announcing his pick.

Gustaf Kilander14 November 2024 21:48

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